Locals Snapshot: SEIU-UHW 2009 by the numbers

For California healthcare local UHW-West, a look back over the past 12 months reveals that in spite of a downturn economy, 2009 proved to be a successful year of re-engaging members, settling contracts, and improving jobs, wages, and healthcare.

SEIU-UHW 2009 By the Numbers

Settled Contracts Covering Workers at:

21 Hospital facilities

42 Nursing homes

5 Clinics

Home Care Providers in 2 Counties

1 - Strike at Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center resulting in strong, new contract

Protecting Wages in a Bad Economy

4.3% - Average wage increase for SEIU-UHW-represented hospital workers for the first year of a contract settled in 2009

2.3% - National average wage increase for the first year of a contract settled in 2009

2 - Home care contracts that protect providers' wages and maintain healthcare benefits, despite the economy and the attempts by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to slash wages $2 per hour

Demonstrating Unity & Re-engaging Members

0 Members lost in 2009, despite attempts by management and an organization formed by former local officials to decertify SEIU-UHW members

1,700 Members participated in the October SEIU-UHW Leadership Assembly

300 Member-leaders participating in the Union Wide Organizing Committee, making it four times the size of the old executive board

More than $2 billion - Federal funds to CA hospitals as a result of the hospital fee legislation SEIU-UHW members helped pass

Saving Jobs

2 - Preliminary injunctions halting Governor Schwarzenegger's efforts to dismantle home care by cutting hours and reducing wages by $2/hr

21 - Informational pickets held at Kaiser facilities across the state after Kaiser management proposed position eliminations

0 - SEIU-UHW members who have lost a job as a result of Kaiser position elimination notices

The Union Advantage: UHW-West settled contracts at 68 facilities, with an average wage increase of 4.3 percent. That's far above the 2.3 percent average first-year wage increase, according to an analysis by the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA). As UHW's 2009 numbers demonstrate, unions play a big role in the equation to winning workers higher wages and benefits. And this doesn't just apply to healthcare workers--for nearly every occupation, unionized workers earn around 30% higher wages than non-union workers.