Anxiety punctuated much of the last year, but 1199ers continued to shine, winning in the workplace, standing up to attacks on health care, fighting for our families and communities and pushing back against hate and injustice.
NH Workers Rally Against Closures
Massachusetts 1199ers, elected officials and community supporters rallied in January against the planned closure of Transitional Care and Rehabilitation – Avery in Needham and Transitional Care and Rehabilitation -Tower Hill in Canton. Since 2000, more than 200 skilled nursing facilities have closed, triggering what workers say is a public health crisis in the Bay State.
Women's March 2018
Members participated in scores of some 200 demonstrations around the world, marking the second anniversary of the historic Women’s March on Washington.
Secure Our Care: Our Fight Against ACA Cuts. Albany Code Blue Rally & MSG Rally Against Healthcare Cuts
1199ers in every region led the charge to protect the ACA and fought off deadly health cuts from Washington. Members organized, rallied, marched, lobbied and stepped up at town halls. Caregivers called out representatives who voted against health care, and on Election Day kept their promise to send many of them packing.
NJ May Day Staffing Rally
May Day saw hundreds converge on New Jersey’s capitol of Trenton to demand passage of a minimum caregiver-to-patient ratio in the Garden State’s nursing homes.
George Washington University Hospital Contract Rally
Workers at GWUH in Washington, D.C. fought back against management’s union busting attempts with a Valentine’s Day Rally and a gathering that capped 1199ers’ participation in the July 23 Poor People’s March on Washington.
The Janus Decision
1199ers joined millions across the country in denouncing this attack on public sector unions, which was upheld in June U.S. Supreme Court decision.
New Organizing
At press time, 40 union elections saw nearly 2,500 workers vote for 1199SEIU representation in 2018. Major victories include Whittier Street Clinic in Roxbury, MA where workers won their June union vote after a bruising fight with management and in two elections at Long Island Community in Patchogue, NY (formerly Brookhaven) service and technical workers overcame years of anti-union resistance and voted 1199.
Empire State Election Wins
NYS 1199ers helped re-elect Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. They also helped to victory a slew of progrerssive candidates including Attorney General-elect Letitia James.
FQHC Inaugural Meeting
Members from increasinglyvital Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) held their first ever meeting at 1199 headquarters July 14. Workers at these institutions are on the front lines of delivering community-based health care.
League Contract Victory
Months of talks culminated in a marathon negotiating session in NYC and informational picketing brought tens of thousands of members out into the street. 1199SEIU members settled a new, threeyear collective bargaining agreement with the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Nursing Homes on July 13.
MA Voters Say Yes on 3!
Massachusetts voters passed an initiative to protect the rights of transgender Bay State residents.
Retired, But Active!
Members of 1199’s fastest-growing division were active in Union activities in every region; from contract negotiations to GOTV efforts, retirees stood up for their Union and communities.
Making Change in Maryland
Maryland/DC 1199SEIU members and Weekend Warriors braved plummeting temperatures and dousing rain to help former NAACP head Ben Jealous in his bid to become Maryland’s first African American governor. Though the effort was unsuccessful, they did help maintain a veto-proof majority in the Maryland Senate.
New Jersey Midterm Victories
1199ers (shown with U.S. Senators Corey Booker and Robert Menendez) turned the Garden State blue, kept incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez in the U.S. Senate, and helped elect progressive candidates like Mikie Sherrill and Andy Kim. NJ 1199ers helped flip 4 House seats, knocked on 18,000 doors and had 4,000 conversations with voters.
New Progressive Voices
Though Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was unsuccessful in his bid to become Florida’s governor, he inspired millions of young people and first-time voters to turn out at the polls. Sunshine State voters are mobilized and ready to #BringIt Home in 2020 and make sure every vote is counted. Florida 1199ers helped flip a raft of seats including the State Agriculture Commissioner and restored felons’ right to vote.
