December 2nd, 2009
Labor board OKs 2,300 Kaiser professionals to quit SEIU and join National Union of Healthcare Workers
Ruling by federal government ends nine months of obstruction by SEIU officials
LOS ANGELES—More than 2,300 healthcare professionals at dozens of Kaiser Permanente facilities across Southern California will soon vote on leaving the SEIU to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW).
A majority of the workers filed petitions to join NUHW in February, but SEIU delayed the election by filing frivolous charges which were rejected yesterday afternoon in a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board. The election should be scheduled within 42 days.
“We’re joining NUHW because we want democracy and integrity in our union again,” said Jim Clifford, MS, a therapist at Kaiser San Diego.
“SEIU has made deals behind our backs to cut our pension and lay off 1,800 of our co-workers,” he said. “We’ve been waiting months for the chance to join NUHW and put members in charge of our union again.”
December 2nd, 2009
Labor board OKs election for 2,300 Kaiser professionals to join NUHW
Jim Clifford, MS, Therapist at Kaiser San Diego Psychiatry
“We’re joining NUHW because we want democracy and integrity in our union again. SEIU has made deals behind our backs to cut our pension and lay off 1,800 of our co-workers. Now’s our chance to put members back in charge of our union.”
More than 2,300 healthcare professionals at dozens of Kaiser Permanente facilities across Southern California will soon vote to leave SEIU and join NUHW.
A majority of the workers filed petitions to join NUHW in February, but SEIU delayed the election by filing frivolous charges which were rejected yesterday afternoon in a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board. The election should be scheduled within 42 days.
December 2nd, 2009
KSRO-AM: Msgr. John Brenkle and Memorial worker Melissa Bosanco live on “The Drive”
Click the play button to hear Monsignor John Brenkle, pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church and Care Partner Melissa Bosanco talk about the union effort at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital on KSRO-AM’s drive-time show.
December 1st, 2009
SEIU refuses mediation by Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Msgr. John Brenkle to ensure a fair union election at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
Statement by Monsignor John Brenkle, pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church
Santa Rosa, Calif.—Local Catholic leader Monsignor John Brenkle today said that SEIU officials are “waging an anti-union campaign” against workers at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, after SEIU rejected an offer by Brenkle and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich to help set ground rules in a contested union election.
Memorial workers asked for an election to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) in April. Hospital administration and NUHW both agreed to negotiate ground rules for a fair election in which workers would not face intimidation or negative and deceptive campaigning. But the rival union SEIU intervened, and has blocked any such agreement on ground rules by refusing to participate in negotiations, despite appeals from many North Bay faith leaders and labor leaders.
In an email, Secretary Reich said he was “frankly disappointed that SEIU-UHW did not accept the offer made by Monsignor John Brenkle and myself to mediate election ground rules.”
Monsignor Brenkle issued the following statement:
November 30th, 2009
Talking Union: Leaving SEIU and Joining NUHW
An Open Letter to my SEIU friends, former co-workers, and all SEIU members and staff
By Paul Krehbiel
As a former staff worker for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 660 (now 721) in Los Angeles from 1998 – 2007, I am appalled by the degeneration of SEIU under the direction of President Andy Stern. While Local 660 had its share of problems, it had been in many respects a vibrant union. I was committed to Local 660 and its members and worked hard to build a strong, democratic, member-empowered union. But I can no longer remain silent about the degeneration I see, not only in Local 721, but also in many other SEIU units that Stern and his agents have taken over.