Workers win landslide vote to join NUHW

No link.

Today, nearly 300 caregivers at Doctors Medical Center in the San Francisco Bay Area won a landslide election victory to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) and leave SEIU. According to official results from the government-run election, 84% of the caregivers voted for NUHW, with only 13% voting for SEIU. The count was 158 votes for NUHW, 24 votes for SEIU, and 7 votes for "No Union."

"We're so excited to be in control of our own union again," said Duka Ristic, an ultrasonographer at the hospital. "NUHW is led by the local healthcare workers and leaders we know and trust, who helped us raise standards for our patients and keep our community's hospital open."

Since SEIU leaders seized control of SEIU-UHW in January, approximately 100,000 healthcare workers have petitioned to leave SEIU and join NUHW. However, rather than permitting workers to express their free choice in union elections, SEIU officials have instead filed hundreds of frivolous "blocking" charges with state and federal labor boards to delay elections at more than 360 facilities. Doctors Medical Center is the first facility in the state where workers finally were permitted to hold an election.

SEIU leaders sent dozens of organizers to campaign at the hospital. When SEIU leaders recognized they would lose the election, they filed multiple legal charges in an effort to stop the election from taking place. When those efforts failed, SEIU leaders filed additional legal actions to attempt to seal the election results from the public's view.

Today's election is an important indicator of the breadth of support for NUHW and the need for government agencies to allow workers to participate in elections. While the National Labor Relations Board has so far failed to protect workers' right to vote in fair and timely elections, California's Public Employment Relations Board has begun scheduling elections for public service healthcare workers. Next month, workers at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister as well as Fresno County homecare workers will have their chance to vote.

link here:

http://www.nuhw.org/media/2009/5/21/healthcare-workers-join-nuhw-in-first-election.html

http://www.unionbook.org/pg/pages/view/14338/

Please help publicize this event.


Saturday. May 31, 2009, SMART will hold a session at the Labor Notes's Troublemakers' School (http://www.labornotes.org/bayarea). The subject will be the goals and history of SMART. All members of SEIU and activists in the labor movement are welcome to attend.

SEIU Member Activists for Reform Today (SMART) was formed in early 2008. SMART has thus far been built as an informal "committee of the whole" with decisions made by international conference calls, on a one-member one-vote basis. On May 31, 2009 we'll be having our first conference to tackle important tasks for our organization: membership, dues, committees, officers, rules.
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Upcoming Meetings for SMART!


Reformers in SEIU Locals Need an Organization!

Join SMART: SEIU Member Activists for Reform Today!


“How We Can Reform SEIU!”


Saturday, May 30 :: 12pm


At Labor Notes’s TroubleMaker’s School

Laney College :: Oakland, CA


No doubt workers are better off in a union than without one. SMART, however, believes that

our unions can be much stronger if they are democratically run by rank-and-file members; this

is how the membership gains a sense of ownership over the organization, and this is how we

tap into the talent and potential that exists in every worksite.

Reforming SEIU will be no easy feat, as many of our locals don’t even have elected

leadership! So the question of “how” we must take very seriously. Come to a discussion about

the past, present, and future of SMART.

www.labornotes.org/bayarea ]


SMART Constitutional Conference


Sunday, May 31 :: 10am-3pm


Community Meeting Room @ Tenderloin Police Station

301 Eddy St. (cross of Jones St) :: San Francisco, CA


A business meeting to tackle organization questions, membership, leadership, etc. for

SMART.


For more information, contact







larryandlorrie@aol.com

or 510-649-9366. Labor Donated.

Welcome to the DU labor Forum. Be sure to stop by often.

OS