NUHW Achieves Major Organizing Victories Across Healthcare Sector

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As the Trump Administration targets workers' rights, healthcare employees across California, and as far as Philadelphia, are pushing back by joining NUHW.

NUHW celebrated a remarkable year of union organizing with five victories during the holiday season, including one that expanded the union's reach to Pennsylvania. Although the organizing of Rogers Behavioral Health workers in Philadelphia captured significant media attention, NUHW also expanded its presence at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, Providence Health facilities in Humboldt County and North Bay, and First Step for Kids, a company providing services to children with autism.

Over the past 12 months, more than 1,300 workers have joined NUHW, including hospital workers in Torrance, Healdsburg, Anaheim, and Whittier.

“Healthcare workers want a union that empowers them to provide the best care in the best conditions and with the best pay,” said Sal Rosselli, NUHW's president emeritus. “Our members are using their collective power every day to improve their lives and the care patients receive, and their peers notice that.”

The Power of Unity

Just before Thanksgiving, 21 workers at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital voted to join hundreds of their colleagues as NUHW members. The group includes insurance billers, patient account representatives, emergency techs, and business analysts eager to join their NUHW colleagues in reclaiming what the hospital took away during a bankruptcy that NUHW successfully reversed in court.

First Steps for Kids Workers in Los Angeles Aim to Enhance Their Agency

A government shutdown that delayed their union elections and a strong anti-union campaign by the employer did not deter 49 workers at First Steps for Kids, who won their union elections with NUHW on December 12.

The workers, including behavioral technicians in the Los Angeles area, provide assessments and services to children diagnosed with autism.

Alejandra Maldonado, one of the workers, stated that the drive to unionize was fueled by a desire to “create a workplace where our voices are heard and there is true accountability.”

“The change I would like to see first is for workers to have a space where they can share their thoughts and concerns so we can work as a unit to make the workplace better every day,” she said. “And in turn, we have the ability to deliver the quality services we are trained for to all our clients.”

Government Shutdown Does Not Undermine Worker Unity

NUHW also continued its expansion in the Providence health system, with 26 workers from Providence Napa Homecare winning their union elections and two workers from Providence St. Joseph Eureka joining their colleagues as NUHW members.

The home care workers, including nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and health aides, care for patients in Napa County, where Providence has shifted operations to Compassus, a private equity-backed company.

“We see what is happening with Providence, and we are ready to join our colleagues in the region to secure fair wages and protect the healthcare our community depends on,” said Letitia Camarillo, a home care nurse. “We will need everyone’s collaboration to secure a good contract with Compassus and Providence, but we are committed to achieving it.”

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