Employees don't receive health care benefits themselves. Two San Francisco leaders, the Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church and Superior Court Judge John Dearman, presided over the effort. Although 324 of the 359 returned ballots indicated support for the union, CPMC officials refused to honor the election results. According to Sarah Kelly, director of public affairs for the medical center, only a legally binding election through the NLRB ensures fair representation of all employees. But SEIU spokesperson Eric Lerner said organizing through NLRB means giving up control.
Employers can indefinitely delay the election process or appeal it forever.
Organizers say the union is needed to protect workers and patients from a cost-cutting policy that has become more aggressive since Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, Calif., acquired CPMC in 1995. But Kelly denied those claims. Union organizers plan to beef up public pressure on CPMC, partly through political leverage.