SEIU-UHW Is "MIA" as Hospital Fires Entire Department, then Subcontracts their Work

Under Dave Regan, SEIU-UHW has become notorious for failing to represent and defend its dues-paying members.

Last month, however, Regan hit a brand new low.

At Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, SEIU-UHW allowed the CEO to fire the hospital's entire Respiratory Therapy Department and to subcontract workers' jobs to an outside agency.

Approximately 20-30% of the fired workers were then hired by the subcontractor at reduced wage rates, according to an article published by "RT Focus."

The others?  "They have lost their benefits and their livelihood," says RT Focus.

Did SEIU-UHW do anything to defend the Respiratory Department's staff, who are members of SEIU-UHW?

According to RT Focus:

Despite being under the Union, there was little noise being made publicly by the Union on behalf of the respiratory therapists. If there was any resistance or opposition by the Union, it went largely unnoticed and proved unsuccessful… When it came to the termination of the respiratory department, their Union was at best, largely ineffective or at worst, terribly silent.

SEIU-UHW’s boss-friendly silence may be a direct result of Regan's secret partnership with hospital executives and the California Hospital Association. Under the deal, Regan agreed to trade away the rights of SEIU-UHW members in exchange for unspecified benefits, including Regan's cozier relationship with hospital executives.

 

Respiratory Therapists at work

Of course, the stories of SEIU-UHW's representational failures are legendary.

Remember, for example, when SEIU-UHW Union Reps sat on their hands and refused to provide representation to a 33-year employee at Kaiser Walnut Creek Medical Center who was being unjustly terminated by her supervisor?

And last year, an insider leaked an SEIU-UHW document that detailed Regan's plans to slash the number of Union Reps so he can divert more of the union’s resources to politicians and "external" project.

In yet another leak, insiders forwarded the results of a formal survey of SEIU-UHW staffers, who described the miserable levels of representational support that SEIU-UHW is giving its membership.

What's the next trick for Regan and Marcus Hatcher, SEIU-UHW's so-called "Director of Representational Excellence?"

Stay tuned.

Leaked Document: Dave Regan Pushes Plan to Slash Representational Support for SEIU-UHW's Members

Check this out. 

A source leaked an internal document that details Dave Regan’s secret plan to slash the number of SEIU-UHW's Union Reps (the staffers who help workers with day-to-day worksite problems, grievances, arbitrations, contract enforcement problems, etc.) so Regan can divert more of the union's resources to politicians, election campaigns, and other “external” projects.

According to the leaked document, Regan launched a "pilot project" in Stockton, California where he implemented "major changes to staff roles" by cutting the union’s support for workers’ representational needs by 85%. 

The memo states: "Ultimately, we would use what we learned from the pilot to… test a different way to structure staff resources." 

In a section titled "Stockton Pilot Project Goals,” the memo says the following (see document below):

Our desired internal results from this [project] are to… temporarily redesign our organizational infrastructure so it aligns with our strategic theory of building power for workers by focusing externally… In order to reach our strategic external reorientation goal it's clear, after much discussion, that there is no easy way to test major changes to staff roles. That said, redefinition of staff work roles is critical to achieving our mission and any half-measures will not help us get there so therefore we must test dramatic change… We will see if we can accomplish what we need to on the representational side with fewer staff resources devoted to it.

How deeply is Regan cutting the union’s representational support for its members?

Check out the numbers on the second page of the document. It says the "Stockton Pilot Project" is staffed by 8 full-time union staffers. But get this: only ONE of these EIGHT staffers is helping workers with grievances, arbitrations, impact bargaining, steward council meetings, etc. The other SEVEN staffers are assigned to "external" campaigns such as signing up residents for Obamacare.

What else are the seven "external organizers" supposed to do?

According to the leaked document, they’re also responsible for training union members to serve "as the Union Vision narrators for members and our community.” 

Wow, that sounds super helpful… especially for all of the rank-and-file members who are getting unjustly terminated by their boss. Like this 33-year employee at Kaiser Walnut Creek Medical Center. Or this SEIU-UHW member who was fired by her meth-snorting supervisor. Or the 239 SEIU-UHW members who were wrongfully terminated by Kaiser Permanente during just a nine-month period.

Oh, before Tasty forgets... WTF is a "Union Vision narrator"?

From every indication, it appears that “Wall Street Dave” has hired a high-priced PhD in BullShitology to write useless internal memos about Regan’s “strategic vision.” It's kind of like trying to cover a steaming pile of cow dung in fancy wrapping paper in hopes that no one will notice the pungent odor of bullsh*t that permeates the room.

Notably, Regan’s secret plan to slash the union’s representation staff comes on the heels of another leaked SEIU-UHW document -- which detailed the results of a survey of SEIU-UHW staffers who described the miserable levels of representational support that SEIU-UHW is currently giving its membership.

The secret plan also comes on the heels of Regan’s multi-million dollar raid on workers' paychecks… by boosting workers' monthly union dues by as much as $40 a month and imposing a 9 cents-an-hour "partnership tax" on 45,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente.

Can’t wait 'til Regan rolls out his “pilot project” on the rest of SEIU-UHW’s members!

 

   SEIU-UHW, Internal Memorandum on Stockton Pilot Project for Cutting the Union's Representational Suppo...