San Jose Business Journal: workers at Silicon Valley nursing homes petition to join NUHW

NewsMarch 16, 2010

Caregivers at 10 nursing homes operated by GranCare (formerly Mariner) have petitioned the labor board for an election to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers and end their membership in the SEIU.

The Silicon Valley facilities involved are Almaden Care and Rehab, 2065 Los Gatos Almeden Road in San Jose; Fremont Healthcare Center, 39022 Presidio Way in Fremont; and Skyline Healthcare Center-San Jose, 2065 Forrest Ave. in San Jose.

The 1,000 caregivers at GranCare homes have become the latest “to join an exodus of more than 100,000 SEIU members across California who are fleeing the troubled union. The movement began last January, when SEIU officials from Washington, D.C. seized control of a local chapter in an effort to divide nursing home workers from hospital workers. NUHW was founded by the healthcare workers and experienced union negotiators who led the local union before SEIU’s takeover,” the union said.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers said it is California’s fastest-growing union, representing caregivers in every job classification. More than 100,000 workers in hospitals, nursing homes, and Kaiser Permanente facilities have petitioned for elections to join NUHW.

 

Source: San Jose Business Journal