Looks like SEIU's election problems are spreading like a bad flu. On May 14, about 600 workers at HCA's Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen, TX voted down SEIU in a first-time union election by a tally of 184 (No Union) to 175 (SEIU). This was the first of five elections at HCA hospitals in Texas that SEIU is running under a neutrality deal it made with the company. (Oh, but aren't these deals the future of healthcare organizing?)
SEIU chose to run the first election at Rio Grande Regional because that's where SEIU had the strongest support from workers. In fact, Tasty hears that SEIU was so confident of victory that they told the California Nurses Association to hold off on scheduling the RN election at the same hospital so that CNA could benefit from the momentum of an SEIU election victory. Oh, CNA, when will you ever learn?
So, which SEIU staffers were responsible for SEIU's stunning success at Rio Grande Regional? None other than Norm Yen and Allyn Umel, two SEIU scabs who've been staffing the UHW trusteeship for months! (That is Norm in the picture from the SEIU Local 5 website, but that isn't Allyn that he is holding.)
SEIU's problems at HCA can only gonna grow worse. First of all, SEIU has four more elections at Texas hospitals where it has even weaker support from workers. And soon, SEIU will face a decert election by RNs at this HCA hospital in St. Petersburg, FL.
Is this all the awesome new organizing that MK is always talking about?
