As the COVID-19 crisis engulfed New York City, the relentless whine of sirens drowned out the lockdown induced silence on the city’s streets. New Yorkers faced staggering death tolls and renewed pressure on long existing disparities Read More

Even before New York City became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system was the busiest in the nation. But as the virus took hold on New York City, the system was quickly overwhelmed. What was an ember in early March raged into a wildfire just two weeks later. The number of emergency calls rose from about 4,000 a day to 7,000. The usual monthly toll of cardiac arrests was being reached in less than a week. Read More

Dental Assistants from Union Community Health Center (UCHC) in the Bronx, which is affiliated with nearby St. Barnabas Hospital (SBH) rallied May 26 to celebrate their reinstatement and press St. Barnabas for crisis pay. The UCHC dental assistants were sent to St. Barnabas when their clinic closed in the surge of the COVID-19 crisis. Instead of being assigned work for which they were appropriately trained, they were given tasks far beyond their scope of work, including working with psychiatric patients and moving dead bodies. When they complained, Read More

At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak John Gordan, a pharmacy tech at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital wanted to do something to help his community. As a tenant’s rights activist and candidate for local office, he knew that North Country New Yorkers would be hit hard by the pandemic physically, psychologically, and economically. So Gordan and a friend set up a mutual aid Facebook group, “North Country Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” Read More

As Florida’s COVID-19 crisis escalated, Registered Nurses represented by 1199SEIU at institutions operated by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) rejected COVID-19 protocols handed down by their employer because they weakened protections and increased the vulnerability of caregivers at HCA facilities around the state. Read More

This is a surreal moment. I know I don’t have to tell you as caregivers about the ways COVID-19 has inflicted tragedy on our lives. This virus is an invisible enemy, inflicting visible pain on so many, but we are continuing to fight to save the lives that have been entrusted to us for care. Read More

I am so proud of you and have so much admiration for your hard work, your commitment to our patients, and your courage in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. I hope you are just as proud of yourselves Read More

What seems like a million years ago, we were scrambling at the onset of a pandemic, fighting to save lives. Nurses, paramedics, homecare workers, CNAs, dietary workers, and so many more— every one of us was in a war, and we could barely hear our own exhausted thoughts. Read More

1199SEIU believes that every worker is entitled to respect and dignity on and off the job. Practices and policies that discriminate against any worker because of race, religion, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or disability are unacceptable. Our Union believes that every institution has a responsibility to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, where workers feel valued for their skill, professionalism, and contributions to the work of patient care. Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey about your experiences. Your response will make meaningful change at Northwell Health. Read More

As of July 1, 2020, District of Columbia workers now have paid parental, family, and medical leave. Read More

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A total of 52 Florida hospitals had no available intensive care unit beds on Friday – including six facilities in Hillsborough County – as coronavirus cases rise throughout the state. Read More

WHAT: Since March, 1199SEIU healthcare workers have been doing everything they can to keep patients, communities and themselves safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, while facing enormous pressure every day. They have been without consistent access to vital, appropriate, and fitting personal protective equipment (PPE), often haven’t had the information needed to do their jobs, and received mixed messages from management. They have risked their health, and some have risked their lives. Read More

Pledge to Vote for Vice President Joe Biden, let’s build an America for All in 2020! Read More

New York, NY - 1199SEIU President George Gresham today released the following statement regarding the release of the New York State Department of Health’s report on COVID-19 infections and fatalities in nursing homes: Read More

New York, NY – 1199SEIU members gathered for a candlelight vigil at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx yesterday — while some members who work in the hospital’s main campus and satellite facilities have received crisis pay during the ongoing pandemic — others who work in non-clinical departments in three offsite locations have not. The union believes all members who worked during the pandemic are entitled to crisis pay. Read More

WHAT: Frontline nursing home workers at Diamond Hill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, will hold a silent and solemn vigil, expressing their grief and concern. According to a recent article by ProPublica, “By June, eighteen of Diamond Hill’s residents had died from the virus and 58 had been infected. At least 50 of the facility’s more than 100 workers had also been sickened with COVID-19.” Read More

White folks need to understand that racism is our problem. Read More

All it took to awaken our nation to the racism that has been the bedrock of law enforcement since slavery was a once-in-a-century pandemic and a video of the extrajudicial execution of a civilian in broad daylight. Read More

Health care workers across the Hudson Valley held silent vigils outside hospitals across the region Thursday in memory of George Floyd and others who died as a result of police brutality. Read More

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) workers in Ocean Breeze on Thursday took a knee inside the entrance of the Regina M. McGinn Education Center for one minute in solidarity with national protests calling for law enforcement accountability and an end to racial injustice. Read More