United Healthcare West continues its struggle with SEIU

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/8360

Lede: United Healthcare West continues its struggle with SEIU’s International. Doug Cunningham has more.

By Doug Cunningham

The 150,000 members of SEIU’s United Heathcare West in California are struggling to reform SEIU. UHW Board member Stan Lyles told delegates at the recent Labor Notes conference in Detroit that this struggle is not just a power struggle between UHW head Sal Rosselli and SEIU International President Andy Stern.

: “I don’t know about a conflict between Sal Rosselli and Andy Stern. But I can tell you what the conflict is. The conflict is that the international SEIU is trying to take the voice away from the people. And our message, and our message, our message is that it ain’t gonna happen.”

The SEIU International insists it embraces union democracy. United Healthcare West says the centralized, consolidated power of the SEIU International results in top-down unionism. UHW says it wants more of a voice for the rank and file.