SEIU-UHW Rigs Union Vote at Kaiser Permanente Hospital

What happens when workers at a California hospital vote down SEIU’s candidate for an elected union position? Check out this story from the Adult Medicine Department at Kaiser Walnut Creek Medical Center in Northern California.

Recently, the department’s workers voted down SEIU’s candidate for Shop Steward by a vote of 40 to 3. Why? Apparently, he doesn’t fight for his co-workers and is super untrustworthy. 

In fact, several years before the trusteeship, workers caught him trying to permanently change the department’s seniority rules so he could be first in line for additional overtime hours. When workers uncovered the scheme, they used the union’s then-democratic procedures to remove him as a Shop Steward by a nearly unanimous vote. As one worker put it: “This guy is in it only for himself. He doesn’t fight for the members. It’s all about him.”

Soon after SEIU imposed its trusteeship in California, SEIU officials hooked up with the demoted steward, John Cuddihy, and began paying him to campaign for SEIU (check out his SEIU pay on top of his regular job). Cuddihy quickly became best buddies with SEIU’s trustees. That’s why SEIU wants him to be a Shop Steward, which SEIU hopes will be a stepping stone towards putting him on Dave Regan’s Executive Board.

SEIU Trustees' Payments to Cuddihy in 2009

So what happened when workers voted Cuddihy down in the recent election?  SEIU officials decided that if they couldn’t get him elected in his own department, they would hold an unannounced election for Cuddihy in a totally different department (Pediatrics) where Cuddihy doesn’t even work... even though this violates the union’s so-called rules.

As you can imagine, workers in the Adult Medicine Department were a bit surprised when SEIU announced that Cuddihy had become their Shop Steward. What happened to their earlier vote to reject Cuddihy by a 40 to 3 margin? Apparently, SEIU officials simply tossed it into the garbage. 

Ironically, the rigged vote at Kaiser Walnut Creek Medical Center took place as Dave Regan announced with great fanfare that he had convened a special “Representational Excellence Committee” to improve SEIU-UHW’s system of shop stewards and worksite representation. What a joke.

The recent rigged vote at Kaiser Walnut Creek is just the latest in a long line of such votes, including this famous contract ratification vote where SEIU deployed a 300 lb guard to block homecare workers from getting into the polling place. Check out the video.

Ass-Kicking and Numbers-Taking

Tasty hears that NUHW's members have been kicking ass and taking numbers. On Wednesday, almost 700 NUHW members staged a one-day strike at USC University Hospital as part of their contract fight against the Los Angeles hospital. Check out NUHW’s website for media coverage and more photos.

And on Thursday, 650 NUHW members at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital won a victory when hospital execs backed down in the face of a second strike and agreed to pay workers $184,000 in wages for locking them out after a work stoppage in June. Tasty hears that Salinas workers’ fight, which grabbed national headlines, has already forced the boss to back-track big time at the bargaining table.

Finally, check out this great video from NUHW's recent statewide strike at Kaiser Permanente… the first in Kaiser's history. The video includes a bullhorn speech from Academy award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, who walked the picket line with NUHW members at Kaiser’s biggest hospital in Southern California.   Keep it up, NUHW members!

Is Dave Kieffer on the Chopping Block Again?

Remember Dave Kieffer? He’s the high-paid SEIU official from Washington, DC who was appointed by the Purple Palace to run SEIU’s multi-million-dollar lobbying operation in California, which is called  the “SEIU California State Council.”

The last time Tasty caught up with him, Kieffer was hanging onto his job by the skin of his teeth after the State Council’s board of directors deadlocked on a vote to can Kieffer. The vote came after Kieffer, who’s known for his oversized arrogance, offended the California’s newly elected Democratic governor.

Well… Tasty hears that Kieffer’s job is (once again) on the chopping block after the same Democratic governor vetoed two bills that were SEIU's top legislative priorities in 2011. First, the Governor vetoed Assembly Bill 101, which would have given SEIU the right to “unionize” nearly 80,000 childcare workers who work out of their homes as independent contractors. The San Francisco Chronicle described SEIU as “devastated.”

Next, the Governor vetoed Senate Bill 408, a key legislative priority for Dave Regan. The legislation targeted a hospital chain that withdrew recognition from SEIU-UHW as the union for workers at a hospital in Redding, California. The workers had previously been members of SEIU-UHW, but when a majority of them signed petitions saying they no longer supported SEIU after the trusteeship, the company simply stopped recognizing SEIU-UHW in January 2011.

Tasty hears that SEIU's twin legislative defeats are raising alarm bells in Sacramento and Washington, DC. Some insiders are pinning the blame on cocky Kieffer’s bone-headed blunders, which apparently have damaged SEIU so badly that it can’t even pass legislation in a state where Democrats control the Governor’s office along with both chambers of the state legislature.

According to insiders, Kieffer’s days are numbered…

Paycheck Calculator for Dave Regan??

It sounds like Kaiser workers have plenty of ideas about who really needs a “paycheck calculator.” Here’s one reader’s comment:

Members were outraged to hear how much Dave and Co. are making. And to think Seiu is coming around and calculating worker's 3% raise. We should have them calculate Dave's raise!!!

Great idea! After all, 3% is easy. What’s really tough is keeping track of all the zeros on Dave Regan’s paycheck!

So what would Regan’s paycheck calculator tell us? Well, Tasty did a little digging into Dave’s wages ­and benefits. Here’s what Tasty has found so far:

REGAN’S SALARY IN 2010:  $298,647

REGAN’S PENSION BENEFITS:  $250,000+ per year until death. That’s right. King Dave is sitting on a super-fat defined-benefit pension plan… which is paid for by SEIU members. When Dave retires, his annual pension benefits will be calculated by using Dave’s three highest-paid years on the job and his years of service. With Dave’s annual salary already hitting $300,000, he’ll easily take home $250,000 a year in pension benefits… for life. And who pays for Regan’s pension? Each year, SEIU-UHW members chip in the equivalent of 14% of Dave’s salary into his pension fund. So what did workers contribute in 2010? Let’s do the math: 14% of $298,647 = $41,810.

REGAN’S RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS:  Along with a fat pension, King Dave also gets a special benefit that’s only given to SEIU’s top officers:  fully paid health insurance for the rest of his life after he retires. How much does this cost? Well, Tasty hasn’t done a precise calculation yet, but readers can rest assured it’s boatloads of money.

So… it’s no mystery why SEIU-UHW members have anointed King Dave with his new title: “Wall Street Dave Regan.” Regan has left no stone unturned as he fattens his wallet courtesy of hard-working nursing assistants, housekeepers, unit assistants and other healthcare workers.

So… the next time a purple-shirted SEIU organizer shows up at your hospital with a “paycheck calculator,” tell them to calculate Dave Regan’s salary… and Stan Lyle’s, too. Also, ask them why the purple fat cats deserve so much money when they’re making secret back-room deals with Kaiser Permanente, Catholic Healthcare West, Daughters of Charity Health System and other companies to slash workers’ pensions and health coverage.

Crookin’ at Kaiser Permanente

Check out this photo from a Kaiser patient. It’s a purple-shirted SEIU-UHW organizer trolling for votes at a table inside Kaiser Oakland Medical Center.

So what’s the big deal? Well, this kind of activity is strictly illegal under Kaiser’s election rules. In fact, if NUHW tried to do it, you can bet Dave Regan’s salary ($300,000) that Kaiser would call the National Guard faster than you could say “Dave Regan is an overpaid fat cat.”

So how’s SEIU able to do this?  It’s another election scam brought to you by Kaiser Permanente and SEIU. Even though SEIU’s organizers are clearly campaigning for votes, SEIU and Kaiser say they’re somehow “enforcing” workers’ union contract.

Yeah, right!  As soon as last year’s NLRB election was done, SEIU snatched up all their cupcakes, pizzas and promises and quickly abandoned Kaiser’s facilities. In fact, Tasty hears that SEIU’s Field Reps wouldn’t even return phone calls from workers desperately needing help after getting suspended or fired by Kaiser managers who simply ignore the union’s contract.

As readers can imagine, Kaiser workers are finding it kinda hard to believe that SEIU has suddenly decided to flood their facilities with Field Reps to enforce the contract.

So what’s the SEIU organizer doing in the photo? It’s a scam campaigning exercise called “paycheck calculator”… which SEIU organizers use to threaten workers’ wages if they vote for NUHW.  Kaiser execs are letting SEIU set up tables with laptop computers in dozens of hospitals and clinics to do these bogus events. 

Tasty hopes that Mr. NLRB will take a good look at these kinds of scams in the government's newest investigation into SEIU and Kaiser's violations of U.S. labor law!

SEIU and Kaiser Permanente Hit with Legal Ruling

Tasty hears that SEIU and Kaiser Permanente are licking their wounds after getting hit with another legal ruling last week.  Here’s what’s going on:

Remember how the NLRB tossed out the results of last year’s giant Kaiser election after SEIU and Kaiser were found guilty of violating federal labor law by threatening workers during the election?

Well, ever since the NLRB ordered a re-run election for 43,000 Kaiser workers, Kaiser execs have been letting purple-shirted SEIU organizers flood into Kaiser’s hospitals to pressure workers to vote for SEIU. Workers tell Tasty it’s like a “re-play” of last year’s election -- SEIU organizers are all over their facilities, bullying workers, interrupting patients, making threats, campaigning in Kaiser conference rooms… and Kaiser execs are letting SEIU do whatever they want to.

Well, last week, the NLRB announced they’re launching an official investigation into these latest violations. The NLRB says these kinds of violations are serious and would prevent the NLRB from running a fair election for workers, so they can’t schedule the re-run election until the NLRB finishes their investigation.

Tasty hears the ruling is a big blow for SEIU and Kaiser. They’ve been pressuring the NLRB to run the election as quickly as possible so they can take advantage of the all the threats and disinformation they’ve been raining down on Kaiser workers for so many months. Also, they wanna run the election before more news emerges about SEIU’s backroom deal that lets Kaiser slash workers’ pensions and health benefits.

So what happens if SEIU and Kaiser are once again found guilty of violating workers’ rights? Is there a special place for repeat offenders like Kaiser and SEIU? If the NLRB is unwilling to do the right thing, Tasty is sure that readers will have plenty of suggestions for the NLRB!

Dave Regan's Fat Cats at SEIU-UHW

Readers are asking Tasty lots of questions about the sky-high salaries at SEIU-UHW... like, who’s getting all the giant hand-outs from Dave Regan? Well, there are too many SEIU fat cats to name 'em all… so here are just some of the 2011 salaries at SEIU-UHW.

Steve Trossman: $196,520

Hal Ruddick: $155,304

Greg Pullman: $151,712

Joe Simoes: $149,308

And do you remember Alex “Krooked” Espinoza, the wanna-be rapper who moonlights as an SEIU-UHW Field Rep? He’s the idiot who spouts lyrics like this: If you're a "homo" you should "keep on walkin'" or Krooked might "fuck you with a 2x4." Well, apparently Dave Regan loves Krooked’s lyrics – he’s handed him a $35,000 pay hike since Regan rolled into town, boosting Krooked’s annual pay to $124,120 in 2011.

SEIU-UHW’s members may be surprised to learn that their hard-earned dues have funded Greg Maron’s and Cass Gualvez’s transition into the richest 2.9% of households in the United States. That’s right… this couple now earns more than a quarter million dollars a year ($264,148).

Meanwhile, Keisha Stewart has pocketed a 50% pay increase to $130,000… even though SEIU-UHW insiders report she doesn’t even come to the office anymore.

Other fat cats enjoying Regan’s dues-funded largesse?  Hortencia Armendariz at $126,844.

And some readers may remember Nancy Herrera-Barrett, a Field Rep in SEIU-UHW’s Kaiser Division.  Nancy is one of those people who tries to cover up their incompetence by fronting tons of attitude, hot air and pushiness. In fact, Nancy (who really should be the subject of a lengthy psychological experiment) was on the verge of getting fired in 2009 when SEIU’s DC trustees stormed into California. Since then, Regan has poured barrels of money into Nancy’s pockets… a 50% pay increase that’s boosted her pay from $83,664 in 2008 to $122,284 in 2011.

Other fat cats? Check out Mylka Rodriguez, whose pay jumped from $71,944 in 2008 to $117,912 in 2011 – almost a $50,000 increase.

More to come later….

P.S. Inquiring readers are asking: Where do Tasty’s 2011 salary figures come from? The U.S. Department of Labor. After SEIU formally ended its trusteeship over SEIU-UHW in the beginning of April 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor required the trustees to file a financial report covering the first three months of 2011. The report lists each staffer’s pay for the first three months of 2011.  So, to calculate each staffer’s annual salary, all you gotta do is multiply by four. For example, here’s what Steve Trossman earned in the first three months of 2011 (you can click on the image to blow it up).

His annual salary: $49,139 x 4 = $196,520