Michigan Healthcare Workers Organize to Join NUHW
NUHW Brothers and Sisters:
I have exciting news to share with you.
I’m a Cardiovascular Technologist and former elected SEIU Chief Steward at Mercy Health Partners, Hackley Campus, in Muskegon, Michigan. Last week, my co-workers and I filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board for nearly 100 of us to leave SEIU and join NUHW.
We’re not the only ones. Workers at Luther Manor skilled nursing facility in Saginaw, Michigan, clear on the other side of the state, also filed petitions for nearly 75 workers to switch from SEIU to NUHW.
Two things motivated us to take this step: the abysmal representation we’ve received for years from SEIU, and the inspiration we’ve felt from watching thousands of workers in California take back their union by joining NUHW. We’ve had experiences just like yours with SEIU—our phone calls aren’t returned, our grievances go unaddressed, and our contract is not being enforced—so we decided to join your movement for democratic reform of the labor movement.
Since we filed our petitions, we’ve begun to be exposed to what most of you have already been through: a relentless campaign of fear, lies and harassment from SEIU.
It won’t work. Too many of us have experienced the negligence and indifference of SEIU for too many years to believe SEIU’s lies. We’re committed to taking back our union, and we’re proud to be shedding our purple lanyards and donning our red ones.
We can’t wait to be the newest members of NUHW.
Sincerely,
Hasan Zahdeh, Cardiovascular Technologist, Mercy Health Partners, Hackley Campus, Muskegon, Michigan