The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) was behind the 2023 California Senate bill that hiked wages for healthcare workers to $25 an hour. Just before implementation on June 1, Governor Newsom delayed the wage hike, citing concerns about the state’s fiscal readiness.
The unprecedented jump to $25 an hour is extreme—even by West Coast standards. But it underscores the aggressive advocacy of SEIU-UHW—a union notorious not only for its knee-jerk policy pursuits but also for its troubled internal dynamics.
Today, the union is known for leadership that is rife with controversy and fosters an allegedly unhealthy work environment. Perhaps the most concerning scandal involves several union officials who have been accused of sexual misconduct, including president Dave Regan.
In a lawsuit filed against SEIU-UHW, a former employee alleged that Regan engaged in sexual misconduct, alleging that he would only promote women who engaged in sexual relationships with him.
In legal documents, one employee said she was told if she wanted to get ahead at UHW, she should “hang out and drink with UHW President Dave Regan and the upper management around him.” She detailed several additional instances where she believed Regan made inappropriate sexual comments or gestures.
This behavior apparently wasn’t exclusive to Regan. The same lawsuit alleged that Regan “tolerated a frat boy culture where sexual misconduct ran rampant.” It also suggested he allowed many other high-ranking leaders at the union to maintain an environment of sexual harassment and intimidation.
Stan Lyles, a top lieutenant of Regan’s, was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple employees. One employee accused Lyles of sending sexually explicit pictures and making sexually suggestive comments and gestures toward her. Chokri Bensaid, the head of SEIU-UHW Hospital Division, was also accused of sexually harassing women under his command.
The SEIU denied the allegations and settled the lawsuit, even allowing Regan to use union funds to defend himself in the process. All accused leaders still hold positions of power in the union. Lyles even leads SEIU protests peddling harmful policies like the $25 minimum wage.
Staff who attempted to shed light on the misconduct in the union were shut down. Two former SEIU employees who spoke out about harassment claimed they were retaliated against. Njoki Woods said she was fired after making statements and was subsequently sued by SEIU-UHW for defamation. Another employee, Mindy Sturge, claimed she received threatening calls and text messages after filing her lawsuit against the union for sexual harassment.
Sturge also claimed that she notified the international union about the sexual misconduct saying “prior complaints about some of the men who created this hostile environment have gone nowhere.” She sent a letter to then-SEIU President Mary Kay Henry asking her to come to California to witness the misconduct herself.
Henry ignored the request. Instead, Nicole Berner, SEIU’s General Counsel at the time, advised Sturge to let SEIU-UHW – the same union Sturge was suing – investigate the issue.
The union’s reputation as a poor employer is further evidenced by dozens of reviews from current and former employees criticizing the SEIU. Employees describe a “lack of accountability,” a toxic office culture, and even accuse the SEIU of being anti-union. If the reviews are to be believed, it’s no wonder a culture of sexual harassment was able to thrive.
Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. These scandals and negative reviews suggest the SEIU-UHW’s house is up in flames. Short of a complete overhaul of union leadership, it doesn’t look like things will get better for union employees any time soon. Politicians who adopt the union’s harmful proposals and union members should take stock of SEIU-UHW’s troubling history.
Charlyce Bozzello is the communications director at the Center for Union Facts.
