Urging management to respect their collective bargaining agreement and the work they do, more than 350 1199SEIU members at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, with more than 50 community supporters, gathered outside the perimeters of the hospital on Wednesday, September 18, for an informational picket.

Kim Lyons, a life-long Poughkeepsie resident and a secretary on the Nephrology Care Unit said, “There have been countless times where family, friends, and neighbors have come to VBMC for one reason or another. Hearing them say to me, thank you for the great care makes me proud to say I work here. Without the work we do, there could be no Vassar Brothers Medical Center. We are the first people you see when you come into the hospital and the last people you see when you leave, whether you are a patient or a visitor. And that in a nutshell is why the administration needs to pay attention, respect our work and our contract.”

The 1199SEIU healthcare workers say that management is arbitrarily violating their contract and attempting to manipulate policies and procedures that have already been agreed upon. The contract was negotiated, and signed by both labor and management to not only protect the workers, but also, to help improve quality patient care.

Lyons said, “When management violates a contract, they are not only breaking the law, but they are also putting patient care at risk. Take safe staffing procedures for instance. Not having proper staff breaks down workers--mentally, physically, and emotionally---and this affects patient care.

Jeanette Jackson, a Special Procedures Tech said, “All 1199SEIU members understand that times are changing in the healthcare industry, but we strongly believe that there is no excuse for patient care to suffer during this time. In fact, the expectation is that change will mean improvement. 1199SEIU members believe that management must work together with us, the folks who have the most interaction with the patients, to find ways to provide the best care possible for our community, while the industry is in flux.

The 1199SEIU bargaining unit consists of technicians and technologists, dietary and environmental services workers, patient care technicians, therapy aides, unit secretaries, mechanics and more.