Another Hospital Votes to Join NUHW!

Earlier today, the ballots were counted in a decertification election at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, California. SEIU-UHW has represented 175 workers at the hospital... that is, until workers voted them out of office! Here's the final tally:

NUHW:  75
SEIU-UHW:  61
No Union:  2

Way to go, Hazel Hawkins workers!

That's two victories in a row for NUHW! Last month, 450 workers at Children's Hospital in Oakland, CA also voted to join NUHW and decertify SEIU-UHW.

Keep it up, healthcare workers!

NUHW Scores Lopsided Victory in California Hospital Election!

This just in! Today, NUHW won a lopsided NLRB election among 450 workers at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California. Here's the final tally:

NUHW - 183
SEIU-UHW - 135
"No Union" - 7

Quite a victory... especially when you consider all the dirty tricks that SEIU threw at the hospital's workers.

It was way back in February 2009 that workers requested an NLRB election to leave SEIU-UHW and join NUHW. SEIU officials used every dirty trick in the book to block workers' election for the next 2 1/2 years. In one disgusting episode, SEIU attorneys Bruce Harland, Manuel Boigues and Glenn Rothner filed seven NLRB "blocking charges" in just two days as part of SEIU's campaign of obstruction and delay.

Meanwhile, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry shamelessly issued press releases declaring SEIU's steadfast support for speedy NLRB elections to preserve workers' fundamental right to democracy. Talk about hypocrisy!

Then, last August, the NLRB finally conducted an election for the hospital's workers. NUHW won by four votes, but various "challenged ballots" and votes for "No Union" left the outcome unresolved. SEIU's Dave Regan quickly began a campaign to stall the re-run election... until today!

Way to go, Children's Hospital workers!!

SEIU Staffer Does Face Plant

Looks like SEIU’s trusteeship staffers have gotten so used to loyalty oaths and witch hunts that they’re now trying to export them to outside organizations. Check out this story from a reader:

Martha Kuhl is a longtime leader of the California Nurses Association at Children’s Hospital of Oakland, where she’s been an oncology nurse for 29 years. According to a reader, Martha “had the temerity to sign a letter of support for NUHW.” It’s not too hard to imagine why Martha mighta signed the letter. After all, since SEIU’s trusteeship, Regan & Co. has allowed Children’s Hospital to cut SEIU members’ health benefits… which the hospital is now trying to force down the RNs’ throats.

And SEIU refused to support two separate strikes by the RNs to fight off SEIU's cuts. And, of course, there’s SEIU’s chronic democracy deficit… including Regan's outrageous efforts to block SEIU members’ election for 2 ½ years.

Even so… Dave Regan was apparently super pissed that Martha signed the letter, so he assigned SEIU’s top political operative, Doug Jones, to try to get the Alameda County Central Labor Council to launch an "ethics trial" against Kuhl, who just happens to be the Labor Council’s Vice President. What was Martha’s heinous ethics violation? She, along with other RNs at her hospital, signed a letter of support for NUHW!

Well, as you can imagine, Dave’s move went down like a fart in a spacesuit. In fact, Tasty can almost picture the scene: “All those in favor of launching an ethics trial against Vice President Martha Kuhl, please say ‘Aye’…”

After picking himself up off the floor, Doug Jones launched SEIU’s next genius idea: trying to get the Labor Council to sign a letter of support for SEIU-UHW. The only problem was that Doug, who employed Dave Regan's skills of finesse and subtle persuasion, kinda messed up on executing the plan. First, Doug personally attacked Martha Kuhl when she wasn't even present (which didn't impress others on the Labor Council, who kinda like Martha). And next, he threatened several times that SEIU-UHW would quit the Labor Council (again) if SEIU didn't get their way. No dice, said the Labor Council.

After Doug scraped himself up off the floor (again), the Labor Council sent poor Dougie back to SEIU’s offices with his tail between his legs. Tasty hears he was quickly enrolled in Triana Silton’s latest class on “How to Conduct Effective Witch Hunts against Workers Inside and Outside Your Union (Part 2).” Hopefully, this will restore some of Dougie’s fading confidence. Tasty can’t wait for his next move!

Children’s Hospital Votes NUHW!

Tasty hears the vote-count room erupted when the final tally was announced:

NUHW: 163

SEIU: 159

No Union: 5

Quite a victory... especially given that SEIU blocked workers’ election for 2 ½ years in hopes that workers would simply get tired and surrender to SEIU’s rule.

Apparently, three ballots were challenged and haven’t been counted, although NUHW supporters say all three are likely for NUHW.

Way to go, Children’s workers!

PS. The photo?? That’s the purple party bus, parked in front of Children’s Hospital, after the vote count.

‘Flirt to Convert’ goes ‘Mardi Gras’

It looks like all the mini-skirts and high-heels haven’t given SEIU a big enough boost at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. So today -- the day before workers’ long-awaited NLRB election -- SEIU officials decided to pump up the volume on their ‘Flirt to Convert’ campaign.

This morning, SEIU’s mini-skirted organizers began distributing leaflets to workers announcing that SEIU would be holding a blow-out “Mardi Gras Party” in the giant purple RV parked in front of the children’s hospital… complete with jambalaya, Mardi Gras beads and party favors.

(What about all the critically ill children undergoing treatment inside the hospital? Well… uhhh… they were allowed to gaze out on SEIU’s spectacle from their bedside windows).

So… let’s get this straight... mini-skirted organizers passing out purple Mardi Gras beads?? Does this mean that organizers might actually flash you, Mardi Gras-style, if you toss them some beads… or perhaps throw them your vote?

Dave Regan apparently loves this kinda stuff, but Tasty is not super convinced that the hospital’s largely female workforce is totally into it. Hmmm…

Let's be honest... SEIU’s brazen attempt to buy workers’ vote through a mini-skirted Mardi Gras Party doesn’t show a tremendous amount of respect for workers. But hey… it isn’t far off from SEIU’s other shameless and embarrassingly idiotic tactics.

Like the time they dressed up this organizer in a white bunny suit and had him parade through a San Francisco hospital while handing out candy to workers in advance of another NLRB election. Or the time SEIU dressed up this organizer in a giant purple Barney suit at another Bay Area hospital.

What’s next on SEIU’s list of stupid pet tricks and pitiful vote-pandering stunts? Tasty can hardly imagine… Let’s see… How about this concept for enticing workers to hand over ther votes?? “Wanna make your vote REALLY count? Then join Dave Regan and ‘Girls Gone Wild’ in the Pumping Purple Pleasure Mobile!”

Mary Kay’s Fantastic Trip to Congress

Tasty would like to share a teeny tiny fantasy about SEIU President Mary Kay Henry. It goes like this:

One sunny day, Mary Kay makes her way from the Purple Palace to the U.S. Capitol so she can testify about SEIU’s enthusiastic support for speedy union elections because they’re totally fair and, like, democratic and super all-American!

Mary Kay, seated in front of a Congressional committee, delivers remarks carefully sculpted by SEIU’s media consultants. During the speech, Mary Kay says the words “freedom,” “democracy” and “America” about a zillion times – kinda like her recent statement on exactly this subject.

Her speech ends in an explosion of nationalistic fervor as pimple-faced SEIU organizers throw heaps of red, white and blue confetti in the air. When things finally settle down in the hearing room, a Congressperson leans forward on a creaky chair and speaks these words into the mic:

Congressperson: Ms. Henry… Am I to understand that SEIU officially endorses speedy NLRB elections for America’s workers?

MKH: Absolutely! It’s the American way!... George Washington!

Congressperson: Well… please tell me this: Why has SEIU blocked an election for 450 workers at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, California for 2 ½ years?

MKH: Well. I don’t… Uhh… SEIU would never…

Congressperson: Ms. Henry… The record is extremely clear on this. In just the past four months, SEIU’s law firm has filed more than a dozen charges to block workers’ election, including these seven charges filed over just two days. All of these bogus charges – which were eventually dismissed – were part of your union’s campaign to block workers’ request for a simple election.

MKH: (sweat beading on forehead) Uhhh…

Congressperson: Ms. Henry… do you know how long a Congressperson’s term of office is? It’s two years. Do you realize that you’ve blocked an election that was requested by your own union’s members for longer than my term of office?

MKH: (nervous twitch contorting face)

Congressperson: Now… if I had stopped my constituents from voting in an election just so I could stay in office, do you know what would happen? I’d be investigated by the FBI, the Justice Department and the Supreme Court. I’d probably go to jail.

MKH: Uhhh…

Congressperson: Ms. Henry… now that we know the truth about SEIU's record, why should we believe a single word that comes out of your mouth?

MKH: (trembling)

Congressperson: Fellow committee members, I move that we order a Congressional investigation into SEIU as well as any NLRB official who participated in this dastardly scheme to deny democracy to workers. And I move that we impose mandatory jail terms on violators... All in favor?

The Whole Committee: AYE!!!

At this point, a mob of disenfranchised workers rushes forward from the back of the committee room and carries Mary Kay to her jail cell!