Sunday, December 15, 2013

NLRB Overturns Illegal Unionization Scheme between SEIU-UHW and SoCal Hospital




The NLRB has found SEIU-UHW officials guilty of rigging an illegal unionization scheme with HCA, the nation’s largest hospital corporation, which forced 200 Southern California hospital workers to join SEIU earlier this year.

The findings -- which are documented in an official NLRB notice posted below -- recall a similar episode at Chapman Medical Center. In August of 2012, the NLRB reversed the results of a union-representation election for 220 of Chapman’s workers after determining that SEIU-UHW had illegally rigged the vote count in collusion with hospital executives.

SEIU-UHW’s track record of fraudulent elections raises obvious concerns as Dave Regan tries to negotiate a sweetheart unionization pact with the California Hospital Association that would allow SEIU-UHW to unionize 100,000 workers without any employer resistance but would force the workers into cheap, pre-negotiated contracts that ban strikes.

So what happened at the HCA hospital?

After HCA purchased Thousands Oaks Surgical Hospital, SEIU-UHW cut a deal with HCA executives that forced the hospital’s 200 Registered Nurses and other staff to join SEIU without a vote and forced them to immediately begin paying dues to SEIU.

In May, the hospital’s workers filed charges with the NLRB alleging that HCA executives and Dave Regan colluded to force the 200 workers into SEIU.

After an investigation, the NLRB overturned the unionization scheme and forced SEIU-UHW to post the following notice informing workers of their right to a democratic vote that allows them to elect the union of their choice.