FRONTLINES

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

LOS ANGELES • 2025

September 26-28, 2025
Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport

Join us for the

2025 FRONTLINES Leadership Conference

This is more than a conference. It’s a gathering of frontline healthcare workers who are shaping the future of our profession through courageous leadership. Whether you’re a longtime NUHW steward or new to the movement, Frontlines is your place to connect, recharge, and rise up.

In a healthcare system driven by corporate profit, our solidarity is our strength. This confernence is where we sharpen our tools, deepen our commitment, bond with our fellow stewards, and stand united in our fight for dignity, equity, and justice in the workplace and beyond.

WHAT TO EXPECT

It's an opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with your fellow NUHW stewards.

State of Our Union

Get the big-picture update on our union’s progress, victories, challenges, and long-term goals from NUHW President Sophia Mendoza and Secretary-Treasurer Vanessa Coe.

general assembly

Hundreds of stewards from throughout California and Hawai’i gather to discuss the challenges that lay ahead and chart our union’s course for the coming year.

workshops

Develop and sharpen your leadership and advocacy skills by choosing from an array of organizer- and steward-led training sessions.

candidate forum

California 2026 gubernatorial candidates will face off in a 90-minute live-streamed forum after which NUHW stewards will vote our union’s endorsement.

Our Agenda

Friday

Executive Board meeting – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Lunch (Jetway Patio) – 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

CE classes (Santa Monica Beach, Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach) – 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Reception and program (Jetway & Jetway Patio) – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday

Breakfast (Jetway Patio) – 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

State of the Union (Regency Ballroom) – 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Panel Discussion (Regency Ballroom) – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Meeting The Moment: From Resistance to Resurgence

Lunch (Jetway Patio) – 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Workshop session 1 – 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Afternoon break – 2:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Workshop session 2 – 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cocktail hour (Regency Foyer 1) – 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Dinner/music/dancing (Regency Ballroom) – 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Unless otherwise indicated, workshops are offered during both sessions. 

*Spanish Interpretation will be available/habrá interpretación disponible in session 1 for Dealing with Discipline and Sanctuary for All, and in session 2 for Grievance Handling and Together We Win.

Interpreting Your Contract
How do you ensure a contract says what it means? In this course, you will explore how contract disputes arise, learn how to define and explain common contract terms, and practice analyzing and interpreting contract language. [Core 2]


Grievance Handling/Manejo de Quejas*
Learn what is involved in writing and filing grievances, how to construct winning arguments, and how to lead effective grievance meetings with management. Aprende lo que se necesita para redactar y presentar quejas, cómo escribir argumentos convincentes y cómo dirigir reuniones de quejas efectivas con la gerencia. [Core 1]


Dealing with Discipline/Manejo de la Disciplina*
You’ve heard of Weingarten Rights and the Seven Tests of Just Cause, but do you know how to apply them in your workplace? Learn about these legal rights of union members, and how to apply them in cases of discipline. Has escuchado de los Derechos Weingarten y las Siete Pruebas de Causa Junta, pero ¿sabes cómo aplicarlos en tu lugar de trabajo? Aprende sobre estos derechos legales para miembros de sindicatos, y cómo aplicarlos en casos de disciplina. [Huntington Beach]


Bargaining 101
Get introduced to key aspects of bargaining a union contract, including how to prepare for a contract campaign, bargaining team roles/responsibilities, phases of a contract campaign, common bargaining terms, and an intro to drafting proposals. [City View 1]


Mobilizing Apathetic Coworkers
“Mobilizing Apathetic Coworkers” equips stewards with the skills to engage hesitant or disengaged colleagues in meaningful organizing conversations. The course focuses on how to listen actively and identify meaningful issues, build trust, and move people through their fears and into action. Participants will leave with tools to transform apathy into empowerment and strengthen workplace solidarity. [Core 3]


Digging for Dirt: Researching the Boss
This workshop will cover the role of research in corporate accountability campaigns. We will share tools to research employers, discuss the kind of information you can find, and most importantly, understand how we can use information to move campaigns forward and win. Bring a laptop or mobile device if you can! [Santa Monica Beach]


Behavioral Healthcare Organizing
This workshop explores emerging trends in behavioral healthcare, focusing on the rise of app-based mental health services, ongoing challenges with billing and reimbursement, and the systemic impact on providers. Examine how these shifts affect clinical practice, equity, and patient access, and learn how clinicians are advocating for sustainable care and professional protections. [Venice Beach]


The New Normal: The Healthcare Industry Today and its Impact on Caregivers
This workshop examines how current healthcare conditions — such as public health layoffs, funding cuts, and a weakened CDC — are affecting frontline workers and patients. Participants will explore strategies for organizing under anti-labor administrations and navigating systemic challenges in the industry. [City View 3]


Sanctuary for All: Know Your Rights for Healthcare Workers/Santuario para Todos Conoce tus Derechos Como Trabajador de la Salud*
As healthcare workers in California, we have a duty to provide safe, non-discriminatory care to all patients, regardless of their immigration status. Learn the basics for helping immigrants understand their legal rights when interacting with immigration authorities. Como trabajadores de la salud en California, tenemos el deber de proveer una atención segura y no discriminatoria a todos los pacientes, sin importar su estatus migratorio. Aprende las bases de cómo ayudar a los inmigrantes a que aprendan sus derechos derechos al interactuar con autoridades migratorias.[Manhattan Beach]


Faith, Spirituality, and the Labor Movements
Panelists from diverse faith traditions and labor backgrounds will share stories, struggles, and insights on how belief systems have inspired collective action and resilience. Participants will engage in a guided workshop to reflect, build community, and explore practical ways to connect faith and spirituality to the fight for workers’ rights. [City View 4]

1:15 to 2:45 p.m.


Building the Union on the Picket Line: Lessons from the Kaiser strike (Panel)
Learn how Kaiser mental health clinicians in Southern California got organized, moved through their fears and doubts, and ultimately used their open-ended strike as a platform to build solidarity, identify and support new leaders, and creatively engage patients and community to win their contract. [Jetway]

Session 1 ONLY: 3:15 to 4:45 p.m.


Together We Win: Inclusive Union Campaigns/ Juntos Ganamos Campañas SIndicales Inclusivas*

Learn strategies for fostering inclusivity and solidarity in your union, including how to build diverse, representative leadership structures, how to run bilingual campaigns, and win gender-inclusive contract language. Aprende estrategias para fomentar la inclusividad y solidaridad en tu sindicato, incluyendo cómo desarrollar estructuras de liderazgo diversas y representantivas, cómo liderar campañas bilingües, y cómo ganar lenguaje contractual inclusive en cuanto a géneros. [City View 1]

Session 2 ONLY

Sunday

Breakfast (Jetway Patio) – 7:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

Plenary and Governor Candidate Forum (Regency Ballroom) – 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Box lunches served (Regency Foyer) – 11:30 a.m.

Breakout sessions – 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Mental Health (The Core)
Sutter (Santa Monica Beach)
Providence (Venice Beach)
USC (Manhattan Beach)

2024 HIGHLIGHTS

FRONTLINES

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

LOS ANGELES • 2025

September 26-28, 2025
Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport