1199SEIU members know that we are at a historic turning point where the stakes have rarely been as high for health care and workers’ rights. As of October 26, nearly 20,000 of 450,000 1199SEIU members in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland and Washington, DC had already voted. And those numbers are inching up by the hour.
1199SEIU members know that we are at a historic turning point where the stakes have rarely been as high for health care and workers’ rights. As of October 26, nearly 20,000 of 450,000 1199SEIU members in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland and Washington, DC had already voted. And those numbers are inching up by the hour.
The entire Maryland/DC Division of 1199SEIU offered congratulations to long term care member Pat Walker, who in early September was named a Healthcare Hero by the Health Facilities Association of Maryland.
Dozens of workers at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMMC) in Niagara Falls, NY held an informational picket Sept. 30 to call attention to short staffing at the institution that they say has grown so bad that it’s endangering patient care and taking a severe emotional toll oncaregivers.
In September, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a package of nursing home reforms that will have significant impact for caregivers and their patients. The bill commits significant resources to assist New Jersey’s nursing homes, which have the highest rate of coronavirus cases per facility in the nation and account or half of all COVID-19 deaths in the state.
It’s the final stretch before the November 3 election and CNA Kaydra Bonamy is on a mission to get Floridians to vote. As a member political organizer with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, she’s working hard calling voters to educate and inform them about how critical this election is for working families.
Members at Baltimore’s Fayette Health and Rehabilitation Center in September won a strong contract, even as they faced
COVID-19 challenges. 1199SEIU represents some 60 members at Fayette, including GNAs, EVS, Unit Clerks, Maintenance,
Central Sterile Supply, and Rehab Aids.
1199SEIU members gathered Sept. 4 to mark National Homecare Day and recognize the contributions and challenges faced by homecare workers across the country. There are nearly a half million homecare workers in the U.S. 1199SEIU represents 60,000 in New York State and another 40,000 who work as Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) in Massachusetts.
As I write this, our country has suffered more than seven million Covid-19 cases and more than 200,000 deaths—far more than any other country. A University of Washington study estimates that, with winter impending and declining public
vigilance, we may surpass 400,000 fatalities by the end of the year.
From stopping the spread of COVID-19 and securing healthcare coverage to ensuring safe workplaces and healthy communities, we have to choose the candidates who are most likely to work with us to get us what we need.