The SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU UHW) is a statewide local union

Local union

A local union, often shortened to local, in North America, or a union branch in the United Kingdom and other countries is a locally-based trade union organization which forms part of a larger, usually national, union.Local branches are organized to represent the union's members from a particular...

 of the Service Employees International Union

Service Employees International Union

Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...

 in California in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It has a membership of 150,000.

UHW was created by the merger of two SEIU local unions: Local 250 in Northern California and Local 399 in Southern California. The larger of those two locals, Local 250, began when workers at San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco General Hospital is the main public hospital in San Francisco, California, and the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County...

, who were inspired by the 1934 general strike in San Francisco

1934 West Coast Longshore Strike

The 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike lasted eighty-three days, triggered by sailors and a four-day general strike in San Francisco, and led to the unionization of all of the West Coast ports of the United States...

, organized a union at their hospital in 1934.

UHW is headquartered in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 and has offices statewide. UHW is an industrial union representing all classifications of health care workers in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, home health agencies as well as homecare workers. UHW is one of the fastest growing unions in the nation and is very diverse, with its members speaking more than 50 languages.

History

On June 23, 2010 SEIU-UHW members at Kaiser Permanente ratified a contract covering 46,000 California workers guaranteeing a 3% annual wage increases. Other recent victories of the union include winning a six-week strike against Sutter Health in San Francisco; the conclusion of successful negotiations with Catholic Healthcare West

Catholic Healthcare West

Catholic Healthcare West is a California-based not-for-profit public benefit corporation that operates hospitals in California, Arizona, and Nevada. As such, it is exempt from federal and state income taxes...

; organizing victories at O'Connor Woods Retirement Community in Stockton, California

Stockton, California

Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...

, St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

; and of IT workers at Kaiser; and a statewide contract victory with HCA

Hospital Corporation of America

Hospital Corporation of America is the largest private operator of health care facilities in the world, It is based in Nashville, Tennessee and is widely considered to be the single largest factor in making that city a hotspot for healthcare enterprise.-History:The founders of HCA include Jack C....

, the nation's largest hospital company. Most of the union's current organizing work is being carried out in Southern California.