Statement of Milly Silva, Executive Vice President, on Supreme Court DAPA/DACA decision

A month has now passed since the results of the presidential elections set in. And there are still six weeks to go before President Obama leaves office and Donald Trump is inaugurated. It’s a good time to take stock.

The winter holidays are supposed to be full of good will and hope for a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, it is challenging for the residents at Putnam Ridge and us, the workers who provide care and comfort to those residents, to be overjoyed this holiday season. We are regularly working short-staffed, which could be undermining the quality and continuity of care our residents deserve. But the nursing home’s management appears to not be paying attention to this critical situation.

More than one hundred members of 1199SEIU from New York, Massachusetts and the Maryland/DC Region were in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5 and 6 to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the need keep in place the vital patient protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – even if the law is repealed by the Trump administration. The effort was spearheaded by the Healthcare Education Project, a community-based partnership of 1199SEIU and the Greater New York Hospital Association.

More than one hundred members of 1199SEIU from New York, Massachusetts and the Maryland/DC Region were in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5 and 6 to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the need keep in place the vital patient protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) –even if the law is repealed during the Trump administration. The effort was spearheaded by the Healthcare Education Project, a community-based partnership of 1199SEIU and the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Great News for Rite Aid Workers! Rite Aid’s Attempts to undercut the strength of our union have not succeeded. A judge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that Rite Aid engaged in unfair labor practices when they tried to remove future pharmacists from the bargaining unit.

I would like to respond to Bill Newman’s piece, “As a bulwark, we need the flag” published in the Dec. 3-4 Weekend Gazette. I am an Amherst resident, and I know Bill and respect him and his work. Nine times out of ten, he and I will surely agree. (Originally Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Washington DC - On Tuesday, December 6th at 12:00 pm EST, nurses, doctors and healthcare workers from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will host a telebriefing underscoring what’s at stake for Americans who depend on the benefits and protections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite the disastrous consequences for working people, seniors and children, Republican leaders may rush to hold a repeal vote as soon as January.

“How can the Center’s management say they care about the community, when Whitney Young’s workers---who provide the actual care and services and live in the community---can’t afford the health benefits offered, and still the Center won’t budge in negotiations? ... It certainly isn’t what Whitney Young had in mind.”

The victory at Standing Rock demonstrates once again that standing in solidarity is one of the most effective strategies for “taking the future back”. It is only by unifying together that we can force the urgent transition to sustainable energy sources and away from dangerous dirty fuel.

New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, spoke at the podium at Columbus Circle in a demonstration of solidarity with the hundreds of 1199 members and community allies who had assembled to march on Rite Aid.