Labor Board certifies NUHW election victory at Seton Medical Center, Seton Coastside
California Pacific Medical Center
On November 2, in a clear demonstration of the inefficient, anti-worker procedural policies of the National Labor Relations Board and the cynicism and corruption of the Service Employees International Union, healthcare workers at Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach finally received certification of their union election — 19 months after they voted to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
In fact, the delay really lasted three and a half years. Seton workers first voted to join NUHW in March 2012 but the results were thrown out by the NLRB when it ruled that the election was tainted by Daughters of Charity’s illegal material support for SEIU. In the second election, held March 19, 2014, Seton workers again voted for NUHW, only to see SEIU file frivolous objections in an attempt to prevent Seton workers from joining NUHW.
One year later, the NLRB’s Region 20 Director in San Francisco overruled all the objections and recommended that the NLRB certify NUHW as the bargaining representative for Seton workers, but SEIU then filed objections to the Region 20 Director’s report. The cynicism of SEIU’s objections was made plain by the fact that SEIU did not provide a single piece of supporting evidence. Nonetheless, SEIU’s baseless objections were enough to stall the NLRB certification process for another seven months.
Meanwhile, Seton workers were required to pay 2% of their income in monthly union dues to SEIU for 43 months while SEIU and the NLRB kept Seton workers waiting for their election results to be certified.
“It’s disturbing that so many obstacles are thrown in the path of workers fighting for a voice,” said Seton Respiratory Therapist Suad Husary. “We waited a long time, but we’re glad to finally be part of a democratic, worker-led union. As NUHW, we’ll finally have a voice.”