We voted to join NUHW at Hazel Hawkins!

Hazel Hawkins Memorial HospitalJune 22, 2012

It’s official!

Today, the Public Employment Relations Board concluded its vote count, and 175 of us at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, California, are now the newest members of NUHW.

We’re so glad to be out of SEIU and back in a union that fights for workers instead of making shady back room deals with management that put our benefits at risk.

Just like our co-workers at Kaiser, we went through our first election a few years ago and made the mistake then of deciding to stick it out with SEIU. Since then, SEIU has shown us clearly just how dishonest and corrupt they really are. What they call “representation” is a joke, and SEIU officials are more interested in cozying up to management than in looking out for their members.

Just like at Kaiser, we got a second chance. This time it was an easier decision than ever. We chose NUHW and we can’t wait to move forward with a real union that actually fights for us.

We’re not the only ones celebrating, either. Just down the road from us, 18 pharmacists at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital who joined NUHW three months ago just won a great contract with no takeaways, reduced healthcare costs, and the reinstatement of a pension plan that management took away from them before they joined NUHW!

Meanwhile, SEIU continues to sell out members by making back room deals with employers. Last night, SEIU reached a tentative agreement with Dignity Health that looks a lot like the sell-out contract SEIU settled at Kaiser. Yesterday, the California Nurses Association sent this letter to SEIU-UHW President Dave Regan, calling him out on his secret deals with management and telling him that he and Dignity’s “bosses” are “one and the same.” Here’s a leaflet from CNA you can show your co-workers.

We’ve waited a long time to be free of SEIU’s incompetence and corruption. We’re thrilled to be part of NUHW and can’t wait to welcome Kaiser workers to our union once they get their second chance, too!

Sincerely,

Patsy Myers, Housekeeper, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
National Union of Healthcare Workers