Urgent Appeal

URGENT APPEAL: HELP CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL WORKERS

Comrades:

The conflict in California between the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers (SEIU-UHW) and the new healthcare workers union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) is coming to a head. On September 13 and 14, ballots will be sent out to nearly 45,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, allowing them to choose between SEIU-UHW and NUHW.

Retort readers will remember that SEIU-UHW was trusteed eighteen months ago, a hostile, widely resisted takeover of the highly regarded local union (the 150,000 member California United Healthcare Workers-West), known for democratic procedures, good contracts and left of center politics. The California local opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, had supported universal healthcare since the 1980s, opposed Prop 8, etc.) Within six weeks of the take-over, a majority of these workers, including a majority of Kaiser workers, had petitioned for the right to have a union of their own choosing, that is to leave SEIU and join NUHW. SEIU, often supported by managements, saw that these petitions were disallowed – using millions in lawyers’ fees and challenges, delaying tactics, etc. 150,000 workers were in effect held hostage by SEIU, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the employers.

Now the NLRB has no choice but to allow elections to move forward. NUHW is optimistic that these workers can win back their union – but it won’t be easy. SEIU is moving literally thousands of staff into the state, it is prepared to spend many millions ($10 million was spent a year ago on a single election in Fresno – there will be elections at 100s of Kaiser sites, state wide). Six slick, multi-colored fliers have already been sent to all Kaiser workers (there will be many more), robo calls have been made in the thousands. Kaiser is openly supporting SEIU.

NUHW relies on its workplace support, minimal staff, many working as volunteers, and workers form other sectors of the industry.

I think this conflict is one of the most important in US labor in decades. Workers have a choice between the corporate unionism of SEIU – concessions, collaboration, top-down unionism - and NUHW and its history and commitment to democratic unionism, a member driven union, and reliance on the workplace power of workers themselves.

Now I am writing about housing. Starting immediately dozens of volunteers, many experienced organizers, are coming to California to work for NUHW in the weeks leading up to the election. These people need housing, almost every place in California, but especially in the Bay Area.

If you have a spare bed or couch and could put someone up for a week or two, it would be a significant contribution to winning the vote in September. Also, probably less likely, let me know if you have a car that might be lent.

Please consider and let me know (with a little detail) what is possible.

In solidarity, Cal Winslow

I can be reached at cwinslow0 and 707-961-9603.

NUHW also needs and deserves financial support. Donations are needed and always appreciate. Donations can also be made to the Fund for Union Democracy and Reform, an organization that is defending individual NUHW staff from vicious and endless legal attacks – in a March in Federal Court in San Francisco, 16 former staff (all working people) were found guilty basically for disagreeing with the leadership of SEIU- some are now responsible for “damages” of $80,000 for allegedly working for NUHW (which didn’t then exist) on company (SEIU) time.

These individuals, by the way, are all working people, good union men and women. Legal defense costs are now in the hundreds for thousands of dollars. SEIU’s clear intention continues to be to humiliate and break these people.

You can help. Contribute to:

Fund for Union Democracy and Reform
465 California Street Ste. 1600
San Francisco, CA 94104

For more information, see

Counterpunch, April 13, 2010, Cal Winslow, “No Knock-Out Blow in SEIU's Courtroom Showdown”

http://www.counterpunch.org/winslow04132010.html

and

CounterPunch, July 2-5, 2010, Cal Winslow, “Huge Hospital Elections Set”

http://www.counterpunch.org/winslow07022010.html

Also,

Cal Winslow, Labor’s Civil War in California, PM Press