HUNDREDS OF 1199SEIU HEALTHCARE HEROES STAGE ‘HIGH NOON’ RALLIES ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND TO SHOW HOSPITAL MANAGERS THEY ARE READY TO NEGOTIATE A FAIR CONTRACT RECOGNIZING WORKERS’ EFFORTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
June 30, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stuart Marques, Stuart.marques@gmail.com | 917-273-6194
EVENT PHOTOS AND VIDEO CAN BE SEEN HERE
NEW YORK (July 29, 2021) – Hundreds of healthcare heroes from 1199SEIU – the largest healthcare union in the nation – today held lunchtime ‘High Noon’-style rallies to demand a fair contract at hospitals and nursing homes.
“We are here to remind our employers that we are the real heroes of the battle against COVID-19, working tirelessly around the clock to care for our patients. And we deserve to be valued,” said Shawn DeSinces, an 1199 member who works as a Clinical Lab Technologist at NY Presbyterian Hospital.
The workers walked out on their own time – lunch hours, breaks, days off -- at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Washington Heights and across New York City and Long Island to show a united front in the fight for a contract that recognizes their sacrifices.
In addition to New York Presbyterian, 1199 members from Langone Hospital, Brookdale Hospital, North Shore LIJ, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Montefiore Moses, WMC Good Samaritan, ArchCare nursing homes and Parker Jewish Institute Nursing also rallied on their own time.
1199SEIU healthcare workers wearing their distinctive purple T-shirts also delivered signed Medigrams (giant posterboard petitions) to management at all the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes, which is the bargaining agent for the institutions.
“We are out here because we want to show management we will not be divided as we fight for what we deserve,” said Cynthia Miller, an 1199er who works as a Certified Surgical Technologist at NY Presbyterian Hospital. “We are grateful for all the applause and recognition we received during the pandemic, but what we need now is a contract that recognizes and values those sacrifices.”
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 450,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all. For more information: http://www.1199seiu.org/
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