My name is Barbara Lewis and I’m VP in the SEIU-UHW (United Healthcare Workers – West) Hospital Division. We’re glad to continue this discussion about the direction of SEIU and defending the voice of the membership.

SEIU has made outrageous allegations here and elsewhere that my local union, SEIU-UHW had a hand in the California Nurses Association (CNA) raid against SEIU’s Ohio CHP (Catholic Healthcare Partners) campaign — a raid that resulted in SEIU pulling the campaign and 9000 workers being denied the right to form a union.

Andy Stern, Mary Kay Henry and Dave Regan’s effort to shift the blame onto UHW for the Ohio tragedy is simply an attempt to cover up their own responsibility in this.

A little background on my relationship to this issue: I worked for 18 years with our International Union, mainly in organizing – both public and private sector, and since 1998 exclusively in Southern California as an SEIU staff person assigned to help lead our healthcare organizing, along with leaders from Local 399 and Local 250, prior to the merger that created UHW.

In early 2005, I left the International Union to join the staff of UHW to lead our Tenet work in California. I worked jointly with the International Union as a UHW staff person to help organize Tenet workers in Florida. And I led the Tenet Rank and File Unity Council for two years to establish national priorities for the next round of bargaining: priorities that included winning organizing rights and improving contract standards for existing members.

This week, SEIU Local 1199 sent a letter to the homes of all UHW members claiming that our local union was responsible for the California Nurses Association raid that derailed the organizing campaign at CHP in Ohio.

This outrageous allegation has no factual basis whatsoever as UHW was not involved and we immediately denounced CNA for the Ohio debacle. (See relevant documents at seiuvoice.org.) If anyone is responsible for the campaign’s collapse, it is the leaders who negotiated the election agreement.

Simple safeguards should have been taken ensuring these elections would be done carefully without public fanfare and without being vulnerable to an attack typical of the CNA. Mistakes get made, bad things happen, but to try to blame their failure to protect the agreement on some fabricated role of UHW is reprehensible.

Having worked with locals from around the nation as we develop models for organizing registered nurses and gaining footholds in primarily non-union areas, we’ve seen many examples of CNA swooping in at the last minute to disrupt organizing efforts.

In California in May 2003, SEIU, Local 399 and Local 250 won an organizing agreement with Tenet Healthcare to organize all the Tenet hospitals in California and two Tenet hospitals in Florida. This agreement came out of a multi-year national fight with Tenet and once the agreement was reached, there was a great deal of publicity.

Only days after we reached the agreement, the California Nurses Association was on the ground working to undermine it.

The California Nurses Association put out endless literature and news releases about how our agreement with Tenet was a “sell out, back room deal” and that Tenet was “hand picking the union,” and that nurses shouldn’t have to belong to a “janitors union.”

The CNA’s strategy was to file with the bare minimum support necessary at the NLRB to hold up our elections for registered nurses, and to threaten SEIU’s traditional base of hospital members by creating an “ancillary union” to compete with Local 399 and Local 250.

Workers’ right to an election was delayed for over one year, and for that entire year we had to operate on two fronts: hand-to-hand combat with the CNA at the worksite (as their organizers’ main job was to create conflict, intimidation and chaos) and holding together the support we had so that once we could move forward we could win.

We finally settled jurisdictional issues with the CNA in December, 7 months later. It took another full year for workers to finally have their election.

Since the California Tenet experience, CNA has made numerous attempts elsewhere (Illinois/Nevada/Arizona) to derail RN organizing.

Given all this history is well known in SEIU, the CNA action in Ohio should have been 100% predictable. But instead, there were multiple newspaper articles after the Ohio CHP agreement was reached about the details and the locations and dates of the upcoming elections. These constituted an engraved invitation for the CNA to land in Ohio.

Since SEIU is acutely aware of the CNA’s search and destroy missions, why wouldn’t they ensure that no press releases were made?

UHW has done everything we’ve been asked to do and more to help our sisters and brothers in Ohio fight off the CNA attacks. We received a call from Dave Regan when CNA landed asking for our assistance to immediately leaflet the CNA represented hospitals urging their members to request an end to their activity. We did so without any hesitation, and in such an aggressive manner, that the corporate office of Tenet demanded we stop leafleting. We did not stop and continued for several days.

Despite the fact that at the time we were in the middle to four contested organizing campaigns ourselves (two of which were won this week by 1,000 new members) we offered to send staff immediately into Ohio to help. This offer was rejected.

To send a letter to the homes of our members, claiming that our union was responsible for the horrible tragedy in Ohio is nothing but an effort to turn Ohio workers against California workers and escalate SEIU’s attack against our local union.

Art Torres attempted to kick off the afternoon general session.  Unfortunately the first speaker, Jerry McNerney was nowhere to be found.  Torres actually said “paging Jerry McNerney.  If you can hear me come up to the front of the room.”  Congressman McNerney must have been out earshot because he never made it up to the podium.

Art spoke for a bit and then introduced Gavin Newsom.  Mayor Newsom at his impromptu meet the bloggers session told us that he had only been given 8 minutes to speak.  He may have some leeway now that McNerney is a no-show.

Newsom is focusing most of his remarks on his health care proposal and global warming/green standards.  The general theme is that “they say it can’t be done, but we are proving it can be done.”  He has now switched to education, stating it is not good enough just to stave off the cuts, but that we need to increase funding.  Newsom closed by talking about poverty and in particular public housing.

Overall it was a well received speech and most of the audience was standing and clapping as he concluded.

Cong. McNerney seems to have found his way to the stage.  Torres is introducing him at the moment.

McNerney is speaking without a teleprompter and is now focusing on the need to elect more Democrats to office.  He is using his race as example of inspiration to Democrats across the country.  It was a very short speech.  Art Torres seemed to call him Jerry Mac-a-Nerney as he left the stage.  He then gave a shout-out to Charlie Brown.

Here’s a blog round-up for the California Democratic Party Convention.  We’ll post another one tomorrow.

From Steve Sloan, SJSU Tech on a Mission: Friday Night at the Convention

From the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Blog: California State Democratic Convention in San Jose – Day 1

From MOMocrats: Gavin Newsom Reads MOMocrats

From MOMocrats: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a SUPER Delegate!

From MOMocrats: MOMocrats at the California Democratic Convention: Waiting for Nancy Pelosi

Here’s a couple of the MOMocrats along with one of the KIDocrats.

More pix at Flickr from Kethryvis and Steve Sloan.

From MOMocrats: Nancy Pelosi Rocks the House!

From Calitics: Immigration Townhall

From Calitics: Jerry Brown: Elegant Density

From Calitics: Day 1 Thoughts

From Calitics: What a difference a year makes

From Calitics: Art Torres wants Michigan and Florida Seated

From Calitics: Leno, Nation, Migden and a sign

From Calitics: CDP 2008 Photos

From Calitics: Event Listing for CDP Convention

From Calitics: Opening the convention

From Calitics: Platform happenings

From Calitics: Day 1 Recap: Bob Mulholland & A whole lotta hollering

From Calitics: 2008 CDP Platform (Draft)

From Calitics: Hanging in the bar

From the Liberal OC: ALERT to Young Democrats Attending the CDP Convention This Weekend!

From California Progress Report: Growth of the Party: For Many California Young Democrats This Will Be First Convention

From The Politics of Kethryvis: CDP Convention 2008 Day One

From The Politics of Kethryvis: Day One: It’s Too Darn Hot

From Confessions of a Girlhood Among CyberGhosts: Just a reminder…

From Sweet Melissa: You Say Kamala, I Say Melissa

From Sweet Melissa: Live From The Donkey Show: OMG!

From ImTedGreen: Do You Know the Way?

From California Progress Report: California Democrats Making History – California Progress Report

From California Progress Report: Convention Diary: California Democrats Convening in the Silicon Valley Today Through Sunday

From the California Majority Report: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Planned Parenthood Warns of New Parental Consent Abortion Proposition

From the California Majority Report: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Two Mothers of Victims of California’s Three Strikes Law Offer Hope for Reform

From the California Majority Report: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: CDP Chair Art Torres Talks Convention(s), Superdelegates, and Wine

From the California Majority Report: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Steve Westly Hypes New Media at Internet and Computer Caucus Meeting

From Patricia For Campbell: Lights Out?

Penny

Online Organizing Director

California Democratic Party

The buzz in San Jose is all about Carole Migden's meltdown yesterday at the CDP Convention. She was giving a speech at the Women's Caucus and became upset when she saw people handing out copies of press releases from the FPPC's recent $9 million fine against her. She began screaming and, not unlike Carole at most events, speaking loudly but incoherently. She attempted to lead the crowd in a chant (directed at Mark Leno) of “Shame on You, Shame on You!” Not exactly understanding what Mark Leno should be shameful about (he didn't break the law hundreds of times), nobody in the crowd followed her lead. So she was standing there, alone, chanting.

Visibly upset about not being able to “Lead,” Carole became even more belligerent. She pointed out a group of male and female supporters holding Mark Leno signs, and screamed “I mean, are those women or big fat men.” The crowd literally booed her off the stage using her only mantra of “Shame on you, Shame on you!!”

Now we all know that Carole often has lapses in sanity. But for her to attack people based not only on their gender, but also on their weight, is disgusting. It is an insensitive, transphobic comment that shows just how desperate Carole has become.

The CDP convention this year is hosting an innovative “Immigration Town Hall” consisting of a panel of pollsters, academics who specialize in immigration, and activists. It’s just now gotten underway so it’s not clear how this will develop.

But the first panelist, from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, seems to be an anachronism from 2006. His slides claim that there are potentially big downsides for Democrats from the immigration issue, and that Dems should refrain from promising “non-emergency benefits” to the undocumented, for example driver’s licenses.

Nowhere does this pollster mention perhaps the most important polling data of all – the fact that Republicans have consistently and totally failed to win at the polls on immigration. It is declining in significance and importance as an issue, as the worsening economic crisis shows Americans that immigration as a political issue is, and always was, a diversion.

Everyone has been going on and on about the SD-03 race here, and I’m about as far removed from a vested interest as one could be while still living in California, but it’s been good for horserace fun- it’s definitely the hot race in the halls here, with mountains of lit from all three sides.  It actually reminds me of all the presidential buzz last year, and seems to be overshadowing the Clinton/Obama business so far (at least among the unscientific sample of folks I’m talking to). Joe Nation and Mark Leno have been working the crowds in their way, and Migden, well…she’s being herself as well, which from what I hear is at least pretty entertaining.  On the flip is the banner she’s been running around the CC with, which turned a few heads for using the official seal of the State Senate while campaigning.  That’s a little sketchy, but then what isn’t these days?

[Update by Julia] Sweet Melissa brings us the scene from the Women’s Caucus and it is jaw dropping.

We walked in and who was at the podium in front of hundreds of people? Carole Migden! And Mark Leno was standing in the back of the room! I looked around and saw lots of women holding Leno signs and gay men holding Migden signs. And the supporters were heckling each other! Hilarious!

I later learned that this was a meeting of the California Democratic Party Women’s Caucus. Migden launched into her speech, which fell pretty flat until she got to the part about how “women should vote for women” and pointed to a group of women in the corner of the room (some of whom were, um…not-petite) who were holding Leno signs and said:

   “I mean, are those women or heavy guys?”

I shit you not.

Allow me to repeat that:

   “I mean, are those women or heavy guys?”

The room was silent for a second while we all thought the same thing: “Did she just effing say that?” Then the place erupted with boos and curses that did not stop.

Sweet Melissa sums it all up by saying:

To recap: I wasn’t here two hours and I saw Migden get booed off the stage at the Women’s Caucus. This is going to be good.

Today at 4:30 there will be a potential endorsement vote for Midgen.  The rules are different for incumbents then those running for an open seat.  She only needs 50%+1 rather than 60%.

[Update by Lucas] Word is that Migden was hammering the same “women need to stick together” line at the Progressive Caucus last night.  Always good when we can have an honest debate about the issues…