SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West
140,000 Members Strong – And Growing!
Brief History
SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West (UHW) was formed on January 1, 2005 after the members of Local 250 in Northern California and Local 399 in Southern California overwhelmingly voted to unify. Our 140,000 members work in every facet of the healthcare industry, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and homecare.
United To Win
More than ever before, healthcare workers have come to see unionizing as a way to achieve an effective voice to improve their jobs and the quality of care they provide to their patients. UHW prides itself on being not only the fastest growing union in the nation, but we are also the largest and most powerful healthcare union west of the Mississippi, surpassed only by SEIU 1199 in New York on the east coast.
We are affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Setting The Standard
UHW members have fought hard and won unprecedented standards for jobs and quality of care. For example, members who work in hospitals have achieved a voice in patient care issues, a multi-million dollar training and education fund, no-cost health insurance for their families, good retirement plans, job security and competitive wages. This is a standard that our members are working hard to secure for ALL healthcare industry workers.
Political Power
The members of UHW have the most powerful political voice for worker rights and healthcare reform in California. In the most recent election cycle, UHW registered thousands of members to vote, and thousands of members volunteered for precinct walking, phonebanking, door-knocking, literature distribution and get-out-the vote efforts. UHW members have played the leading role, and in many cases a decisive role, helping to elect pro-worker candidates, such as Assemblyman Alberto Torrico and Sacramento City Councilmember Dave Jones.
To help achieve our electoral and legislative goals, UHW has set up a Patient and Healthcare Worker Defense Fund of $1 million per year to pay for political education and mobilization.
A Vision For The Future
UHW has a clear and definitive vision for reforming the healthcare system throughout the state of California and beyond. Backed by formidable resources and a high level of member involvement, we are poised to continue to win notable gains for our members the general public who depend upon our healthcare workers for quality medical care.
