The Executive Council of 1199SEIU, the highest elected body of the union, released the following statement:

The Executive Council of 1199SEIU unanimously and unequivocally stands against the executive orders coming from President Trump that target transgender individuals, particularly their access to healthcare. These actions represent a direct attack on the fundamental rights and dignity of our transgender siblings—many of whom are our coworkers, our patients, and our fellow union members.

Throughout our union’s history, we have fought to ensure that healthcare is a human right, not a privilege reserved for a select few. The Trump administration’s attempts to strip protections from transgender people—whether through restrictions on gender-affirming care, the rollback of nondiscrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act, or barriers to accessing federally funded healthcare programs—are not just morally reprehensible, but in many cases, they are in direct violation of state laws and constitutional protections.

To understand the scope of these attacks, we need only look at the recent executive orders challenging birthright citizenship. Both these efforts share a common goal: to erase the rights and protections of already vulnerable populations under the guise of executive authority. Just as the attempt to deny birthright citizenship contradicts the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, many of these executive orders undermining transgender healthcare stand in direct opposition to state laws and existing federal protections that our members fought for. They are unconstitutional, they are discriminatory, and they must be fought.

1199SEIU has always been a union of fighters. We have never turned away from a battle to protect our members and the communities we serve. We reaffirm our commitment to standing up for all workers, regardless of gender identity or citizenship status:

• We will fight to protect funding for federally qualified health centers, which serve as a critical source of care for transgender individuals and other marginalized populations.
• We will use our collective strength to hold employers accountable to their obligations to protect all members, regardless of gender identity or citizenship status.
• We will challenge any attempts to roll back the hard-fought rights of our members and our patients, whether in the courts, through legislation, or at the bargaining table.

 

This is not just about policy—it is about people’s lives. It is about ensuring that no member of our union, no patient in our care, and no worker in our industry is denied dignity, safety, or access to the healthcare they need. Every person of conscience must take a stand now, because if we do not, we risk allowing injustice to take deeper root.