“I’ve always been interested in science and helping people,” says Yvette Vasquez, “so naturally where the two combined is the medical
field,” she says. But finding her current position as an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA), came with detours. “I’m a germaphobe, and I
don’t like needles, so I couldn’t be a nurse. Then I did a year of social work in college, but I realized I’m way too emotional for that—I couldn’t adopt everyone.” Vasquez landed on becoming an OTA because “I had an occupational therapist after a surgery I had as a child.” She wanted to be able to give back the same level of quality care she received at the time. Read More
When Kora Yaineneh, an 1199SEIU RN first arrived in the U.S. from her native Gambia in 1990, she spent a few weeks at 333 East 181st Street, in the home of Abdoulie Touray. In keeping with Gambian tradition, Yaineneh did not join her husband who had already found a job and a home in New York, until she had spent time in Touray’s house becoming oriented. Read More
When 1199 learned of the terrible blaze that claimed the lives of 17 people when it ripped through a Bronx apartment building, the Union feared the worst. Read More
“President Biden should be commended for elevating the need for improved nursing home care and better protections for seniors and their caregivers in his State of the Union address. Thousands of our 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East members who serve in nursing facilities across Florida have been calling for similar reforms for years. Read More
Home care workers have always been essential— they provide the necessary care that allows seniors and
people with disabilities to live independently—and with dignity in their own homes. During the pandemic, 1199SEIU
home care members have been stretched to their limits more than ever before. Read More
Members at ten New Jersey nursing homes just won a contract settlement with Complete Care Management, a significant victory in what
had been a major campaign throughout 2021 against the state’s largest nursing home operator. Read More
The professional unit at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers, NY, voted to join 1199SEIU in a near unanimous poll on January 18, bringing 60 new members into the Union family. The new titles included Medical Technologists, Pharmacists, Case Managers and Social Workers. Read More
On January 17, hundreds of 1199SEIU members at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, held their 41st annual event to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Because of the surge in Omicron cases, the show took place over Zoom. Read More
Claudette Colvin, a now retired 1199SEIU member, who courageously defied the segregated bus laws in Alabama during the Jim Crow era, has finally been cleared of wrongdoing some 65 years later. Read More
As proud 1199SEIU members, we all know coming together to bargain collectively gives us the best chance of negotiating strong contracts for ourselves – including the pay and benefits we deserve. Read More
St. Louis, MO – This month, unionized healthcare workers at one of the largest Catholic Health systems in the United States voted unanimously to authorize a one-day strike. Ascension Living at Our Lady of Peace caregivers in Lewiston, NY are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and have been working without a contract since December 31, 2021 when their 16-month contract expired. Read More
For months now, President Biden has been facing negative headlines, calling him out for failing to enact his ground-breaking legislative agenda. But with Democrat Chuck Schumer leading the Senate majority, why are the progressive bills getting stuck there? What gives? Read More
“The caregivers of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East in Florida are very pleased and proud for Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Joe Biden. Judge Jackson is a splendid choice with impeccable qualifications and credentials to join the highest court in the land. This is a win for working people, and her impressive legal background, stellar record and reputation for fairness will make her a strong asset to the Court weighing many critical issues of the day. Read More
BUFFALO, NY — Faith leaders, home care workers, Senator Tim Kennedy and home care workers and advocates will gather on Wednesday to urge state lawmakers to provide fair wages for home care workers. The press conference comes as New York currently faces the worst home care shortage in the nation, and low wages are the single largest driving factor. Read More
ROCHESTER, NY — Assemblymember Sarah Clark will tomorrow join home care advocates and Rochester resident Flip Polizzi Rivera to call for an end to New York’s worst home care shortage in the nation. Polizzi, who currently resides in a nursing home, cannot move into the house he purchased for himself because he cannot find home care workers due to the shortage. Press conference attendees will
include Rochester home care consumers, workers, and advocates calling for an end to the home care shortage by passing the Fair Pay for Home Care Act. Research has shown low wages are the single largest driving factor creating the shortage. Read More
Healthcare workers (members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East,) elected officials and concerned citizens say that Westchester Medical Center must step up and provide the care and services that the residents of Kingston and surrounding communities need. Read More
Lewiston, NY – Dozens of workers marched and chanted “Fair Contract Now” in front of Ascension Living at Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston yesterday. More than 150 Nursing home workers at Our Lady of Peace have been working without a union contract since December 31, 2021 when their 16- month contract expired. Caregivers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have been negotiating with Ascension Living since early November last year. Yesterday, workers wanted to inform the public of their staffing crisis and unit closures brought on by a lack of competitive wages. Read More
Local Caregivers Say Ascension Living Closed Three Units and Threatens Lay-Offs Amid Staffing Crisis Exacerbated By Low Wages Read More
“It’s outrageous that legislators in Tallahassee are allowing the nursing home industry to make Florida unsafe for seniors with advancing bills such as HB 1239 and SB 804 that make more drastic and dangerous cuts to minimum care standards. Read More
