Daily Labor Report: Members of SEIU UHW Vote to Stay in Local To Prevent Being Placed in Other SEIU Local

From http://www.bna.com/products/labor/dlr.htm
Published March 21, 2008

By Michelle Amber

Concerned that its parent union--the Service Employees International Union--might attempt to transfer some 65,000 nursing home and home health care workers out of the 150,000-member United Healthcare Workers-West to another SEIU local, the leadership of UHW earlier this month conducted a vote asking its members to choose.

The results of the vote showed that members overwhelmingly want to remain in UHW rather than be transferred to another SEIU local, UHW President Sal Rosselli told BNA March 18.

The SEIU international union, however, responded to the vote by charging that Rosselli "spent his members' dues money on a fake vote premised on fake claims."

Ballots from an election that took place over 10 days by bargaining unit and by county were counted March 17 by two former members of the California Mediation and Conciliation Service. The ballot asked members if they wanted to "stay united with hospital, Kaiser, nursing home andhomecare workers in UHW" or if they thought it was "okay to be transferred into a union of only long-term care workers."

The results showed 18,578 home care workers voted to remain members of UHW and 773 checked the box stating it was OK to be transferred to the other local, the United Long Term Care Workers, according to UHW. In the nursing home unit, 6,232 voted "yes" to remain in UHW and 66 said it was all right to transfer to the other local.

Some 70 percent of the nursing home care workers eligible to vote did so, while 37 percent of the home care workers voted, UHW said.

Rosselli said the turnout was "unprecedented," adding it was higher than any votes, such as contract ratifications, that have ever taken place among these workers.

"Our members have spoken. They voted overwhelmingly to stay in UHW, united with all other healthcare workers," Rosselli said in announcing the vote results. "This vote leaves no doubt about what our members want."