NEWS&PRESS

January 15th, 2013

Nurse Talk: RN DeAnn McEwen National Nurses United and NUHW Step Up

Listen at NurseTalk Podcast ” type=”text”> A visit with RN DeAnn McEwen, , Co-President of the California Nurses Association, about a recent press release announcing the largest nurses union in the U.S., National Nurses United and its affiliation with the National Union of Healthcare Workers to step up their work to protect patients, uphold standards, […]

January 15th, 2013

My SEIU story (VIDEO)

Last year, SEIU-UHW officials gave away our retiree health coverage to their friends in Kaiser management. Then they let Kaiser lay off 1,000 of our co-workers. My name is Leslie Suderno and I’m one of those workers. This is my story: I have worked 34 years for Kaiser and I feel that I’ve been a […]

January 10th, 2013

Why I am resigning as an SEIU steward and supporting NUHW-CNA

I have been a steward for many years because I have always believed in protecting our rights in the workplace. I am writing to you today to inform you that I have resigned my position as shop steward for SEIU-UHW. Since the trusteeship I have watched SEIU-UHW transform into an organization controlled by leaders more […]

January 8th, 2013

Healthcare Finance News: Two California labor unions join forces

Two California labor unions join forces

January 08, 2013 | Stephanie Bouchard, Managing Editor, Healthcare Finance News

Two labor unions in California are formalizing what has been a longstanding informal relationship. The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) and the California Nurses Association (CNA) announced last week a legal affiliation that is for now a strategic alliance rather than a merger.

The 10,000-member NUHW and 85,000-member CNA will maintain separate constitutions and autonomous internal governance structures but will act like one union on agreed upon projects, legislative goals, organizing campaigns and contract campaigns, said Sal Rosselli, president of NUHW.

The affiliation with NUHW at this point does not impact CNA’s affiliation with National Nurses United, Rosselli added, but it does mean that the potential affiliation between NUHW and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) will not happen. NUHW and IAM formed a partnership last year that had the potential to develop into a formal affiliation. While that affiliation will not happen now, Rosselli said, IAM still supports NUHW’s goals.

January 7th, 2013

Huff Post: Health Care Worker Unions Team Up In California

Dave Jamieson, Huffington Post

Two major health care worker unions entered into a formal affiliation in California on Thursday, arguing that they could better fight concessions sought by hospitals and health care companies in contract talks if they joined forces.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) and the California Nurses Association (CNA) will now jointly fight what they describe as declining workplace standards in the industry, officials with the two unions told The Huffington Post. The NUHW, which was created four years ago after a split with another union and now includes 10,000 members, has found a significantly larger partner in the politically powerful CNA, which represents 85,000 nurses in the state.

“Some of us in both organizations, for decades, we have had this goal to form a national health care union,” said Sal Rosselli, president of NUHW. “This affiliation, we believe, will make it come to be.”

The affiliation comes at a time when the two unions have been engaged in high-profile fights with the health care companies Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, as well as public spats with another union, the Service Employee International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU). NUHW and the nurses association have accused SEIU of being too friendly with the industry and too conciliatory to employers during contract talks.