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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Kaiser Union Dispute May Lead to Another Election

Jessica Vernabe Nearly 3,700 local Kaiser Permanente service and technical workers in the greater San Fernando Valley region might be voting for their union representation again following a dispute between two unions, officials say. An administrative judge from the National Labor Relations Board recently recommended union officials to hold a second election and throw out election results from last year, where SEIU UHW-West won with 62 percent of the votes, according to hearing documents. The recommendation comes after the National Union of Healthcare Workers, or NUHW, said SEIU and Kaiser inappropriately collaborated and intimidated voters from choosing NUHW. The SEIU unit and Kaiser have both announced they will not appeal the decision, said Elizabeth Brennan, spokeswoman for SEIU UHW. However, NUHW is planning to appeal certain parts of the recommendation, said Leighton Woodhouse, spokesman for the union. “Our goal is to persuade the board to require that Kaiser and SEIU post public notices in Kaiser work places and letters to eligible voters explaining that they cheated in the election,” he said. He said the union wants the notices and letters to also inform the voters that their contract terms and conditions “remain in tact” when they switch from SEIU to NUHW. NUHW called for the second election, claiming that the SEIU unit distributed information to voters suggesting they would not receive pre-bargained raises and bonuses if they joined NUHW. The SEIU unit did include information in its pamphlets last year stating previous examples of a Kaiser union bargaining unit that lost raises after joining NUHW, Brennan said. The labor board judge’s recommendation sustained NUHW’s claims that SEIU distributed threatening information, according to the hearing documents. Meanwhile, the judge overruled several other claims by the union, which included some that specifically targeted Kaiser. The judge’s recommendation is not a ruling and still needs to be approved by a regional director, said Nancy Cleeland, spokeswoman for the National Labor Relations Board. Brennan said SEIU is looking to move forward with the process quickly. “We’re hopeful that the election date will be set immediately,” she said. “I think Kaiser workers are resolved to remain in SEIU-UHW and to continue negotiating very strong contracts.” Kaiser issued a statement stating that it is entirely neutral in the dispute between the two unions. In the statement, Kaiser said: “We upheld our commitment to facilitate the fall 2010 statewide election in a fair and neutral fashion, so that every employee who wished to take part had an equal opportunity to do so. The judge’s recommendations confirm that Kaiser Permanente did not act to influence the outcome of the fall 2010 election, for either side.” Brennan says the eligible voting population includes 1,732 employees at Kaiser’s Woodland Hills hospital and about 1,952 at the Panorama City and Antelope Valley facilities. The entire eligible voting population, which includes 43,500 Kaiser employees, hold positions such as such as housekeepers, dietary workers, nurse aids, licensed vocational, radiology technologists and others, said officials from both unions, she said. Antelope Valley Hospital Gives Scholarships Antelope Valley Hospital and The Antelope Valley Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary provided $15,000 in scholarships for high school students last month, the hospital announced. “The growing Antelope Valley provides great opportunities for health care professionals,” said Edward Mirzabegian, the hospital’s CEO. “I hope these students will consider returning home to provide care for local residents upon completion of their studies.” Fifteen area students were given $1,000 each for students pursuing health care-related fields. Dozens of students applied for the scholarships. Applicants were required to have a 3.5 grade point average or higher. The hospital contributed $5,000 while the volunteer division contributed $10,000. Staff Reporter Jessica Vernabe can be reached at (818) 316-3123 or at [email protected]

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