SEIU's Aussie Posse

Tasty hears that SEIU's scab workforce from Down Under continues to slither their way through hospitals, clinics and call centers across California. The organizers -- who work for an Australian union called "United Voice" or "Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union" that's headed by Louise Tarrant -- have been spotted in Kaiser Permanente facilities stretching from Los Angeles and Orange County in the south to San Francisco, Sonoma, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda Counties in the northern part of the state.

Apparently, SEIU-UHW is footing the cost of the Aussies' airfare, hotels, rental cars, wages, expenses, etc. 

Here's a photo of one scab Aussie named David Malley who wore his SEIU-UHW identification badge while crossing workers' picket line during last week's strike at Kaiser Richmond Medical Center in Northern California.

David Malley, Aussie Scab, crossing Kaiser workers' picket line

On the day before the strike, a Kaiser worker snapped this photo of Malley resting inside the hospital after a big meal in the hospital's cafeteria.

David Malley, Aussie Scab, at Kaiser Richmond Medical Center

Meanwhile, at Kaiser Santa Rosa Medical Center, a worker shot this photo of an Aussie who's been busy patrolling the hospital.

Aussie Scab at Kaiser Santa Rosa Medical Center

In the run-up to the strike, this female Aussie and an SEIU staffer approached workers on the job and quizzed them about whether they planned to come to work on the day of the strike. When workers said "No," they tried to bully workers into crossing the picket line by saying they didn't have a legal right to honor the strike line and "that Kaiser and SEIU are expecting you to show up for work."

For the members of "United Voice" in Australia, you might wanna ask Louise Tarrant if your union staffers will be deploying these same tactics against you and your co-workers when they fly back to Australia. Tasty hears that each Aussie organizer will be carrying a purple Bag of Tricks like this one of this one.

P.S. Has the Aussie Posse been in your facility? Send Tasty a photo so Australian workers can see what their union staffers are doing in the US!

More CA Workers Trying to Bolt SEIU-UHW

Here's a stroke of poetic justice that comes courtesy of California's healthcare workers.

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!

SEIU's Lifeline to Crocodile Dundee

It looks like SEIU-UHW officials had to go all the way to Australia to get some help for their campaign at Kaiser Permanente. According to Kaiser workers, SEIU has flown in a dozen staffers from an Australian union called "Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU)." Last year, the union underwent an SEIU-styled re-branding effort that changed its name to "United Voice."

Tasty hears that, for nearly a decade, SEIU's Andy Stern has been cultivating a relationship with the Aussie union and its top official, Louise Tarrant, by flying to sunny Melbourne and Sydney on SEIU members' dime. Apparently, SEIU's President Emeritus really digs the international travel... especially because it allows him to escape the cold winters on the East Coast!

So what are the Aussies doing in California? Well, Kaiser workers have spotted them with SEIU staffers patrolling Kaiser hospitals in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Santa Rosa, South San Francisco, etc in the run-up to next week's strike. At one hospital, an Aussie attended the EVS Department's "group huddle" during shift-change and tried to promote SEIU to the assembled workers, who were under the watchful eye of a Kaiser supervisor.

An astute EVS worker quickly asked the purple-shirted Aussie: "So... are you gonna be honoring the picket line during next Tuesday's strike?" As the tongue-tied Aussie stared down at her shoes, it became crystal clear that the Aussies are not super interested in international labor solidarity. Instead, it looks like they've parachuted into California to work alongside their purple-shirted buddies and Kaiser's multi-millionaire bosses to try to undermine next week's strike by 22,000 workers from three unions.

So, Kaiser workers... when you see an Aussie in your facility, ask them this:  Back in Australia, does your union normally undermine workers who are fighting to defend their pensions and health insurance? Well... WTF are you doing to California's workers? Time to call Qantas and get your ass back to Australia!