Today the 194 workers employed at the Institute for Family Health (a large Federally Qualified Health Center) in the mid-Hudson voted overwhelmingly to become members of our union. The vote was almost unanimous at 135 votes to 14, to join 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

We are proud to welcome the RNs, LPNs, Medical Assistants, Mental Health Technicians, Dental Assistants and Patient service Reps at the Institute for Family Health (IFH) in Mid-Hudson Valley into the 1199SEIU family to join their IFH sisters and brothers in Manhattan.

Santiago Diaz, who works as an RN at the Ellenville IFH site in Ulster County, said: "I voted to join 1199 not just for myself, but for those at the bottom of the hierarchy. Sometimes they are neglected in terms of equal pay and find that those with less seniority are given priority for promotions. Now we will all have a voice.

"We're a non-profit providing a healthcare safety net in an area with high rural poverty. So it is important to show solidarity between ourselves too."

By providing compassionate and professional care to people living and working in the Dutchess, Sullivan, and Ulster counties area, our IFH colleagues embody the spirit of the 1199 local.

1199SEIU is the largest healthcare workers union in the US with more than 400,000 members and one of the fastest growing unions in the country.

As well as having a larger say in their working lives, the newest members from IFH voted to join our union for 1199’s pension, job security, affordable quality healthcare and educational benefits.