When he is not working in the cardio thoracic step down unit at UHealth Tower or helping his wife take care of their newborn baby, RN Guillermo Lopez enjoys posting photos and stories on social media. He believes it is a good platform to share lifestyle trends and fun experiences. But he now has a whole new perspective about the many benefits of using social media after attending a digital organizing training in Los Angeles with more than one hundred other SEIU members from across the country.

“It was very rewarding. I met SEIU members from across the U.S. who work in healthcare and a variety of different industries. Among them, janitors, cooks and security guards. Despite our different professions, we all share the same goals – to improve pay and working conditions so we can take care of our families,” said Lopez.

Lopez was one of a handful of members from 1199SEIU who attended the two-day training hosted by SEIU, Service Employees International Union. In addition to attending daily workshops, Lopez and his team had to put their skills to the test by creating videos for social media. Lopez says it was challenging because they had just 10 minutes to come with an idea, a location and a plan to shoot it. 

“It really opened my eyes to the power of social media. When I post a video, it instantly reaches all of my friends and followers. If they share it, that video could be seen by thousands of people in such a short amount of time. That is incredible,” explained Lopez.

Lopez saw firsthand how social media can build support and awareness for a public action. He and other SEIU members joined a march with 1,000 USWW members including janitors, airport workers, security guards and supporters. Lopez and his team took photos and videos and shared them on various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, so viewers got real time information from the rally and a sense of how impactful the event was by seeing so many workers standing together in solidarity.

“This was my first union public action. It was empowering to join with other workers to call for justice for the USWW workers,” said Lopez.

Now that he is back home in Miami, Lopez plans to use the skills he learned at the digital organizing training to help his coworkers at UHealth Tower fight to win a fair contract.

“I see now how social media can move a contract campaign. UHealth Tower is a pretty big hospital, so social media can be an effective tool to help me, and my coworkers stay connected and informed as we bargain for a new contract,” said Lopez.

Lopez is also a member of the 1199SEIU Social Media Ambassador team. In this role, he monitors 1199SEIU social media platforms, “likes” and shares posts and finds related content to post. He says it is a fun way to amplify the great work he and his fellow union members are doing every day to protect and uplift healthcare workers.

 

 

If you want to join the 1199SEIU Social Media Ambassador team, send an email to desiree.taylor@1199.org

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