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

New York City loves a party. And on July 7, the city held a big one with a parade honoring the essential workers who sacrificed so much caring for the city that became the “epicenter of the epicenter” for the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early July, 1199SEIU members and the League of Voluntary Hospital and Homes kicked off negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Union members entered negotiations expecting challenges, but also with the hope that their unprecedented contributions during the pandemic would set the tone for collaborative and productive talks.

1199ers were among the scores who rallied in lower Manhattan on July 29 demanding that NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) enact long-promised reforms to their stop and frisk policy. The event was organized by Communities United for Police Reform. Eight years ago, in a landmark decision, a federal judge found the NYPD liable for a pattern of unconstitutional racial profiling and stops. Black and Latino New Yorkers constituted the overwhelming majority of NYPD stop-and-frisks. Following the decision, the NYPD, New York City, and community stakeholders began mapping out a series of reforms.

Members 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East rallied in Miami July 16 to show unity with Cuban citizens demanding freedom and fairness after decades of government tyranny, violence and corruption.

A delegation of 1199SEIU homecare and nursing home members travelled to New York State’s Capitol in Albany, NY on July 27 to give State Senators a first-hand account of the crisis facing workers and patients in New York’s long term care sector—and offer practical solutions for resolving it.

I know that I speak for the entire 1199SEIU family when I say that we have never in our lifetimes faced a challenge like we’ve faced these past 18 months with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID vaccines available in the U.S. are safe and effective. When the vaccines first came out early in the year, many people were concerned about side effects. But now we know so much more. There are over 150 million in the U.S. alone who have gotten the vaccine without any problems. Some, like myself, had a mildly sore arm for a couple of hours after the shot but serious side effects are extremely rare—much less common than for common medications like antibiotics or even aspirin.

For more than 18 months, healthcare workers have led America through the COVID-19 pandemic. First, in March 2020, during the darkest days of the onset, the faces of weary caregivers lit the way to hope and to a time after the pandemic. And as the country fell into lockdown silence, it was the steady but exhausted, voices of healthcare workers that reminded us there was a way forward. And again now, as the delta variant rages among the unvaccinated and hospital beds are filling up and stretching caregivers to the breaking point, it is our healthcare workers who are doing the work of education, connection, and community building to help reduce vaccine hesitance and save lives.

COVID-19 Vaccination Sites

Western New York home care workers and families hosted a roundtable discussion with Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) to share the challenges facing those caring for seniors and people with disabilities. Together they are pushing for robust federal investments in America’s care economy.