Here’s the latest from the giant re-run election at Kaiser Permanente in California, which
is scheduled for April.
Sources report that SEIU has parachuted hundreds of staffers
from across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico into Kaiser’s hospitals. This
sudden appearance of hordes of purple-clad organizers is generating a tad bit
of anger and hostility among Kaiser employees.
According to workers, SEIU-UHW has been AWOL since the last
election. Not returning workers’ phone calls. Not handling grievances and
arbitrations. Not enforcing the contract. SEIU has let management
do whatever it wants to, say workers.
That’s why workers at Kaiser Walnut Creek Medical Center
were a bit shocked one day when they saw an SEIU organizer wearing this shirt:
“Invisible no more!” Perhaps this will be SEIU’s slogan
for the campaign! (B/t/w, take a look at the Kaiser security guard sitting at SEIU's table. Talk about being in bed with the boss!)
Apparently, workers are not buying it. Here’s an email that’s
circulating among Kaiser workers.
Dear Co-Worker:
Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves these questions?
• Where have all those hundreds of SEIU reps been since the last election?
• Why is SEIU not enforcing our contract?
• Why is SEIU not handling our grievances?
• Why is SEIU not enforcing our conversion rights?
• Why is SEIU making secret deals with management behind our backs?
• Why is SEIU making us pay a Partnership Tax to Kaiser, even though Kaiser is already making billions in profits?
It’s simple. SEIU only cares about our dues. SEIU has no interest in actually fighting for us, so they cut backroom deals with management.
But make no mistake. Now that we’re having a new election, SEIU will flood our facilities with staff, pizzas and promises. They’ll spend millions of dollars of OUR dues money to lie to us. Don’t be fooled. If SEIU wins the new election, SEIU will abandon us just like they did the last time.
We need a union that we can trust. That fights for us. That enforces our contract. Vote NUHW!
