Unionization Election Points to 'Tale of Two Unions'

Here's an interesting "tale of two unions" story.

SEIU-UHW is failing to win unionization elections engineered through Dave Regan's backroom deal with the California Hospital Association.

For example, workers at Mission Hospital rejected SEIU-UHW in an election held earlier this year despite the fact that the hospital's executives gave every possible advantage to SEIU-UHW and basically pleaded with their workers to join the purple union.

Meanwhile, non-union workers continue to join NUHW through NLRB elections. Earlier this month, 160 workers at one of California's largest nursing homes (181-bed Novato Healthcare Center in Novato, California) voted to join NUHW. It's the latest in a string of election victories for NUHW.

What accounts for the difference?

Regan has chosen a deliberate strategy of trying to grow SEIU-UHW by making it the bosses' preferred union. Regan gives special assistance to hospital corporations by helping them slash workers' benefits, implement lengthy no-strike clauses, impose gag clauses, and freeze wages. In exchange, Regan asks these bosses to herd their workers into SEIU-UHW, the bosses’ union.

So far, workers aren't buying what Regan (and the bosses) are selling.

Why?

It ain’t rocket science. 

Most workers don't like their bosses -- typically giant corporations squeezing profits from their hard work. Workers want fair wages, health insurance for their kids, a good retirement plan, and dignified treatment. And they want a union that'll help them fight for these goals.

This month's unionization victory at Novato Healthcare Center seems to confirm this notion. The workers launched their effort to join NUHW only after learning about NUHW's recent strike at a nearby facility run by the same parent corporation.

"I want some of that action," workers seemed to say.

So... a strike and a fighting union inspired workers to stand up to their boss.

It makes sense, right? And it represents a striking counterpoint to SEIU-UHW's strategy of purple company unionism. 

Internal Recording: California Hospital Association's CEO Says SEIU-UHW's Dave Regan Has Failed to Unionize Workers under Sweetheart Deal

A source sent a recording from an internal conference call held recently by the California Hospital Association about its secret deal with SEIU-UHW.

The two-minute recording (see below) highlights growing tensions inside SEIU-UHW about whether Dave Regan’s deal with the CHA is living up to his grandiose promises.

When Regan inked the deal in May of 2014, he triumphantly described it as a "breakthrough agreement" that would allow SEIU-UHW to unionize as many as 60,000 hospital workers across California.

The agreement allows SEIU-UHW to organize 30,000 hospital workers during “Phase 1” of the deal (from May 2014 to December 2016).

In Phase 2 (December 2016 to December 2017), SEIU-UHW can ‘purchase’ the right to unionize an additional 30,000 hospital workers if the union can successfully convince California legislators and Governor Jerry Brown to allocate an additional $6 billion a year of taxpayer funds to California hospital corporations. 

Regan famously secured SEIU-UHW’s so-called "organizing rights deal" by forfeiting workers' rights -- workers’ right to strike, workers’ right to report patient-careviolations to government oversight agencies, workers’ right to negotiate their own wages and benefits, etc.

Regan also agreed to prohibit SEIU-UHW from taking any positions on legislative, regulatory, and ballot issues that are "adverse to the interests" of the hospital industry. In addition, Regan's deal essentially converts SEIU into a lobbying arm for hospital corporations that's dedicated to boosting hospital profits. 

Immediately after signing his deal, Regan jetted to a meeting of SEIU's International Executive Board in Washington, DC and boasted that the deal would literally "save" the labor movement. Days later, Diamond Dave published an article trumpeting his backroom deal ("Live Better Together") and also got journalist Josh Israel to pen a puff piece entitled "The Audacious New Proposal to Save the Labor Movement."

So… now that 15 months have passed since Regan signed the deal, what's happened? Has SEIU-UHW successfully unionized tens of thousands of hospital workers?

Not quite.

As of today, Regan has unionized a grand total of zero workers under the deal. That's right, the big goose egg.

Check out the recording below.

During last month’s conference call with California hospital executives, CEO Duane Dauner reported that so far SEIU-UHW has attempted only two elections under the deal.

In February 2015, SEIU-UHW lost (by a landslide) an election at 552-bed Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo, Calif.) covering approximately 1,000 workers.

In December 2014, SEIU-UHW narrowly won an election for fewer than 100 workers at 158-bed Verdugo Hills Hospital (Glendale, Calif.). However, SEIU-UHW allegedly violated federal labor law by using threats and "acts of physical intimidation" against workers during the election, according to NLRB records.

Earlier this spring, a judge held a trial to investigate SEIU-UHW's alleged violations, but has not yet issued a final ruling. The allegations -- which were filed by the hospital despite its sweetheart deal with SEIU-UHW -- identify Cass Gualvez (an SEIU-UHW staffer and Executive Committee member) who apparently headed the campaign at the Southern California hospital.

So... what does a quick cost-benefit analysis say about Regan's "visionary" deal with the CHA?

So far, Regan has spent approximately $35 million of SEIU-UHW members' dues money on the deal. In exchange, SEIU-UHW has unionized a total of zero workers.

Where did the $35 million go?

First, Regan flushed $10-$15 million down the toilet during two rounds of statewide ballot initiatives, which SEIU-UHW never filed. Next, the CHA agreement requires SEIU-UHW to deposit $20 million into a political fund jointly controlled by the CHA that's used to lobby politicians for billions of additional taxpayer monies for hospital corporations.

Even if you accept Regan's horribly cynical "money-for-members" approach, the current results are nothing less than an unmitigated failure.

It's no wonder, then, that voices inside SEIU-UHW are saying, "$35 million of our monthly dues money for WHAT? Dave sold us a lemon!"

Worker: SEIU-UHW Deployed "Purple Clown" Strategy during NLRB Election

Remember SEIU-UHW’s loss in last month’s NLRB election at Mission Hospital in Orange County, Calif.?

SEIU-UHW was blown out in the election despite collusion from the hospital’s management as a result of SEIU-UHW’s sweetheart deal with the California Hospital Association.

Well, an employee at Mission Hospital sent along the following report about workers’ experience with SEIU:

The union organizers (sometimes 20+) completely took over our cafeteria every day for at least 2 weeks, sometimes with large purple union posters, while providing trays of free food, fish tacos, and stale purple cupcakes during lunch. The UNAC organizers also provided a "show" of verbal confrontations with CNA organizers in the parking lot.  The entire experience was so incredibly unprofessional.  Yup, they also had a purple clown in the cafeteria one day, and a purple cheerleader in the parking lot. It was shocking.

A purple clown? And purple cheerleader? Are you kidding?

Nope.

SEIU organizer at Mission Hospital

It turns out that SEIU-UHW actually dressed up its organizers as clowns and cheerleaders to, uhh, recruit support for the union. 

Apparently, in Dave Regan’s mind, ER Techs, Phlebotomists, EVS Aides, Surgical Assistants and other hospital workers actually prefer to be treated as six-year-olds.

One hospital staffer sent this blurry photo of SEIU-UHW’s purple clown as he paraded through the hospital. 

Does anyone know the identity of this bozo?

Of course, SEIU-UHW’s reliance on costumed child gimmicks shouldn't surprise us. Remember… this is the same union that dressed up its organizers as a Purple Barney and an Easter Bunny during earlier NLRB elections in Northern California.

 

Cass Gualvez, SEIU

So, which staffer devised SEIU-UHW’s genius cheerleader/clown strategy? 

It reportedly was Cass Gualvez, who is a "Staff Director" at SEIU-UHW and was also appointed by Regan to SEIU-UHW’s "Executive Committee," the union's its top governing body. In 2013, Gualvez was paid $140,757. 

In 2009, Gualvez conspired with executives at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center to fire a 31-year hospital employee and union member, which was later documented in a 50-page ruling by an NLRB Administrative Law Judge.

Gualvez, whose brain apparently approximates that of a six-year-old, is quite clueless. In fact, she’s so clueless she thought SEIU-UHW was headed towards a landslide election victory at Mission Hospital last month.

 

SEIU organizer at St. Louise Hospital

Here's what an employee at Mission Hospital reports:

SEIU also had a large purple RV parked down the road.  They planned to drive it to our campus parking lot for staff to gather for some sort of celebration when they won (we called it the "Barney Mobile"). SEIU was really expecting to win, but instead they had to drive it home!  

SEIU organizer at California Pacific Medical Center in 2010

Hospital Workers Deliver Loss to SEIU-UHW during Sweetheart C.H.A. Election

Here's some breaking news.

Remember Dave Regan’s sweetheart deal with the California Hospital Association?

That’s the deal where hospital executives welcome SEIU-UHW into their hospitals to unionize up to 60,000 workers. In exchange, SEIU-UHW gives political favors to the Bosses and commits to force workers into pre-negotiated labor contracts with cheap wages and benefits.

Well, last night, the workers at a Southern California hospital rejected SEIU-UHW in one of the first elections run under the CHA deal... and despite the fact that hospital execs gave SEIU- UHW every possible advantage! The final tally at Mission Hospital, a 552-bed hospital in Orange County, was...

SEIU-UHW: 329

No Union: 409

What kind of help did execs give to SEIU-UHW?

SEIU-UHW got complete access to the hospital's break rooms and conference rooms to try to convince workers to vote for SEIU. A list of every employee’s home address and telephone number. An order from hospital execs to every manager and supervisor that prohibited them from saying anything negative about SEIU-UHW. 

In addition, hospital execs agreed to a rush-job scheduling of the election so that no other unions would be able to get on the NLRB ballot.

That left SEIU-UHW as the only union on the ballot… but SEIU-UHW still lost!

Sources say workers are overjoyed to get rid of the SEIU-UHW organizers, who they affectionately called "the purple clowns." Apparently, workers were literally tripping over purple organizers camped out in their break rooms, knocking on the front doors at night, phoning them relentlessly, and stalking them in hospital parking lots and the cafeteria.

SEIU mailer from Mission

Quite a story, right?

Well, here's the kicker.

On Monday, the NLRB counted the ballots in a separate union election initiated by workers at Redwood Memorial Hospital, who petitioned to join NUHW. 

Interestingly, the hospital is owned by the same company that owns Mission Hospital -- that is, St. Joseph Health System.

At Redwood Memorial, however, there was no sweetheart deal... and the Boss fought workers’ efforts to join NUHW. Nevertheless, on Monday workers voted by more than a three-to-one margin to join NUHW!

That's not all. This is the fourth hospital owned by St. Joseph Health System to vote to join NUHW.

Apparently, this rising wave of support for NUHW has caused some serious heart palpitations for St. Joseph's execs. So the company’s top execs decided to invite SEIU-UHW into their remaining non-union hospitals in hopes that the purple company union will blocking workers from joining NUHW.

This isn’t a new tactic. In the 1960s and 1970s, agricultural growers invited the Teamsters into their fields to keep the United Farm Workers out.

This is what SEIU’s Dave Regan calls "strategic collaboration" with the Boss, as he did in this recent TV interview with NBC news!

PS. Sources report that the SEIU-UHW organizers on the Mission Hospital campaign have become increasingly suspicious about Regan’s deal with the California Hospital Association (CHA). During the campaign, workers repeatedly asked the organizers about the sweetheart deal, the pre-negotiated contracts, etc… but Regan refuses to show the agreement to staffers or even the union's elected Executive Board. When they were asked about the CHA deal, SEIU-UHW organizers were instructed to recite a couple of canned talking points and then redirect the conversation towards a different topic.