As a South Florida nursing home worker and a proud union member, it’s hard for me to believe this Labor Day that we’re still struggling so desperately with the COVID-19 pandemic. For almost two full years now, we’ve been on the front lines of this health crisis that is surging again and has claimed the lives of more than 44,000 Floridians.
HOLLYWOOD, FL----To help protect the community against the COVID-19 virus, the ‘healthcare heroes’ of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East teamed with Broward County officials and New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for a free vaccination event that was held on Wednesday, September 1. Coordinated by 1199SEIU caregivers and Broward County Mayor Steven Geller, the vaccine was administered by Broward County Health Department staff. The event targeted Hollywood-area residents but it was also open to anyone.
On Aug. 23 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had granted full approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for people 16 years and older. The drug will be marketed under the name Comirnaty, the FDA said in its announcement. Of the more than 170 million people in the U.S. vaccinated against COVID-19, 92 million have received the Pfizer vaccine.
Micki Grant, who died on Aug. 21 at age 92, was the first woman to write the book, music and lyrics of a Broadway musical, “Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope.” She was also the first women to win a Grammy for a Broadway score. In 1972, Grant won New York Drama Desk, Obie and Outer Critic Circle awards.
From the start of the pandemic early last year, we and other health-care workers across the state sacrificed our health — and risked our lives — to care for nearly 2.25 million New Yorkers who contracted COVID-19 statewide and to tend to the more than 53,000 who died. More than 1 million of those cases were in New York City, which logged nearly 38,000 deaths.
ROCHESTER, NY — Home care workers and consumers will rally in support of President Biden’s Home Care Proposal, calling on Congress to sign on to the Better Care Better Jobs Act to expand access to urgently-needed care services and create good living-wage and union jobs for care workers. Care workers will hold a press conference and banner drop calling on Congress to "Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay Us!"
Healthcare Workers Union 1199SEIU Hosts Roundtable Discussion About The Better Care, Better Jobs Act
While President Biden's “soft infrastructure bills” are one of the most critical issues being
debated in Washington, DC this summer, on Wednesday in Albany, New York, 1199SEIU, the largest healthcare workers in the country, hosted a virtual round table discussion on The Better Care, Better Jobs Act. The conversation focused on the provisions of the Act that would invest funds in the homecare industry by:
The delta variant is creating a surge of new COVID-19 cases across the country, particularly in states and regions where fewer people are vaccinated. The variant now accounts for over 82 percent of all new cases.
Negotiations for a new union contract covering more than 2,000 service workers represented by 1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East and SEIU Local 200United at Strong Memorial Hospital and University of Rochester began today. The current collective bargaining agreement between the unions and the hospital is set to expire September 11.