May 19th, 2010
Hospital workers say USC is hurting patient care with reckless campaign against their own employees
“They’ve turned a place of healing into a battleground,” says one caregiver
LOS ANGELES—Healthcare workers at USC University Hospital make life-and-death decisions every day, but now they have even more to worry about on the job: USC management is waging an aggressive campaign to take away their union and silence their voices on patient care issues.
Two longtime employees have already been illegally suspended and threatened with arrest for talking with their co-workers about their union, and last week hospital CEO Mitch Creem personally ordered security guards to arrest three union organizers while they were eating with workers in the hospital’s public cafeteria.
“We all work here because we want to help our community and provide quality care when people need it most, and the intimidation and new attacks by management are a real distraction,” said Alex Corea, a respiratory therapist at the hospital. “They’ve turned a place of healing into a battleground.”
May 18th, 2010
Monterey County Weekly: Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital workers oust SEIU
By Robin Urevich
Salinas Valley employees, including licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, and clerical staff, voted nearly two to one to join the National Union of Health Care Workers, an upstart group led by former SEIU officials who charge their former union with running roughshod over the rights of workers to have a voice in the organization. NUHW was formed last year when local leaders resisted plans to break up their 150,000 member statewide health care local, and transfer a third of the membership to an SEIU affiliate based in Los Angeles. At Salinas Valley, NUHW won 402 votes, to 242 for SEIU, while 13 workers voted no union.
May 18th, 2010
Monterey County Herald: Caregivers dump SEIU, vote to join new union
By Lane Wallace
Caregivers at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital have voted to leave Service Employees International Union and join the rival National Union of Healthcare Workers.
Results, announced Monday after three weeks of voting by mail, shows 408 votes for the health care union, 242 votes for SEIU, and 13 votes for no union. The local union represents more than 830 workers, including respiratory care practitioners, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, clerical workers and others.
May 18th, 2010
The Californian: Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital workers switch unions
By Kimber Solana
Caregivers at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital chose to switch unions following three weeks of voting, officials said Monday.
The group, which includes respiratory care practitioners, licensed vocational nurses, and nursing assistants, voted to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers and cut ties with the Service Employees International Union.
“We wanted to decide for us,” said Ernesto Gonzales, a nutrition service aide of 14 years experience who voted for the move. “We switched because [NUHW] are people that we know and trust. We didn’t want [SEIU] to take that away.”
May 18th, 2010
Nearly 900 more hospital workers join NUHW at Salinas Valley Memorial
Caregivers at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital voted by a landslide to join the NUHW for a stronger voice in bargaining. 408 votes for NUHW, 242 votes for SEIU, and 13 votes for No Union were counted this morning after three weeks of voting by mail. [Read more] The next election will be in Los Angeles, […]