September 9th, 2009
KRCB-FM: Union vote at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
Employees at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital are one step closer to a union representation vote, something that could come within a matter of a few weeks.
Steve Sidawi, a volunteer organizer with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, traces the history of the unionization effort at Memorial Hospital.
September 9th, 2009
KRCB-FM: Union vote at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
Employees at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital are one step closer to a union representation vote, something that could come within a matter of a few weeks.
Steve Sidawi, a volunteer organizer with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, traces the history of the unionization effort at Memorial Hospital.
September 2nd, 2009
NY Daily News: SEIU members angry at money spent to fight California healthcare workers
Above, members of Local 1199 protest during a 2007 contract dispute.By Meredith Kolodner
New York’s lowest-paid unionized workers are up in arms over being asked to cough up cash to pay for a labor battle 3,000 miles away.
Members of the Local 1199 hospital workers union say their leadership has already spent too much on a controversial California clash that pits member against member and drains resources during fiscally tight times.
“There is significant sentiment within the union that is questioning the way the dues money is being spent,” said one 1199 leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “There are a lot of people who don’t want this war.”
September 2nd, 2009
New York SEIU members angry at money spent to fight California healthcare workers
Above, members of Local 1199 protest during a 2007 contract dispute.
New York Daily News: New York’s lowest-paid unionized workers are up in arms over being asked to cough up cash to pay for a labor battle 3,000 miles away.
Members of the Local 1199 hospital workers union say their leadership has already spent too much on a controversial California clash that pits member against member and drains resources during fiscally tight times.
“There is significant sentiment within the union that is questioning the way the dues money is being spent,” said one 1199 leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “There are a lot of people who don’t want this war.”
August 31st, 2009
Beyond Chron: SF Labor Council Backs UNITE HERE Local 2, Rejects SEIU’s Threats
by Randy Shaw
In a further sign of SEIU’s growing estrangement from the labor movement, the San Francisco Labor Council has rejected SEIU’s threat to withdraw 40% of its Council funding unless UNITE HERE Local 2 drops its support for NUHW’s decertification campaign against SEIU’s home health care workers. At an August 21 Executive Board meeting, representatives of several unions took turns castigating SEIU-UHW Trustee Dave Regan for threatening the Council’s funding, while praising Local 2’s historic commitment to worker rights. Although Regan had threatened the “immediate withdrawal” of SEIU’s $17,000 monthly Council contribution during an August 15 meeting with Local 2 officials, he now denied that SEIU had decided to withdraw funding. Instead, he said that he had requested to meet with Local 2 to see how SEIU-UHW could help UNITE HERE in its contract fight against San Francisco’s hotels. Most striking about the meeting was the widespread criticism of SEIU’s bullying tactics, and the strong defense of Local 2’s efforts to help NUHW decertify SEIU’s local home health care workers.