"We don’t back down when any of us is under attack. We fight together, win together, and move forward together."

We are living through another defining moment for our Union, patients, and country. And just like generations of 1199ers before us, we are being called to lead.

For more than 90 years, 1199 members have stood at the heart of the fight for justice—organiz- ing workers, transforming jobs, protecting healthcare, and defend- ing our communities. We’ve led civil rights movements, passed landmark healthcare laws, and raised standards across the indus- try. Our strength has always come from our unity, clarity of purpose, and willingness to fight when it matters most. Today, it matters more than ever.

Republican leaders in Wash- ington, DC just passed what I’m calling the “Big Ugly Bill”—a name that still doesn’t fully capture the harm it will cause to working fam- ilies. This bill slashes Medicaid by $1 trillion. It’s the largest cut to health care in U.S. history. Every hospital, nursing home, clinic, pharmacy, and home care agency where 1199 members work will feel the impact.

But health care isn’t the only target. The bill also cuts SNAP and other food assistance pro- grams that millions—including many of our members and their families—depend on to put food on the table. At a time when costs are rising, this bill takes away the basics: care, food, and dignity.

The token giveaways—like a narrow tax break on overtime— are temporary and riddled with loopholes. They’re meant to dis- tract us from the truth: this is a massive transfer of wealth away from our communities and into the pockets of the ultra-rich.

And that’s not all. While gutting essential programs, the bill quadruples federal funding for immigration raids and deten- tion. That means more ICE raids, more fear in our workplaces, and more families torn apart.

In Brooklyn, for example, 1199 member Cassandra McGuire told us staffing is worsening at her nursing home—not because there aren’t enough workers, but because immigrant caregivers, regardless of status, are afraid to show up. The fear of being questioned, detained, or swept up in an ICE raid is real— and it’s creating a crisis in care.

In Massachusetts, 1199 PCA Janice Guzman joined SEIU’s Jus- tice Journey to Louisiana and saw the horrific conditions in ICE de- tention centers—where people are packed into cages, being denied medical care, and in some cases, dying from neglect.
When our co-workers are tar- geted, when fear replaces safety on the job, when patients go without care, and families without food, it weakens all of us. 1199 has always stood for the dignity and human- ity of every worker. Our fight must include standing with immigrant members and defending the pro- grams our communities rely on.

We don’t back down when any of us is under attack. We fight together, win together, and move forward together.
That’s why Secretary-Trea- surer Veronica Turner-Biggs and I have launched a unionwide Lis- tening Tour—visiting worksites, talking with delegates, and meet- ing members across all five states. We want to hear your ideas, your concerns, and your priorities. And we want to build a real plan of action—together—that puts mem- bers at the center.

Because our power doesn’t come from the top, it comes from each of us doing our part.

That includes taking political action. If you haven’t yet contrib- uted to 1199’s Political Action Fund, I’m asking you to step up— or increase your contribution if you already give. These cuts didn’t happen by accident—they’re the result of elections where the wrong people got into power. The only way we stop these attacks, take back the House, and win for working families is by organizing politically with the same unity we bring to our contract fights.

Here’s the truth: the only way we change the direction of this country is by organizing at full strength.
That means building power at the ballot box and in the streets. And that starts with each of us.

Sign up today to contribute to 1199’s Political Action Fund—or in- crease your contribution. Whether
$5, $10, or more each month, your support fuels the movement to defend Medicaid, protect SNAP, safeguard our jobs, and elect leaders who fight for working people.

When we show up together, armed with our stories, our strategy, and our solidarity—there’s nothing we can’t do.