Is Union Management Staying Neutral As 1199SEIU UHWE Union Staffers Unionize?
Given the SEIU's history of "anti union" behavior toward its own union workers, will 1199 SEIU management let its employees unionize without a fight?
By Peter List, Editor | April 11, 2024
On Tuesday, the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (WBNG), a union that represents a number of other unions’ employees (and affiliated with the Communications Workers of America), issued a press release on social media (in full below) announcing that it had filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as well as demanded voluntary recognition to represent the more than 260 “in-house staffers” of the mega healthcare union of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU UHWE), an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“While 1199SEIU Management refused to sign our neutrality agreement, sent on April 3rd,” the 1199SEIU In House Staff Union Organizing Committee stated via email, “President George Gresham has asserted in writing that Management will remain neutral”
However, based on other social media posts, it appears there may be some who question whether or not 1199SEIU is really staying neutral.
Following Tuesday’s announcement, a person who identifies as “DrewCeezey” on X (formerly Twitter), and who is believed to be Andrew Carillo, Region 6 Vice President of the NEWSGUILD-CWA, as well as a senior organizer at SEIU Local 105, shared on X Wednesday evening a picture of what appears to be an anti-CWA flyer with the caption:
@SEIU1199_NE @SEIU1199NW doing their best to be hypocritical union busting bosses. Organizers working there are joining the @newsguild
DrewCeezey’s post on X drew the attention of labor journalist Hamilton Nolan, who reposted the pic to his 54,000 followers, stating:
If you are a union one important thing is to never put up a sign telling your workers not to join a union
In an email follow-up about the anti-union flier, the In-House Committee stated:
Yes, that flyer was made in response to our effort but we don't know by whom. The tweeter, in good faith of course, mistakenly tagged 1199NE and 1199NW; we're forming our staff union at 1199SEIU-United Healthcare Workers East, including employees from Florida to Massachusetts.
Although 1199SEIU management has the opportunity to voluntarily recognize the in-house union, it is puzzling why the union is making its staff proceed with a secret-ballot election—something unions (including the SEIU) have been opposed to for nearly two decades as they have pushed for “card check” legislation.
However, given the SEIU’s more recent treatment of its unionized staff, it would not be surprising if 1199SEIU management’s “neutrality” isn’t so neutral after all.
