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SEIU Backs Out Of NLRB Election

ARTICLE:
Yesterday, SEIU withdrew from its first scheduled NLRB election against the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) since more than 100,000 California healthcare workers petitioned to join NUHW earlier this year.

With only six days to go until an election at a hospital in Southern California, SEIU asked the NLRB to remove its name from the ballot after realizing SEIU was headed towards a landslide election defeat.

The hospital workers - employees of Hospital Housekeeping Systems (HHS) at Los Alamitos Hospital - will now vote for either NUHW or "No Union" during the September 28th election.

SEIU's failure to win HHS workers' support is noteworthy given the substantial resources that SEIU dedicated to its campaign among this relatively small unit of hospital workers.

SEIU flew in organizers from New York, Texas and elsewhere to carry out its campaign. And in a desperate bid to convince workers to remain in SEIU, officials flew in SEIU members who work for the same company in other regions of California.

In addition, SEIU organizers had much greater access to the workforce than did NUHW. Because SEIU represents workers at the hospital, its organizers were given broad access to the facility and its employees.

The HHS workers at Los Alamitos Hospital first filed for an election to join NUHW in March of 2009. The NLRB scheduled an election for May, but SEIU filed frivolous "blocking charges" to delay the election.

When the NLRB finally lifted SEIU's blocking charges, SEIU petitioned for a spot on the ballot and then mounted an aggressive - and unsuccessful - election campaign. It's clear that SEIU never had substantial support within the bargaining unit, but simply got on the ballot to try to prevent non-union workers from forming a union with NUHW.

While SEIU has abandoned its effort with non-union workers at Los Alamitos Hospital, they are still interfering in an election among non-union workers at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, who have been struggling to win a union for the last six years.

In March, a strong majority of the hospital's workers signed cards to join NUHW. SEIU has used frivolous blocking charges to delay workers' election for six months, during which time nearly 200 workers at Memorial have been laid off, their pay has been frozen, and workers there are now in danger of losing their sick time.

Just after the NLRB lifted SEIU's blocking charge, SEIU tried to file a second one. When that effort failed, SEIU officials filed to intervene in the election.

In addition to workers at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, caregivers at more than 100 California facilities are awaiting NLRB elections so they can join NUHW.