UNAC
/UHCP Executive Director Bill Rouse has announced he will retire on September 1, 2019.
Over the past 20 years, Bill Rouse has been an indispensable part of our union, serving at various times as staff rep, researcher, chief negotiator, economist, organizing director, communications director, and executive assistant to the officers. There’s not a contract that he didn’t negotiate at least once with the exception of our newest Maui chapter.
One of UNAC/UHCP’s founders, Kathy Sackman, RN, recruited Bill after his work with UNAC/UHCP on Kaiser and Sharp negotiations in the late 1990s. Prior to UNAC/UHCP, Bill worked for AFSCME, after stints at the U.S. Department of Labor and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
Bill served for six years in the U.S. Navy, as an Electronics Technician, where he maintained computer navigation equipment. UNAC/UHCP has been fortunate to have him help our union navigate its course for two decades.
Starting March 1, UNAC/UHCP will begin a transition of the Executive Director role to Joe Guzynski. Joe’s labor journey began in Flint, Michigan, where he worked in a district library and served as his local union member representative (AFSCME Local 496). He moved to AFSCME Council 25 in 2001, where he was the chief negotiator and handled all manner of union work for six years, from grievances to organizing and member education. In 2008, Joe started as a staff representative in AFSCME Council 40 in Wisconsin and later became the associate director. From there, Joe joined our parent union, AFSCME, first as an area field service director for five Midwestern states, and then the assistant organizing and field service director for the United States in AFSCME’s Washington, D.C. office. For the past three years, Joe has served as the western regional director in the Los Angeles office, responsible for 13 Western states.
“The UNAC/UHCP officers believe that because Bill Rouse contributed 20 years to the culture of the organization, it was important to select a candidate who would lead and direct our work in the same manner. Joe is a perfect fit for UNAC/UHCP and he will continue to steer our union in the right direction,” said Denise Duncan, RN.