[8][6] Most commentators other than SEIU-UHW itself, including Democrats, progressive groups, hospital groups, and other labor unions, believe that these ballot propositions are a negotiation tactic in SEIU-UHW's effort to cause dialysis clinics to unionize, by leveraging the threat of continued costly ballot fights (or regulation) if they do not—rather than an earnest attempt to improve patient safety.

On January 27, 2009, SEIU placed UHW West under trusteeship and dismissed 70 of the local's executives, including president Sal Rosselli.

[14][15] Rosselli and other ousted leaders reformed under the National Union of Healthcare Workers and pushed for UHW West members at 60 facilities to vote to decertify SEIU.

[17] On June 23, 2010 SEIU-UHW members at Kaiser Permanente ratified a contract covering 46,000 California workers guaranteeing a 3% annual wage increases.

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; organizing victories at O'Connor Woods Retirement Community in Stockton, California (later decertified two years later which was a stunning defeat for SEIU-UHW), St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside, California, and of IT workers at Kaiser; and a statewide contract victory with HCA, the nation's largest hospital company.

On March 26, 2020, amid concerns about a shortage of protective equipment for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic, SEIU-UHW announced it had secured a stockpile of 39 million N95 masks, for purchase by various hospital systems and government agencies.

[19]) Hospitals that did not place orders became the target of SEIU petitions accusing them of "putting bottom line profits over [healthcare workers' and patients'] safety.