By Jennifer Robison Las Vegas Review-Journal June 26, 2008
The Service Employees International Union's Local 1107 was scheduled to change its leadership following a board meeting Wednesday night.
The chapter's executive director, Jane McAlevey, and its president, Vicky Hedderman, were set to "agree to step aside in order to give union members the opportunity to have new leadership and unity moving forward," said spokeswoman Hilary Haycock.
The move comes amid turmoil within the SEIU.
The union faces competition from the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, whose executives say SEIU inaction on nurse-to-patient ratios has left nurses inside local hospitals hungry for new representation. The CNA in May fell three votes short of winning representation of 1,100 nurses inside the local St. Rose Dominican system, and the two sides have fought the matter before the National Labor Relations Board.
Plus, the U.S. Department of Labor has looked into allegations that the SEIU illegally used employer money to produce campaign materials for candidates in its September election.
McAlevey recently joined the SEIU's international executive board, and she'll "continue to be a strong and important national leader" within the group, Haycock said.
"This really is an opportunity to give members a chance to refocus on continuing all of the really amazing gains of the last six to seven years under Jane's leadership," Haycock said. "Members look forward to continuing with ongoing contract negotiations and preparing for the November elections."
Shauna Hamel, the local chapter's executive vice president, will take over as president. The chapter had yet to name an interim executive director by press time.
SEIU executives were meeting as of press time Wednesday and didn't comment further.
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