[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Raeo18a-0BQ[/youtube]

It was no contest.  The NUHW trounced the SEIU, 283 to 13.  That’s patently embarrassing.  The real competition ended up being between those who wanted the NUHW and those who wanted no union at all.  263 ballots were cast for no union at all, and with 17 votes challenges, as of late Friday evening, no final results had been announced, according to the LA Times.  It appears, however, that the contested votes will not alter the outcome.

While it comes as a major upset to the SEIU to lose sooo badly–I mean, I am sorry, but 13 votes is pathetic–it should come as no surprise.  When you run a campaign like the SEIU did, it shouldn’t surprise you when workers hand you a result you deserve.

See several NUHW supporters reenact their reaction, courtesy of the Empire Report:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41a_Y-oA5ow[/youtube]

What is surprising is how many workers soured on the entire notion of a union–at last count 263.  Very nearly half of all Santa Rosa workers decided that unions, no matter their stripe, had no place at the hospital. But at the end of the day, it seems NUHW has won the day