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

On January 17, hundreds of 1199SEIU members at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, held their 41st annual event to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Because of the surge in Omicron cases, the show took place over Zoom.

Claudette Colvin, a now retired 1199SEIU member, who courageously defied the segregated bus laws in Alabama during the Jim Crow era, has finally been cleared of wrongdoing some 65 years later.

As proud 1199SEIU members, we all know coming together to bargain collectively gives us the best chance of negotiating strong contracts for ourselves – including the pay and benefits we deserve.

St. Louis, MO – This month, unionized healthcare workers at one of the largest Catholic Health systems in the United States voted unanimously to authorize a one-day strike. Ascension Living at Our Lady of Peace caregivers in Lewiston, NY are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and have been working without a contract since December 31, 2021 when their 16-month contract expired.

Community Resources

For months now, President Biden has been facing negative headlines, calling him out for failing to enact his ground-breaking legislative agenda. But with Democrat Chuck Schumer leading the Senate majority, why are the progressive bills getting stuck there? What gives?

“The caregivers of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East in Florida are very pleased and proud for Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Joe Biden. Judge Jackson is a splendid choice with impeccable qualifications and credentials to join the highest court in the land. This is a win for working people, and her impressive legal background, stellar record and reputation for fairness will make her a strong asset to the Court weighing many critical issues of the day.

BUFFALO, NY — Faith leaders, home care workers, Senator Tim Kennedy and home care workers and advocates will gather on Wednesday to urge state lawmakers to provide fair wages for home care workers. The press conference comes as New York currently faces the worst home care shortage in the nation, and low wages are the single largest driving factor.

ROCHESTER, NY — Assemblymember Sarah Clark will tomorrow join home care advocates and Rochester resident Flip Polizzi Rivera to call for an end to New York’s worst home care shortage in the nation. Polizzi, who currently resides in a nursing home, cannot move into the house he purchased for himself because he cannot find home care workers due to the shortage. Press conference attendees will include Rochester home care consumers, workers, and advocates calling for an end to the home care shortage by passing the Fair Pay for Home Care Act. Research has shown low wages are the single largest driving factor creating the shortage.

Healthcare workers (members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East,) elected officials and concerned citizens say that Westchester Medical Center must step up and provide the care and services that the residents of Kingston and surrounding communities need.