At the trial in the federal lawsuit against Sal Rosselli and the other ousted leaders of SEIU-UHW, Leon Chow, a onetime member of the secretly formed UHW staff group Shakers & Makers, told the court that in a January 28, 2009 meeting Rosselli announced the new “union” and that it would be called NUHW. When asked if the group voted for that name, he replied that it was announced and that no vote took place over the issue. What happened to “union democracy?”

Vellardita “Hostile & Uncooperative”:

Prior to the Trusteeship on January 27, 2009, Eliseo Medina contacted officers of the three locals that would be affected by the International’s jurisdictional decision on long term care workers. While unhappy about the situation, both Locals 6434 and 521 met with Medina and cooperated with the his request that they turn over information and documents to help implement the decision of the international executive board. However, in a January 15, 2009 meeting with Vellardita over the same issue, UHW officials at the time were “hostile and uncooperative.” Medina went on to tell how Vellardita just wanted to talk about how the decision was not right and refused to provide any requested information.  In his cross examination, Dan Siegel, council for the defendants, led by asking about Mr. Medina’s salary and how he struggled alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta in the 60’s and 70’s. When he got back on track to what the case was really about he asked about his meetings with leaders of Locals 6434 and 521. Again Medina testified of their cooperation with the decision of the executive board.

You Don’t Just Start a New Union In One Day:

Eliseo Medina as an executive vice president of the international was one of the appointed trustees of UHW. He spoke about how he proceeded to initiate the trusteeship on and around January 27, 2009. In the notice, staff, officers and executive board members were instructed that all union property and documents in their possession or control was to be surrendered back to UHW, something many failed to do. When Siegel asked Medina if there was anything wrong with Rosselli forming a new union, Medina said “no, but in my forty four years of experience in the labor movement I know this much…you don’t just start a new union from the ground up in one day!” I have to agree, a trip to Costco takes me at least two days to plan out, let alone organizing workers in many facilities throughout California to abandon SEIU after eighty years of representing the healthcare industry.

NUHW Resorts To Violence:

The courtroom was shocked to hear how Rasheda Anthony, a UHW administrative assistant, was working in a temporary office in Alameda on January 19, 2009 when defendant Goldstein tried to force his way in. The next day on January 20, 2009 a crowd of about fifty NUHW supporters marched on the same office led by NUHW leaders and defendants Goldstein, Vellardita, and Krystal. They became violent and as the office manager she became very concerned for the safety of the other workers. They forced themselves inside and overpowered the lone security officer and trampled him to the floor, “he was on the floor in a fetal position trying to protect his head.” At this point a desperate call was made to 911. In the commotion, Ms. Anthony tried to secure confidential documents that had contact information of new staff and where they were being housed at. She told how defendant Goldstein tried to snatch the papers out of her hand and told her “Don’t do this!” when another rioter whom she identified as defendant Krystal rushed her from behind and shoved her up against a desk. At this point she heard an office worker yell “Get off her!” At this point the rioters left chanting “We’ll be back!”

As she was telling the jury of her ordeal that day, a spectator sitting in the NUHW side of the room got up and walked out with an embarrassed and disgusted look on her face. Not even five minutes later, another did the same thing. It just shows how it never is too late to see through NUHW’s web of lies. It is interesting how this act of cowardice happened on January 20, 2009, the same day Obama was being sworn into office…while he was offering hope…NUHW and its leaders only offered terror.