Following the Supreme Court ruling this summer to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and remove the constitutional right to abortion, states like New York are already seeing a significant influx of people who live elsewhere and need to terminate their pregnancies safely.
When 1199 ventured into the organizing of hospital workers in 1959, the Union’s leaders and members, who were overwhelmingly white males at the time, nevertheless understood the need to address issues that were paramount to women workers.
Some 2,000 new Union delegates took their oath of office on June 14th alongside the newly elected 1199SEIU leadership team, being sworn in at a ceremony in midtown Manhattan.
Roughly one thousand new members voted to join the 1199SEIU family this summer with landmark wins in both Massachusetts and New York.
Since 1965, when the Anne Shore Camp program began, 1199ers’ children who are between the ages of nine and 15 have been enjoying up to four weeks breaks at sleep away camps throughout the Northeast.
199SEIU members have always stood at the forefront of the most important movements for justice, equity, and peace. In the weekend before the new Juneteenth Federal holiday, 1199ers from around the Union were making their voices heard. In many shops, members have also negotiated a paid holiday for Juneteenth, the day which commemorates the end of chattel slavery in the United States.
Rite Aid members have ratified another three-year contract after a tough round of negotiations which includes annual three percent raises and a dollar per hour increase in the night differential. Management came after members healthcare benefits, but 1199ers fought back and protected their affordable insurance. Members were also successful in protecting their 1199SEIU Pension Fund, Training & Upgrading Fund and Child Care Fund in the face of management attempts to take these valuable funds off the table.
Retirees in Florida kicked off the election season with their annual picnic in Orlando on June 30th. It was an opportunity to enjoy food and fellowship, but also to
prepare for the important battles ahead as the country heads into the midterm elections in November.
It is clear that we are living in turbulent times. Our national political landscape is rife with deep divisions and the terrible Russian offensive against the Ukrainian people rages on— threatening stability across the globe.
At a time when our Florida politics are so often polarized, paralyzed along party lines, today we can celebrate an act of collaboration and understanding that will greatly benefit some of our state’s most deserving workers.