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!

Rebellion inside the Regan Regime

It looks like things are spiraling downwards at SEIU-UHW. Last month, more than 40 members of SEIU-UHW’s Executive Board demanded a meeting with Dave Regan to address a deepening crisis at the union... including the lack of democracy, the failure to represent union members (or even return their phone calls), SEIU's loyalty oaths, disrespect towards members (including by SEIU's Joe Simoes), the deepening crisis in SEIU-UHW's Kaiser Division, etc.

A source gave Tasty a copy of the materials, including this email from Alisha Blinks (an Executive Board member) to other board members. (FYI- the bold and underlined text is exactly how it appeared in the original email.)

From: Alisha Blinks

Subject: Meeting with Dave Agenda

Date: Monday, December 12, 2011, 4:01 AM

Good Evening Everyone;

Below you will find the agenda for Tuesday's meeting with Dave.  We will be meeting first at the UHW office among ourselves from 7-730PM and then with Dave.  These membership specific issues should cover the North and South.  Just remember this is only the beginning of the talks to get our union back on track.  I will keep notes to report out to the South.  There will be NO AGREEMENTS MADE WITH THIS REGIME UNTIL WE ARE ALL TOGETHER AS ONE BODY!  

I WILL SEE ALL OF YOU TUESDAY

Day: Tuesday December 13 2011

Time: 7:00PM (7-730PM will be a quick briefing)

Place: UHW Office

          560 Thomas L Berkeley Way

          Oakland CA

Blinks's email also contains a two-page memo -- entitled “Crux of Complaint” -- that paints a dire picture of life under the "Regan regime." (A complete copy of the memo is here). Here's what it says:

The Kaiser Division is in crisis and below is the reasons why we cannot function with these problems any longer.  Deadlines aren’t being kept, staff is not showing up to appointments and the support for the leaders at the facilities from staff is absent from this equation. The usage of the Steward Councils to promote organizing campaigns, pushing of agendas not ratified, constant aggravation to the members requesting their loyalty; where is the Kaiser Division’s loyalty to us?  No trainings, no regional input, no report outs but only consistent training of how to organize, agitate a member or give a CRE. Members want protection, security and fairness from their employer and their union. The priorities of this leadership and the governing body are on opposite ends and it is our responsibility to correct this as a whole and it first starts with listening on the leaderships part…  

The Kaiser Division Director [Joe Simoes] and Sr. Staff members are making inappropriate comments to rank and file leaders, along with mischievous behavior that's inexcusable.  This leadership continues to act divisive and pitting members against one another.  It is disrespectful, disheartening and will no longer be tolerated.  The democracy this union scarcely holds onto is beginning to rapidly diminish.  Instead of forming a cohesive working relationship which can benefit us all we are constantly apologizing to our members for failed processes.  Moreover, calls from staff aren’t being returned, emails not responded to and it has reached the point where members and leaders are just being ignored. Our house is not in order…

This membership body has been patient, transparent and forthright in wanting to partner, however this behavior has not been reciprocated by the current leadership. This sixty plus year union is the way it is because of the knowledge of our leaders, the protection of our members and unity we share.  We are tired of being in a race to the BOTTOM!

The memo also includes an agenda for the board members' meeting with Regan that includes these complaints (b/t/w, "KDSC" refers to the Kaiser Division Steward Council):

• Violation of the Constitution/KDSC By-Laws and Policies
• Flawed Communication
• Staff Absenteeism in Kaiser
• Failure to Adhere to the Constitution and Bylaws
• Failure to Respect Member Ratifications

Wow... The documents are quite a stunning indictment of Dave Regan... especially because they're authored by insiders who've been longtime loyal supporters of Regan/SEIU. For example, the group includes people like John Duff, Tinesha Thomas, Shirley Shirlee, Donna Norton, Darnita Garry, Linda Corkill, Diane Barton, Tonya Salcido, Tamika Harris, Treasell Sanders, Jennie Edney, China Newton, etc. And the fact that so many of the union's board members are in open revolt against Regan underscores the seriousness of the problems gripping the union.

So what sorts of "agreements" are the former loyalists trying to extract from the "Regan regime?" And what maneuvers will Regan try to use to either buy off or marginalize his critics? Put on your body armor!

SEIU's YouTube Star Is Back!

Remember this video of SEIU staffer Liz Castillo as she bullies workers and then smashes a camera to the floor inside the cafeteria of a California hospital? The video went viral on YouTube, where it's now been viewed 72,000 times. Castillo can be heard shouting at an SEIU-UHW member dressed in scrubs and then saying, "Shut the f*ck up, you f*cking asshole" as she prepares to backhand a seated observer.

When Castillo's purple-shirted assault became a YouTube phenomenon, SEIU officials canned Castillo in hopes of managing the fallout from SEIU's other attacks... like the death threats against workers at Kaiser Permanente and SEIU's outrageous attacks against Dolores Huerta, the 80-year-old co-founder of the United Farm Workers along with Cesar Chavez.

So what's Castillo up to these days? Has she landed a career on a Detroit roller derby team? Well... kind of. A reader reports that she's back at SEIU-UHW, where her bullyboy exploits caught the eye of Dave Regan, who reportedly instructs SEIU staffers to intimidate workers who criticize SEIU. Here's the reader's report:

Just in case you didn't know, Liz Castillo is back working with UHW- she was seen in the smoking area!!! (which she visits 20X a day) early this week. She was telling the group of smokers that she is back! as an organizer!!! God Help Us!!! 

More..... this week the craziest woman in UHW Flannery Hauck (crazier than Liz) was seen lecturing! torturing a group of organizer going over a rap for a campaign she is leading "Lets Get Healthy California" . I felt sorry for those organizers in the second floor.... welcome to the "Flannery concentration camp"

Well, California workers, look for Liz in a hospital near you. Tasty hears she'll soon be playing an integral role in Regan's "Let's Get Healthy, California!" campaign by telling workers to "Shut the f*ck up and fill out the f*cking survey." Way to go, SEIU!

SEIU’s Wellness Wonderland

It looks like SEIU is pushing Wellness Programs far and wide – not just at Catholic Healthcare West. Wellness Programs, of course, are the newest corporate scheme for cutting workers' health benefits, as described in this New York Times article.

In Oregon, SEIU Local 503 signed off on a Wellness Program -- which it calls the “Health Engagement Model” -- that forces state workers to pay $20 per month if they refuse to fill out wellness surveys.

So why are workers reluctant to fill out the surveys? Check out the kinds of questions that Kaiser Permanente is asking its employees to answer as part of its so-called “Total Health Assessment.”

Hmmm... would you wanna tell your boss how much alcohol you consume weekly… or whether you take “recreational drugs” or "prescription drugs that aren’t yours" …or how many sexual partners you've had in the past year?

Since workers are not too keen on the surveys, SEIU-UHW has been busy working with Kaiser officials to push the surveys on the membership.

Meanwhile, SEIU-UHW officials are working hand-in-glove with executives at the Daughters of Charity Health System to force Wellness Programs down the throats of several thousand workers. In SEIU’s latest Orwellian effort, SEIU officials have prepared a set of benefit cuts and are trying to sell them to the membership as “innovative,” “bold” and “exciting” proposals that are part of SEIU’s so-called “Let’s Get Health California!” program.

SEIU-UHW's efforts at Daughters of Charity are just like the campaign of despicable deceit and deception that it ran against 13,000 workers at Catholic Healthcare West.  

So what kind of deal has Dave Regan cut with the corporate chiefs at Daughters of Charity? Well, take a look at this not-too-subtle hint. It’s a complaint sent by the California Nurses Association to one of the Daughters of Charity hospitals about the company's efforts to make RNs pay “significantly higher contributions towards the cost of their medical benefits” if the RNs fail to fill out “wellness assessments.”

Stay tuned for more news!

SEIU-UHW's Stealth Cuts at Sutter Health

While most people celebrated the New Year with champagne and fireworks, the 1^st of January brought a very different mood to SEIU-UHW members at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Northern California.  On January 1^st, the hospital implemented a “stealth” takeaway of workers’ health benefits that was negotiated by SEIU’s trustees back in 2009. Here’s what happened:

For decades, Sutter Delta Medical Center has paid all­ of the monthly premiums for its employees’ PPO health insurance plan. On January 1^st, the hospital suddenly began deducting about $80 a month from workers’ paychecks for family health coverage, and less for individual coverage. To put it in perspective, $80 a month is equivalent to a wage cut of 50 cents an hour for a full-time worker.

So where did the health cuts come from? Well, back in 2009, Dave Regan and Co negotiated a provision in the union contract that requires workers to pay 5% of the health insurance premiums beginning on January 1, 2012 -- similar to the recent cuts at this Northern California hospital that are making waves.

And that’s not all. Regan’s deal at Sutter Delta Medical Center also established two-tiered benefits for employees. New employees must pay even more for their health coverage: 15% of their premiums -- or about $240 per month for family coverage. For full-time workers, that translates into a wage cut of $1.50 per hour. 

Here's the language that Regan and Co negotiated:

Why did Regan sign off on the cuts? Is the hospital struggling to make ends meet? Hardly. Last year, the 140-bed hospital pulled down $8 million in profits, according to state records. And the hospital’s parent company, Sutter Health, made nearly a billion dollars in profit. In fact, Sutter Health -- like Kaiser Permanente -- is one of the most profitable hospital chains in the nation.

Very Slow Lerner

Tasty hears that SEIU's Stephen Lerner has finally realized that his purple pals are not too keen on him. Sources tell Tasty that, several weeks ago, SEIU officials fired Lerner from his position as a top SEIU staffer and a member of SEIU's International Executive Board.

It's been a long, slow learning curve for Lerner.  In 2008, Andy Stern and Mike Fishman (President of SEIU Local 32BJ) ousted Lerner from his position as the head of SEIU's Property Services Division and demoted Lerner.

Next, Stern assigned Lerner to lead a slimy attack campaign against Sal Rosselli and California's healthcare workers after they introduced proposals to democratize SEIU during the union's 2008 convention. Lerner's nefarious role in the thuggish campaign was revealed when insiders leaked an infamous email describing the Purple Palace's efforts to either "implode" SEIU-UHW or wage an Irak-like invasion against it. The email -- from June of 2008 -- has lines like this: "Trusteeship would be difficult -- it's like Iraq, easy to get in and then a slog. Implosion would be a better outcome, but what will it take?" The leaked email snagged a whole posse of plotting SEIU staffers, including Bill Ragen, Stephen Lerner, Tom DeBruin, Kirk Adams, Denise Poloyac and attorney Edgar James.

In 2010, a demoted Lerner became the punching bag for SEIU's Scott Courtney, who'd been elevated to a top job inside the Purple Palace. Later that year, Courtney put Lerner on a month-long administrative leave for "insubordination" after Lerner refused to follow Courtney's orders.

At this point, many observers expected Lerner to catch a clue and bolt the Purple Palace with a few tattered shreds of remaining dignity. Tasty hears that Lerner planned to deliver a courageous ultimatum to SEIU's Mary Kay Henry, but as he prepared to enter Henry’s office, a pair of testicles dropped to the floor.

So… Lerner completed his month-long "time-out," and then slinked back to the Purple Palace where he worked on SEIU’s effort to co-opt the Occupy Wall Street movement.

And this brings us to the latest chapter in this pitiful saga:  Lerner's termination. Tasty hears Lerner was offed by his arch-nemesis, Scott Courtney, who seized control of Lerner's project and budget dollars.

So what's next for Lerner? Looks like he's taken a page from Stern's playbook of self-promotion. Just today, Lerner set up a Facebook page where he describes himself as "a leading critic of Wall Street bankers" and "a frequent contributor on national television and radio programs..." Sounds like Lerner will soon be competing with Andy Stern to hustle speaker fees at conferences near you!

Disarray inside SEIU's Purple Palace

Henry and Hudson during a friendlier moment

Tasty hears that the Purple Palace is the scene of fierce infighting among top SEIU officials as they struggle to cope with the union's bargaining failures, dissatisfied membership, and growing decertifications.

According to several sources, one of the main battle lines is between SEIU President Mary Kay Henry and Gerry Hudson, who is one of SEIU's six "Executive Vice Presidents." In SEIU's hierarchy, Hudson and the other five "EVPs" are the highest ranking officers after the President and Secretary-Treasurer.

Sources report that Henry has worked to marginalize Hudson by stripping many of his responsibilities and assigning them to her allies. Meanwhile, Hudson is rumored to be rallying his supporters in a campaign to unseat Henry from her presidential position during the union's upcoming convention in May.

Can Hudson unseat Henry? It's not far-fetched. Hudson comes from SEIU 1199 New York, where he retains support from 1199NY's president, George Gresham. In SEIU's upcoming presidential election, 1199NY controls about 20% of all of the votes that'll be cast. (Under SEIU's system, rank-and-file union members don't actually get to vote for the president -- instead, members' votes are "delegated" to local union officials).

With 1199NY's votes in his pocket, Hudson wouldn't need many more SEIU unions to jump on board to reach a majority. In fact, Tasty hears that Hudson has already been in successful discussions with 1199NY's Gresham, and that's why Hudson's campaign efforts are emerging for broader air-play.

As the power struggle between Henry and Hudson intensifies, Tasty hears there's also deepening disarray at multiple other levels of SEIU, including aggressive battles over resources, staff defections, and midnight firings of top staffers. Stay tuned!