Remember Tasty's post about the three-year anniversary of SEIU's trusteeship in California? Well, back in 2009, just days after SEIU's trusteeship, Trustee Dave Regan triumphantly declared "Mission Accomplished" and announced that everything at SEIU-UHW would be "back to normal" in three months' time.
Looks like Dangerous Dave Regan sorely underestimated California's healthcare workers.
Ten days ago, on the exact anniversary of SEIU's trusteeship (January 27th), 650 workers at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, CA filed a petition with the NLRB to decertify SEIU-UHW and join NUHW!
So why do workers want out of SEIU? It's a familiar story. Following the trusteeship, SEIU officials cut a sweetheart deal with company executives that reduced workers' health benefits and weakened their job security. As a result, more than 100 Seton workers have lost their jobs.
Meanwhile, many workers are paying thousands of dollars a year for health coverage that used to be free... just like at this sister hospital that's run by the same parent company, Daughters of Charity Health System. And in a sign of cuts to come, SEIU has teamed up with the company's execs to push "Wellness Programs" down workers' throats. Oh... and don't forget that SEIU doesn't return workers' calls, grievances aren't handled, and SEIU lets management do whatever it wants on the shop floor.
Not a pretty picture.
That's why SEIU is panicking. Soon after workers filed their petition, SEIU poured purple-shirted organizers into the hospital along with glossy mailers and robo-calls to workers' homes. Tasty hears that last Friday, SEIU had nine organizers nervously pacing the floors of the hospital, including organizers sent all the way from an Australian union called "United Scab Voice" or "Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union." SEIU-UHW also sent in its HR Director, Mary Sacramento, who was last seen chasing workers at California Pacific Medical Center in the run-up to their NLRB election.
Australians?? What's next? Maybe Regan will call in the Bulgarians!
