In Optical, we’re saying NO to SEIU-UHW’s cuts and YES to our union, NUHW-CNA
As NUHW-CNA optical workers, we’re excited that in just two weeks, our co-workers in the service, technical and clerical bargaining unit will be casting their ballots and joining together with members of NUHW and CNA as a union of 70,000 Kaiser employees — the largest and strongest union in Kaiser.
SEIU-UHW is desperate, and not surprisingly, they’re trying to divide us again. Two years ago, SEIU-UHW attempted to decertify NUHW optical workers. They failed. Now SEIU-UHW officials are trying once again to pressure optical workers to sign yet another decertification petition. SEIU-UHW isn’t interested in helping us, of course. They just want to use us by putting our names on a leaflet for use in the upcoming election.
Just as before, we won’t be used by SEIU-UHW. A super majority of optical workers has signed a petition of our own, letting Kaiser and SEIU-UHW know that we’re 100 percent behind our union, NUHW-CNA, and the elected members of our bargaining committee. We’ll NEVER go back to SEIU-UHW.
We’ve REJECTED Kaiser’s proposals to cut our pension and retiree health benefits — the same cuts that SEIU-UHW accepted. And we’ve REJECTED Kaiser’s proposal to increase our co-pays to $20, which is what SEIU-UHW members in the Kaiser I.T. department are being forced to pay. In NUHW-CNA, our co-pays are $5, and we’re not letting Kaiser increase them a cent.
That’s why we’re NUHW-CNA members: because we believe in workers standing up for ourselves instead of lying down for management.
Read the petition for yourself by downloading this leaflet. Then share it with your co-workers.
Sincerely,
Sonia Askew, Optician, Kaiser South Sacramento
National Union of Healthcare Workers – California Nurses Association