1199SEIU and the National Benefit Fund are again making available a free tax prep program for members, so they can pay only the taxes they owe and apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a tax refund for low to-moderate income families. Since its inception in 1999, the program has helped members in NYC alone file for $100 million dollars in tax refunds.
Every day, local and national news outlets churn out stories about guns and gun violence across America. From big cities like Chicago and New York, to small towns in the Midwest and Southeast, there is no corner of the nation untouched by gun violence and the debate around gun rights. According to the Giffords Law Center, 100 Americans are killed with guns every day and over 1.2 million people have been shot in the last decade.
In dire straits due to their financial mismanagement, for years The Lutheran Care Network (TLCN) operated their Delmar, NY facilities, Good Samaritan Nursing Home, and an assisted living facility, Kenwood Manor, on a shoestring budget. As the buildings deteriorated, the workers were continually challenged by short-staffing and diminished supplies. Making things worse, the employer paid the workers’ Health Benefit Fund only sporadically creating uncertainty for the caregivers whose benefits could end at any time.
For many of us, it may seem that Medicaid has been a constant part of American society—providing a much-needed healthcare safety net for seniors as well as disabled and low income adults and children.
A Day In The Life Of The Census
The 2020 Census is fast approaching, and I can’t overstate the importance of your participation.
Members at Baltimore’s St. Elizabeth Rehabilitation and Nursing Center ratified a strong contract in the summer of 2019, and they attribute their wins to wide member participation at bargaining.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is considered 1199SEIU’s North Star. And 1199ers have been celebrating the life of the man who called 1199 “my favorite union” since his untimely death in 1968
Months after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, residents in hard hit areas are still struggling to recover. Many were touched by this tragedy, including members of 1199SEIU Florida who have relatives and friends living in the Bahamas. But even those without direct ties still wanted to help the victims. So, members reached out to their coworkers to ask for donations and they were able to raise a significant amount of money.
Unlike most countries—Canada, France, Japan, and Mexico, for example—where election campaigns only last a few weeks, our country’s campaigns seem to go on forever. It’s as if the next campaign begins the day after an election. It can be exhausting. But, sisters and brothers, in this election year of 2020, we cannot afford to become weary, bored, or disinterested.