June 22nd, 2009
Beyond Chron: Is Fresno SEIU’s Vietnam?
by Randy Shaw
SEIU defeated NUHW by 233 votes in their bitter election over Fresno’s 10,000 home care workers, but now faces a situation analogous to the United States in Vietnam. It took nearly one thousand staffers and an estimated $10 million for SEIU to eke out a victory in Fresno, the labor equivalent of carpet-bombing. But just as the massive bombing of North Vietnam failed to bring the United States an ultimate victory, SEIU’s Fresno campaign left its opposition unvanquished, and likely better positioned than SEIU to win future elections.
June 22nd, 2009
Fresno County homecare providers expose SEIU’s illegal tactics in illegitimate election
Mistakes by the State election officer could also have disenfranchised hundreds of providers who wanted to vote
Fresno, Calif.—Fresno County homecare providers spoke out today at the County Hall of Records to tell their stories of SEIU’s illegal tactics to interfere in this month’s union election. Thousands of providers petitioned for the election in March so they could quit the scandal-plagued SEIU and join the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW).
SEIU spent an estimated $10 million on attack mailings, robo-calls, TV and radio ads, and 1,000 paid staff flown in from across the country, but failed to win enough support from workers to win the election without breaking the law. Homecare providers reported scores of incidents of voter intimidation, illegal threats, and ballot manipulation by SEIU staff. In addition, delays by the State Mediation and Conciliation Service (SMCS) in sending replacement ballots could have disenfranchised hundreds of providers whose ballots were not counted because they arrived after the June 15 deadline.
June 20th, 2009
Fresno Bee: Homecare union election challenged
Workers in Fresno Co. will have to wait 10 more days for final results.
by Barbara Anderson
Fresno County’s 10,000 homecare workers have voted in a bitterly fought election to remain with their established union, according to a tally of votes Friday evening.
But the election results are being challenged.
A count of the votes Friday showed the Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers-West won by a 233-vote margin over the National Union of Healthcare Workers, said Steve Sanchez, interim program manager for the Fresno County Public Authority. The authority is the employer of record for the workers, who care for elderly and disabled people — many of whom are family members.
June 19th, 2009
Fresno Business Journal: Union vote count underway
Votes are being counted in one of the most closely watched union elections in local history.
Over 10,000 health care workers in Fresno County recently voted on whether to remain members of the Service Employees International Union and United Healthcare Workers organization or to switch to the fledgling National Union of Healthcare Workers. A final count could come as early as today, but that is not likely.
June 18th, 2009
Workers’ Independent News: Outcome of NUHW and SEIU battle could shape labor future
Source: Workers’ Independent News