September 28th, 2009
Union Democracy Blog: New constitutions for UNITE HERE and for NUHW: Calling for democracy, Resisting authoritarianism
By now there is something to be learned from the bitter internecine battles that embroil Andy Stern of the SEIU, Sal Rosselli of the new National Union of Healthcare Workers, John Wilhelm of UNITE HERE, and Bruce Raynor of Workers United. It is becoming clearer that this is no mere struggle for power among ambitious union leaders. It involves a sharp challenge to Stern’s favored conception of a labor movement highly centralized at the top and regimented below. It marks an important break in the trend toward superbureaucratization of the American labor movement. That challenge is manifested in two new union constitutions: one, adopted in haste as the founding constitution of Rosselli’s NUHW; the other, the extensively revised constitution of Wilhelm’s UNITE HERE, just adopted at its convention in July.
September 24th, 2009
1,600 Southern California hospital workers: “We’re through with corrupt SEIU”
Labor leaders have united against SEIU power-grabs—and so have the union’s members
LOS ANGELES—A majority of workers at four Southern California hospitals have petitioned to leave the scandal-plagued SEIU and join the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) instead.
“We need a union where healthcare workers have a voice to raise standards for ourselves and our patients,” said Richard Saillant, a stationary engineer at Olympia Medical Center. “We’re through with corrupt SEIU leaders who are only out for themselves.”
The exodus comes at a time when the SEIU is wracked with troubles, both internal and external.
September 24th, 2009
Workers at four more SoCal hospitals file petitions to join NUHW
Bob Hardebeck, Surgical Tech at Garden Grove Hospital “When SEIU agreed to subcontracting in 2007, we had to fight both SEIU and the employer for a year to protect our jobs and have a voice in our own contract. That’s why it’s so important for healthcare workers ourselves to control negotiations with our employers. In […]
September 23rd, 2009
SEIU forfeits first NLRB contest to NUHW
In the first contest between SEIU and the National Union of Healthcare Workers overseen by the NLRB, SEIU has abandoned its effort after failing to win any support among environmental services workers at Los Alamitos Hospital.
Employees of Los Alamitos Hospital subcontractor Hospital Housekeeping Systems (HHS) had never been part of a union before they filed petitions to join NUHW in March. Now that SEIU has withdrawn their effort to divide HHS employees, the workers will vote to choose between NUHW and “No Union” on Sept. 28.