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Statement by SEIU International President Andy Stern Regarding CNA Temporary Restraining Order

WASHINGTON, Apr. 17 /PRNewswire/ --

WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Nurses Association's (CNA) insistence on presenting misleading and inaccurate stories about the members and staff of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) reached new levels this week.

Not only has the CNA failed to admit photos it claimed as evidence of "violence by protesters" at the Labor Notes Conference in Dearborn, MI were actually images of SEIU staff and members injured by conference security -- the union's claims of "stalking of, use of violence against, and harassment of officers, directors, and staff of the California Nurses Association" also stray far from reality.

As SEIU has yet to receive a court order of any kind, we cannot comment on the details of the temporary restraining order filed by the CNA today.

What SEIU can confirm is we have not been notified of a hearing and under no circumstances have SEIU members or staff harassed CNA members or leadership. Nurses and hospital workers from Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) have bravely led a national effort to engage CNA leadership in a dialogue about their vicious "vote no" campaign in Ohio and are committed to continue these efforts.

It's shameful that the CNA is continuing to spread misinformation and distorting reality to divert focus from the real issues -- the anti-union tactics that sabotaged the opportunity for more than 8,000 nurses and other hospital workers in Ohio to freely choose whether to form a union with SEIU and are continuing to stand in the way of workers around the country uniting to improve patient care, workplace standards, and the lives of hardworking families.