A union is an organization of workers who join together in order to have a voice in improving their jobs and the quality of care for their patients.
We are a union of 150,000 health care workers from every sector of the industry across California. We are the largest and fastest growing healthcare union in the Western United States. Our goals are to achieve better care for our patients and better lives for ourselves and our families. More. . .
You and your co-workers have a legal right to form a union at your work place. You are protected under the law and it is illegal for management to in any way threaten, harass, spy or discriminate against any employee for union activity.
SEIU-UHW members have negotiated a variety of provisions that improve staffing and the quality of care, such as:
- Joint decision-making through patient care committees charged with solving staffing problems and improving patient care policies.
- Restrictions on mandatory overtime.
- Recruitment and retention programs that focus on improving salaries, benefits, and working conditions in order to attract and retain staff.
- Specific staffing and workload provisions, and other guidelines.
Every union contract is different, because it reflects the priorities of the group that negotiated it. But, on average:
- Union contracts typically include guaranteed annual raises, pay steps that reward experience and length of service, and higher shift differentials, certification and specialty bonuses, and other premium pay.
- Healthcare union members have better benefits. Most hospital employees represented by SEIU-UHW have achieved fully paid family health benefits and guaranteed pensions.
SEIU-UHW members determine how much union dues are democratically. Dues are each member's investment to ensure that our organization has the strength and resources to be effective. The money is used to help organize the unorganized, negotiate contracts and improve staffing, working conditions, patient care standards, and wages and benefits.
The dues rate for SEIU-UHW is 2% of base monthly pay, not including overtime. For example, a full-time employee making $12 an hour would pay monthly dues of $41. A full-time employee making $23 or more an hour would pay monthly dues of $82, which is the maximum a member will pay in 2005, regardless of hourly pay.
There are no initiation fees for newly organized members who join the union by the date of the first contract ratification. Newly organized members don't pay dues until a contract is negotiated.
A union is a democratic organization. The employees who are members of the union make all the primary decisions. They vote on their union contracts, they elect union leaders, they vote on bylaws and any changes in dues structure and they or their elected representatives vote on other important decisions. A union is guided by the priorities that the members choose.
Yes. By law, healthcare employees have the freedom to form a union and work together to improve patient care and the quality of their jobs. You can-and should-talk to your co-workers about forming a union anywhere and anytime you're allowed to talk about non-work topics.
Your rights to distribute union literature, wear union buttons, and encourage other employees to support forming a union are protected by law. It's illegal for your employer to intimidate, discriminate, or otherwise interfere in your decision.
Some hospital administrators respect the right of employees to make up their own minds about forming a union and take a neutral position. Other administrators oppose the idea, at least at first. Allowing employees to participate in decision-making can be a big change, and accepting change is never easy.
In cases where management opposes the idea of healthcare employees forming a union, they may turn to outside consultants who specialize in persuading employees to vote against forming a union. In that case, you may be pulled away from your patients to attend mandatory meetings and be given literature with misleading and often hostile arguments.
If this is the case in your hospital, the best thing to do is to reassure your supervisors that your goal is the same as theirs—to make the hospital work better for everyone. If you're unsure about any of the issues management raises, ask an organizing committee member at your hospital to answer your questions.
Most importantly, keep in mind that any tension that may arise during your organizing efforts is only temporary. Once you form your union and have the means to solve problems on the job, your relationship with your supervisors is likely to be better than ever.
Yes. Most employees say forming a union improves their relationship with supervisors because everyone knows what to expect and there are clear ways to resolve any problems that arise day-to-day. With SEIU , we share in decision-making, and the needs of employees and patients are always taken into account.
The purpose of negotiating a union contract is to preserve and improve benefits, not lose them. When you sit down to negotiate a union contract, you start with your existing pay and benefits—including those accrued with seniority—and work your way up. Management cannot unilaterally reduce pay or benefits when you vote to form a union.
Because they're written into a legally binding contract that you've voted to approve, your pay and benefits are guaranteed-they can't be changed unless employees at your hospital vote to do so. At a time when many hospitals are looking for ways to cut costs, forming a union is the best way to protect your current benefits.
No. No one, least of all healthcare professionals, ever wants to go on strike—which is why about 98 percent of union contracts are settled without one. Strikes are the exception, not the rule. More importantly, a decision to go on strike is one that only you and your co-workers can make for yourselves through a democratic vote. If members don't want to strike, there won't be one-it's the members' decision to make by a majority vote.
