The Union’s Executive Council on July 20 unanimously approved two resolutions. One resolution supports the decriminalization of marijuana and calls for sentence reduction and the reclassification and sealing of criminal records for those convicted of low level possession of the substance.

The resolution also supports the creation of safer consumption spaces to reduce deaths from drug overdoses. A second resolution waives Union initiation fees for all 1199SEIU public sector workers. The fees had been previously waved in the Union’s Florida region, which is a “Right to Work” state. With the U.S. Supreme Court rendering all public-sector jobs “right to work” with its Janus v. AFSCME and Harris v. Quinn decisions, the resolution seeks to grow and improve the working lives and economic standards of all 1199 public sector members by waiving the fees. The Union represents member in 12 public sector chapters in New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. “Our Union is under attack, and this was a good decision,” said Massachusetts PCA Rosario Cabrera.

1199 Magazine: July / August 2018