We were very pleased to have Robert from Monterey attend the sham trusteeship hearing against members at United Heatlthcare Workers – West. Robert had a great perspective on the hearing.

Here are some of my thoughts as a UHW member:

For the past two days I joined several thousand rank-and-file UHW members in donning red shirts with the slogan “Hands Off Our Union” at our march and protest against Andy Stern and SEIU’s attempt to impose a dictatorship on our local union.  The tension was thick throughout the trusteeship hearing which SEIU convened with less then a months notice to justify unlawfully removing our elected leaders for political reasons.

SEIU hasn’t succeeded in taking control of our union away from healthcare workers like me yet.  And we’re not going to let them.  I’m a CNA at a nursing home in Fresno and what I want right now is to spend my time working hard to elect Barack Obama, helping other workers join our union, and fighting to put patients before profits.  Outside the hearing all these things were heavily on our minds while we came together with other healthcare workers in a festival for a democratic, bottom-up union.

Several dozen SEIU staff in blue monitor shirts greeted us when we arrived at the trusteeship hearing yesterday and this morning.  I thought to myself that their time could be put to better use working in the swing states for Obama.

Fortunately, my fellow UHW members made up for them by phone banking during the hearing to union members to urge them to support Obama.

Three thousand of us rallied and marched during the lunch recess of the hearing on the first day and today we had even more members and their families show up.  Throughout the day we cycled through teach-in and phone bank tents for trainings and making calls to protect our union and elect Barack Obama.

With so many important issues like universal health care in play, we need to be doing everything we can to get Obama elected.  UHW members sent that message to Andy Stern and SEIU loud and clear at their kangaroo court.

Anita Wiltz

Certified Nursing Assistant

Golden Cross Healthcare Center