Partners Newsletter
July 16, 2021
1199SEIU WELCOMES OUR PARTNERS IN CARE MEMBERS RETURNING TO WORK
A Message From 1199SEIU Homecare Division Executive Vice President Rona Shapiro and Vice President Katia Guillaume
After a very long year and a half, our Partners in Care members are being welcomed back into the agency. As you all know, homecare workers have really struggled throughout COVID-19. Case numbers dwindled. Homecare agencies had to close their doors to workers. Many of you had to step away from the profession, often because you were caring for family members who were affected by COVID-19 or got sick yourselves. But today is a new day. We are coming back—back to the communities and the clients who need us and to our Union family. You can be sure that your Union is here to support you every step of the way. We know we have many struggles ahead, but today is a giant step. And as always, we are all in this together.
OUR VACCINATION EVENT AT PARTNERS IN CARE
In January, 1199SEIU and Partners in Care joined forces at for a vaccination where scores of home health workers received protective doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Members also received PPE like masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.
FRONTLINE NEWS: THE LATEST NEWS ON COVID-19 AND THE VACCINES
Learn the latest about COVID-19, vaccines and how to stay healthy! Check out 1199’s weekly Frontline News at 1199seiu.org/frontlinenews.
BETTER CARE! BETTER JOBS!
One week after the New York City celebrated essential workers with a tickertape parade down lower Broadway, hundreds of healthcare workers marched through the streets around New York City Hill demanding passage of the Better Care Better Jobs Act to support homecare workers and the home health industry. The legislation would provide some $400 billion in aid for homecare, an industry which has been battered by the pandemic. The money would shore up agencies and help create stable, good paying jobs so home health aides can continue providing the compassionate care on which their clients depend. Joining 1199ers and their allies at the rally were Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and SEIU EVP Rocio Saenz. “We homecare workers are essential,” said Anna Couch Superville, an HHA with the Sunnyside and Personal Touch agencies. “And we demand that we be recognized as such, and that we are respected and protected.”
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Home Health Aide Erica Charles Brushed Up Her Computer Skills Through Homecare Ed Fund
Erica Charles visited a classroom at the 1199 Training and Employment Funds offices in Manhattan, which also recently opened after closing because of the pandemic.
"I enjoy learning and right now home health aides are using computers more and more."
Partners in Care Delegate Erica Charles is a graduate of a series of computer training classes she took through the 1199 Home Care Industry Education Fund (HCIEF). The HCIEF offers training and education programs to 1199SEIU homecare workers as they provide compassionate care for the sickest and most vulnerable among us. Charles says the courses were eye opening and will be a practical help for her on the job. “I enjoy learning and right now home health aides are using computers more and more,” says Charles. “We use our smart phones to clock in and out every day and send client notes. I was nervous in the beginning, but I’m glad I did it. Open your mind and you’ll get it little by little.” For more information on the HCIEF visit www.1199seiubenefits.org/home-care-ed-fund.