SEIU Healthcare Local 49 president Alice Dale highlighted the decision-making portions of the Program to Win.
“We want every single local to have a voice in decision-making,” she said.
 
She described the various representative bodies proposed to make decisions and the process by which they’d make those decisions. While striving for consensus, she said, ultimately, decisions have to be made, and that’s why majority would rule.
 
“The best decisions are made when all points are heard and considered. We’re committed to stay at the table even when it gets tough. That’s consensus. At some point, we have to make a decision. To call the question. We know what it’s like to be on the losing side of a vote. We don’t like it, but it’s part of the democratic process. This isn’t a debating society. We need to take action,” she said.
 
“Local 49 did not vote in the majority on many of these resolutions. But we recognize that we need unity.  And the opportunities before us demand that we have unity.”
 
Accordingly, debate on the floor ensued:
 
John Borsos, SEIU UHW vice-president, encouraged members to look at a flyer distributed at lunch. “If we really truly are interested in building a consensus-driven, unity-driven process, then we should be able to reconcile the differences and issues that UHW has.”
 
Tom DeBruin, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania president: “It’s important that we have real discussion, real debate, and real leadership. It's important to stay in those discussions, and it's wrong to take those issues outside rather than stay in those discussions. We have to hold our leaders accountable. And when we make decisions together it's important that we leave together and stand together.”
 
Dave Regan, SEIU OH/WV/KY president: “To my ears this debate has exemplified the best of our union, we're hearing the various points of views that we are expressing, that's exactly what democracy is. It's not ok to say that just because you do not prevail, does not mean that you have not been heard."
 
Kim Jacob, SEIU UHW West: “Strength of the union begins with the members. The national hospital bargaining council will eliminate bargaining members on the council. Ever since I've been a member of the union, we've always been for a national healthcare union. But the way things have been set up, members won't be a part of the decision-making. It will be International Executive Board and then appointed leaders, and members will be on the bottom.”
 
Paulette Forbes, a member of SEIU UHW East brought down the house by asking everyone in the hall who was a rank-and-file union member to stand up. Nearly everyone in the hall stood and cheered.
 
“SEIU has been a democratic union for as long as I've been a member—for over 20 years.  There is a debate going on right now about member representation among delegates. Over 3/4 of the delegates here today are rank-and-file members. We are represented.  We are here. We are proving today that we have a democratic union. But being a small boat on the water isn't good enough if the water starts coming in—we need to become a ship that can float and take us into the future and the next century. That’s what this debate is about, and the rank and file is making that decision.”
 
Adopted.

George Gresham, President of SEIU United Healthcare Workers East took the stage to introduce the portion of the Program to Win Resolution on how “Local Leaders are also National Leaders.”
"At 1199 we've been blessed to have great density and great standards. And it could be very rewarding to me as president of the largest union and the largest local to be content. But then I don't think I would be doing my job.  My job for the labor movement," said Gresham.
 
Gresham emphasized the importance of leadership that is held accountable to working for the better good of all healthcare workers and members, and not about their own ego or personal motives.
 
"If there comes a day when it becomes more about George than about the workers, I'm asking you to retire me.  If I've forgotten about the movement, it's time that the movement forgets about me," said Gresham.
 
Gresham moved to adopt the resolution empowering local leaders to decide on national change and floor debate ensued. A sampling:
 
Keith Kelleher, SEIU Local 880: “Our local got the resources from the union to organize 10,000 agency workers not organized before. We then found a unit of “personal assistants” – 25,000 – but didn’t have resources as a small local but called on the International Union’s resources which allowed us to organize to bring 880 to 45,000 members. Then 50,000 child care providers. So now our local is 68,000 members! I rise in support of this because we have benefitted, you have, all of us have.”
 
Becky Williams, SEIU Healthcare OH/WV/KY: “18 years ago I made a decision to vote in my first union election. I obviously voted yes. Locals were operating then with their own independence. We had our own colors, we refused to wear purple. What we lacked is the ability to connect and communicate with each other and have the support of 2 million workers in one unit. I’m blessed by the opportunity to work together on more than one occasion. In 2006 we stood with SEIU Local 775 members and went after the largest MRDD employer, and we kicked their ass, we brought them down. 5,500 workers got the same right I got 18 years ago – and without a national plan they wouldn’t have had that right. And they had right to vote for a contract.”
 
SEIU Healthcare Michigan member: “I’ve been a nurse for 26 years. In those years it’s become apparent that healthcare is teamwork. It’s not just nurses, but housekeeping and dietary. That’s the only way we can continue to grow is through teamwork.”
 
Bonnie Callan: retired members division of SEIU UHW East: “We live in a very serious time, nationally and internationally. Multinational corporations control what happens to us. We need to build a very strong power and be deeply united to defeat them.”
 
Kate Pingo, secretary-treasurer of SEIU Local 49 in Oregon: “We’re a small but very powerful union. I’m a 26-year SEIU member. I work with a coalition of unions at Kaiser Permanente. I represent 6,000 members. And I wanted to tell you how different it is that we support each other through leadership. In 2004 I was on a bargaining team elected by my rank and file. I sat on the pension benefit group. We looked across the program at benefits that everyone at Kaiser had. It broke my heart to hear that in Georgia, a medical assistant was making minimum wage with no healthcare. We came together to support Georgia by putting some of our needs on hold so we could get them full healthcare benefits. That’s leadership. I’m asking that we look at our own self interests and look on to the future. We need to speak in one voice.”
 
Debate ended, vote proceeded and the underlying principle was adopted by the overwhelming support of the delegates.

Rickman Jackson, SEIU Healthcare Michigan’s president spoke to pooling our resources for growth:
“In 2001 SEIU decided to organize 42,000 homecare workers in Michigan. Six years later we achieved our first contract. There is no way that Michigan could have pulled it off alone. The campaign cost over $10 million and the sweat and toil of hundreds of organizers from every corner of our union. Every person in this room had a hand in our victory in Michigan. Together we have changed thousands of lives in Michigan. You passed on your dreams. Thank you!”
 
He described how, over a year ago, local union healthcare leaders started on a plan to organize every healthcare worker in America and that an issue standing in the way of realizing such a plan was the resources to achieve it.
 
“This resolution is asking us to take some measure of what we have and put it into a national struggle for justice and pass it along. This is what Bob Marley would say – GET UP! STAND UP and pass it on!”
 
An impassioned debate happened on the floor on the resolution. Some snippets:
 
Florida member: “Someone had to one day reach out to help me, to help our local. No one can do it alone. We have to help brothers and sisters all over. If we’re united, we shouldn’t have a problem. I ask you today to stand in support of this resolution. Do it for us and make it happen!”
 
David Rolf, SEIU 775NW: “Over here is a woman named Verdia Daniels in what was SEIU 434B in 1988. It took her over 10 years to get a union and she couldn’t have done that without the resources from the rest of the union helping.” 
 
Dian Palmer, RN, SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin president: "We've done all we've been asked to do—we've set aside our 20%. But even with all that, we're not big enough to do it by ourselves. We need your help—the resources, and the physical help in order to organize. From California to New York and Florida to Minnesota—we're calling on you to stand with us. Take a chance with us and you won't regret it!"
 
A motion to close debate was moved and seconded and the resolution on pooling resources was subsequently adopted.

Debate commenced from mikes across the floor on the Strategic Unity Plan. Here’s an effort to capture the spirit of the debate. SEIU UHW President Sal Rosselli was the first recognized to speak:
“On behalf of UHW West, I want to say that we love this union and are proud to be a part of this union. Four years ago at the convention in San Francisco this union adopted Unity Councils, and the purpose was to accomplish what Brother Regan was talking about. The foundation of those Council bylaws was anchored in per capita voting. Members would have right to elect bargaining committees and determine proposals. Members would have the right to ratify contracts and decide priorities. In last four years, CHW and Tenet formed Unity Councils with multiple local unions in multiple states and we helped win organizing rights and helped bargaining those contracts to bring those standards to other states. We agree with the goals in this resolution but have one significant disagreement. Bargaining councils do away with Unity Councils whose success brought us through negotiations and substitute them with a national bargaining council and appointed by leaders in Washington, DC not elected to make decisions between members and employers, I just ask you to read the fine print in the resolution in Appendix A and B.”
 
Frank Genung, SEIU Healthcare Florida: “I was a member of the Tenet Unity Council and the National Bargaining Council. It’s not strong enough. I support the Strategic Unity Plan. We ended up with two contracts with better language. We have an organizing plan. We need to have better, especially in the South and Southeast where Tenet has a lot of hospitals, we need a national program and national team. I support the resolution.”
 
About two-thirds or more of people in the hall stand up and cheer …
 
John Reeve, SEIU UHW East: “I support the Justice for All platform. An example of combining resources in the eastern region: about 3 years ago we merged our union with 1199EDC in Maryland and DC, and with those combined resources for last the last two and a half years, 2,000 workers united in our union. We took down long-established politicians that did nothing for our union like Al Wynn in Maryland, replacing him with Donna Edwards. If we continue to unify no one will stop us.”
 
More cheers and noisemakers in the hall …
 
Eduardo, SEIU FL Healthcare: “I’m an employee of a newly organized South Florida HCA hospital. It’s made a huge difference in the lives of many South Florida employees. We fought every step of the way. Even now HCA is trying to subcontract. HCA is a huge healthcare company in Florida—38 hospitals. We need to keep the power of this movement growing. We need union density to raise standards so we can negotiate better benefits for all.”
 
Dozens of members in line at the multiple mikes across the hall …
 
Mike Rivera, SEIU UHW West: “I’m proud to be here in homeland of my father. I was on the Tenet national bargaining team. Not an entirely exciting experience for myself and other members. I know it was miserable for Tenet. I’m looking at the Strategic Unity Plan and I do have some problems with it. We’re at highest level of representation as selected by our members. The Strategic Unity Plan in Appendix A and B now relegates members to the lowest level of involvement. We’re committed to growth, but I did not join this union and take this responsibility to be relegated to just a field action plan that someone else determines. I got in this union because when people came and organized they said you must take ownership and dictate what people will do on your behalf.”
 
Daniel, San Antonio, TX: “I’m not yet an SEIU member. I’m excited about this resolution. I’m one of the 350,000 proposed to be organized. I know there’s a place for me and for the other healthcare workers in Texas to join this union. We’re reaching out our hand, relying on this resolution for the growth of SEIU. We want to join this union, we can’t do it alone.”
 
Patricia Rousan, homecare worker, SEIU 880: “By uniting together and being stronger in numbers we have a greater voice to fight for what we need and deserve. We went in our state to our state capitol, we fought hard and we won a new contract which gave us a higher wage. We went from $9.35 to $11.35. We also won $55 million towards health insurance. And we also won paid training which will help us give quality care. In return we can give the quality care everyone needs.”
 
Elsie Herman, SEIU Minnesota: “I work as a nurse for Health Partners, a huge HMO. We have fought hard and won excellent benefits including employer-paid healthcare at no cost to workers. But we must organize more members. Our union must grow or our high excellent hard fought for standards will be at risk.” 

Dave Regan, President of 1199WOK took the stage after being drafted to frame the discussion on the proposals before the delegates on unified employer relations. He framed the basic elements are as follows:
 
For the first time SEIU Healthcare is proposing a numerical goal for uniting more health care workers in our union over the next 4 years – never before done in the history of our union.  We are saying that we want to organize 350,000 more members.
 
1199WOK come to this convention from the experience of having elections for Catholic Healthcare Partners workers disrupted by the California Nurses Association. More than 8,000 CHP workers were unable to vote in their union elections in March after CNA’s union-busting campaign.   They beat employer opposition at CHP, but never anticipated that the CNA, an organization that purports to be a union would interfere the way they did and stop thousands of healthcare workers from having a union.
 
SEIU Healthcare is proposing a new national strategic relationship with employers. Some of the biggest healthcare employers – billionaire private equity investors, were not involved in health care at all 8 or 10 years ago.  Now the question is, what do we need to do in this new environment to accomplish our goals?
 
Regan equated our work together in our union with a bargaining committee and received a big reaction from delegates, "We debate, we talk, we argue, we will figure out a strategy, and then we stay united and carry out the program together.  When we strike, we don't just strike with the dietary workers.  We all go out together."
 
Taking on one of the biggest criticisms in the debate over the Justice for All platform, he said that bringing SEIU nationally to the maximum position of national unity has nothing to do with limiting local member leadership and action. 
 
"It's how you decide to conduct your business. In our local, we have huge bargaining committees, we have long discussions, we vote on every little issue, and then we act together.
 
"We have passed the point where we have the luxury of making decisions and then not act as a team. We have to move beyond a point where 85 or 90 percent of us can agree on something and then 5% can exercise veto power."
 
To lead off the debate on the floor, Regan moved for adoption the portions of the Strategic Unity Plan that calls for uniting 350,000 more health care workers in our union, and the creation of a national hospital bargaining council and a national long term care bargaining council.