Tasty got this message from a former SEIU staffer about their experiences inside SEIU's Kaiser campaign. It offers an interesting picture of the collusion and law-breaking by Kaiser and SEIU. Check it out:
I organized on several campaigns, including the Southern California Pro's election in January, 2010. It was during that time that I can recall being specifically instructed to tell the Southern California Pro's that they would lose their PSP benefits if they voted to elect NUHW.
Afterwards, Kaiser Permanente set out to punish the healthcare workers who elected to leave their partner, SEIU, by withholding wages and benefits that they were legally entitled to. The trustees of UHW immediately went to work, intimidating healthcare workers who had yet to vote in an election. Kaiser's campaign of withholding wages and benefits, and the resolution by the Kaiser Coalition of Unions to exclude NUHW became the trustees way of proving that there would be consequences for leaving the blanket protection of UHW.
I'm happy that the NLRB has overturned the election. I hope that there will be a new and fair election that will allow healthcare workers to choose which ever union they wish. Healthcare workers deserve to elect a union without fear of retribution - from anyone.
More troubling is UHW's response to the NLRB's decision is to deny accountability, and to spin information in a desperate attempt to manipulate the values of their frontline staff. They continue to force their organizers to shoulder the enormous task of holding the union together. While Regan and his inner circle continue to walk between the rain drops.
