On Thursday September 1, a day before the start of Labor Day weekend, 1199SEIU members and community leaders rallied at the 7th Street Park in Hudson and asked: “Will Columbia Memorial Hospital have enough staff to meet the community’s healthcare needs throughout the holiday?”
More than 1,000 members at the hospitals owned by Nuvance Health signed a letter to the Nuvance Board of Directors at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie and Putnam Hospital in Carmel, NY—calling on them to tackle short staffing. They sent the letter three different times, but unfortunately, when
August came around, there was still no response.
Member Political Organizer (MPO) Kenzi Stewart recently experienced an up-close look at the very worst of Hurricane Ian that decimated Southwest Florida. Ian tragically killed more than 100 Floridians and left many more desperate and displaced when their homes were destroyed. Stewart evacuated her Fort Myers home to ride out the storm with family in Port Charlotte, both areas hit hard by historic water and wind. At her worksite, Fawcett Memorial Hospital, a large portion of the building’s roof above the ICU was torn off by Ian’s Category 4 winds.
Marching under the banner “Workers Leading, Workers Rising”—roughly 1,000 members and officers surged onto 5th Avenue to show solidarity with emerging unions at the Labor Day Parade in New York City on September 10th.
The mainstream media has downplayed one of the biggest stories of the year. I’m referring to the tens of thousands of workers organizing themselves into new
unions. I’d say they “somehow” missed the significance of the story—but, of course, the media is owned and run by billionaires; workers forming unions is about
the last thing they want their viewers and readers to learn about.
If ever there were a time to stand up for our families and our communities, this is it. It is less than two years since we went all out to help secure victory for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – at the height of the pandemic.
Niagara Falls, NY - Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and 1199SEIU Healthcare Workers have once again collaboratively approved a three-year agreement covering more than 680 union healthcare workers, roughly 70% of the medical center’s workforce.
Member Political Organizer (MPO) Jacquelyn “Jackie” Wheeler says the best way to protect our right to vote is to…vote.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have reached a tentative agreement with Kaleida Health for a new 3-year collective bargaining agreement that will cover more than 6,300 union healthcare workers at Buffalo General Medical Center, Oishei Children’s Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, HighPointe on Michigan, DeGraff Medical Park, and various community-based clinics. The tentative agreement with the hospital system was reached late tonight, following intense all-day bargaining sessions held this week by union members and Kaleida management, as they fought to avoid a strike. Details of the agreement will not be made public until union committees are able to brief all members on the agreement.
“It’s inspiring how our Florida healthcare workers have put themselves in harm’s way to care for others in Hurricane Ian, just as they have for more than two years on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic. But it’s sad and angering that they face even greater risk due to a critical staffing shortage created by employers that put profits over people, and state leaders who allow this to happen.