For many members, the value of worker solidarity was imprinted at an early age. For these 1199ers, belonging to a union seems like the most natural thing in the world. Their parents and grandparents learned about collective bargaining the hard way, by fighting for their rights. But another group of mem- bers comes to the struggle fresh and is learning about it from their own experiences.

Justin Eberlin, an 1199 Surgical Technician at Guthrie Corning Hospital, is one of those members who had to be convinced for him- self. When fellow 1199ers at what was then Corning Hospital went on strike in 2003, Eberlin was just 21 years old. He had recently taken on a mortgage and wanted to make sure he had enough money coming in to make the payments. So, he crossed the picket line.

“It is not a proud moment. It was not until afterwards that I truly understood the brother and sisterhood of a union and the power of collective action,” said Eberlin. When everyone returned to work following the strike, he added: “I felt the same level of disrespect from management [as everyone else] – as though my loyalty [to them] counted for nothing.”

Two decades later, Eberlin has a very different view of unions. He has stepped up to be a Union Delegate and is also moving up the ranks in local government. He re- cently won the Republican primary for County Legislator in Steuben County. Living and working in a rural part of Upstate New York, near the Pennsylvania border, most of Eberlin’s neighbors are registered Republicans. “In these parts in New York, all the Repub- licans are MAGA. If you’re not MAGA, you not even considered to be a Republican,” says Eberlin, “But to me, part of being an adult is that you have to be able to see both sides.”

Eberlin does not identify with the MAGA movement. “I consider myself to be a Republican mainly because of demographics,” he says, “I grew up hunting and fishing alongside outdoorsy, roughneck type of people who value their rights under the Second Amend- ment. [This amendment to the US Constitution mentions the right to bear arms.] The need for small government also stands out to me. I don’t think the government should be involved in every aspect of our lives.”

Eberlin met his wife in high school and has been married for 22 years. They have three chil- dren aged 15-19. In his spare time from his Surgical Technician job, he runs a small family farm that produces chicken, eggs, and pork. The primary market for his farmed merchandise is his fellow hospital workers.

Eberlin voted for former President Obama in the past. But in 2024, “the Democrats weren’t looking to grab Upstate New York males. It didn’t feel like they were speaking to me.” Eberlin voted for President Trump last year but has growing concerns about the party’s direction.

“At our hospital, our community is classified as underserved and many patients rely on Medicaid for their health insurance,” he said. “The nearest hospital is about a 45-minute drive to northern Pennsylvania.

“When I say I believe in small government, I don’t mean we should cut away programs like Medicaid that are continuously helping people,” added Eberlin. He believes that society should care for the elderly, disabled, veterans, and children in need.

The tax and spending bill passed by the Republican-dominated US Congress in July made “the opposite of sense to me,” said Eberlin. This bill will potentially hurt the people who have the most to lose. Looking at the Steuben County budget, which he will have a part in managing if elected County Legisla- tor in November, Eberlin recogniz- es that they may have to consider property tax increases to pay for some of the funding gaps left by the federal cuts. “If they cut federal taxes and we have to pay more prop- erty taxes,” added Eberlin, “What is the point?”

In March, Eberlin traveled to Washington, DC, with fellow 1199ers to lobby Congressman Nicholas Langworthy, and other Republicans, urging them not to vote for Medicaid cuts.

“It was amazing for me, being a government nerd, and seeing how things actually happened. While walking from building to building, there were in-depth, important conversations in the hallways. You know, you have seen that stuff in movies, but to see it firsthand was eye-opening,” said Eberlin.

Congressman Langworthy “skipped out on us” and left his aide to take the meeting with the visiting 1199 constituents.

“I wrote him a letter at the be- ginning of March raising concerns about the potential job losses in the district that were likely to follow significant cuts to federal Medicaid funding,” says Eberlin. He never received a response.

“I found that really disappoint- ing. I’m just a local elected official. But I make time to listen to every- one. I make my phone number available; I may not answer every call, but I return the calls of every person who leaves a message,” he added.

As an elected official himself, Eberlin also believes it is essential to represent everyone, not simply those with similar life experiences. He spoke about learning a dif- ferent perspective from a visiting nurse from Ghana. She heard me complaining about working overtime and said, ‘Let me get this straight. You’re complaining about making more money. Where I come from, people are starving and wish they could work more and make money.’

“I now have a new mindset about overtime. I thank the doctor I’m working for and think about my retirement fund.”

Eberlin says the only way to heal the divisions in this country is for everyone to start making the effort to listen to and understand others who might not necessarily share the same traditions, beliefs, or traits.

“We need to educate ourselves from multiple sources and be more open-minded,” says Eberlin, “May- be some of those MAGA people should quit watching Fox News all the time and tune into NPR once in a while.”