“At first, a few weak attempts at apologies were floated, but management was dismissive, creating unprecedented racial tension at the hospital. On July 14, after weeks of pressure from the workers, elected officials and community members, the hospital CEO issued an apology for the offensive information that was posted in the hospital.”
When: Monday, July 20, 2015 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Where: 7th Street Park, Hudson, New York
What: A Unity Gathering: “Speaking Out Against Discrimination and Standing Up For Justice.” Interviews and Photo Opportunities Available
Background:
In June, some members of the management team at Columbia Memorial Hospital posted racist, offensive, and discriminatory material in the hospital. The posting disgracefully misrepresented African Americans in unspeakable ways. Troubled that such inaccurate, inflammatory rhetoric was posted without attribution, several 1199SEIU members requested a meeting and discussion with hospital management. Instead, management offered a grievance procedure, which is held in a more contentious setting. After the hearing, management took no action to resolve the issues. The union received a response from the employer on July 9—it was evasive and trivialized the concerns of the caregivers and their demand for accountability.
Adding insult to injury, several days later a night supervisor defended management’s actions to an 1199SEIU member, using even more provocative and obnoxious language. “Let me give you a history lesson … ,” he said. Then he went on to use inexcusable terms, enraging 1199SEIU members and bringing many to tears.
“At first, a few weak attempts at apologies were floated, but management was dismissive, creating unprecedented racial tension at the hospital,” said Rosa Lomuscio, 1199SEIU Vice President. On July 14, after weeks of pressure from the workers, elected officials and community members, the hospital CEO issued an apology for the offensive information that was posted in the hospital. CEO Jay Cahalan also condemned the inappropriate actions of a supervisor who spoke to a worker in a deplorable manner, using inexcusable language. Calahan wrote, "These events should not have happened, and as CEO, I take full responsibility."
The workers and community supporters accepted the apology cautiously, but want to move forward, to ensure accountability on the part of management that situations like this don’t happen. With that in mind, there will be “A Unity Gathering to Speak Out Against Discrimination and Stand Up for Justice” at the 7th Street Park in Hudson on Monday, July 20.
https://www.facebook.com/events/376900419187958/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular&feed_story_type=17&action_history=null
Listen to the what the 1199SEIU workers and their supporters had to say on the radio: https://wavefarm.org/archive/ksvt8h
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.
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