Ray Marshall

Dissenting California Local Disaffiliates; Standoff Continues

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 02/09/2009 - 01:00

The widely anticipated break has come to pass:  The United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW) has severed its ties to the Service Employees International Union.  And as SEIU officials at Washington, D.C. headquarters refuse to accept the decision by the 150,000-member California affiliate, the prospect of prolonged labor strife, possibly even violent, has become real.  Led by its longtime president, Sal Rosselli, the Oakland-based UHW announced on Wednesday, January 28 its formal secession from the parent organization and its intention to form a new union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers.  More than 100 local officers and board members approved the action.  The move occurred only one day after Stern had replaced its leadership, alleging misuse of union funds for political purposes and refusal to go along with a reorganization plan.

California Local and SEIU Battle; Stern Seeks Trusteeship

Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 01:00

What began as a war of words is evolving into a war of actions.  And by all appearances, the rift between the Service Employees International Union and a major California health care affiliate is bound to escalate further.  On Wednesday, January 21, Dave Regan, a top SEIU official, flew out to Oakland on a mission from Washington, D.C. headquarters:  Remove Sal Rosselli from the helm of United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW), a local now claiming some 150,000 members.  The international union is alleging that Rosselli, a bitter critic of SEIU President Andrew Stern, has engaged in financial malpractice.  Rosselli, for his part, denies all wrongdoing.  Maybe it’s not the kind of help he wants, but his loyalists now are displaying a willingness to storm the barricades.

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