In April the New York State Legislature passed, and Governor Cuomo signed, a change in the state’s public-employee labor relations laws regarding the legal Duty of Fair Representation. Public sector unions are no longer required to represent non-members in grievances, investigations, hearings regarding allegations or charges, or appeals of ratings.
“In their quest for even bigger profit margins, the rich and powerful have always tried to divide and suppress working people. Today, those forces are as shameless and well-funded as ever. This time, a flurry of corporate interests has launched a full-blown assault on working people through the courts, attempting to strip unions of our ability to effectively advocate for public workers.” – Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President
“Through struggle and sacrifice, workers built our unions and won a ladder into the middle class. Those gains proved precarious, however, as corporations tried to drive down costs and right-wing politicians attacked our social safety net. Now, in 2017, we are facing dramatically increased threats to job security, wages and benefits. Right to work legislation, once the province of the South, has moved North.” – George Gresham, President 1199SEIU
“What the Janus backers (and most commentators) miss is that agency fees are not just compensation for the financial costs of representation, but for the political costs of representing all the members in the bargaining unit and maintaining labor peace.” - Shaun Richman, the author of the Century Foundation report “Labor’s Bill of Rights.”
“It’s a mistake to focus on the individual plaintiffs,” says Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, an assistant professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. “Instead, the focus should be on the conservative advocacy groups. … ALEC, SPN and the Kochs’ Americans for Prosperity have all worked hand in glove over the past several years to cut back the strength of public-sector unions. The effects of this case will be felt far beyond the plaintiffs.”
“The supreme court this time appears to be poised to knock the legs from under union advocacy, in what would be a major victory for the rightwing jurisprudential movement,” said Dan Weiner, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-partisan group.
News Feed
1199SEIU responded to Massachusetts Governor Healey’s proposed FY26 budget, which would impose overly-restrictive growth caps on the state’s Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program and freeze the MassHealth rates paid to community and safety-net hospitals. Read More
1199SEIU Filed Unfair Labor Practice Charge Against UR Medicine Homecare for Bargaining in Bad Faith As 400 People Sign Public Petition Demanding That URMHC President & CEO Greg Hutton Settle Fair First Contract Read More
Healthcare Worker Union Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy and commitment to workers’ rights Read More
1199SEIU Filed Unfair Labor Practice Charge Against University of Rochester Medicine Homecare for Bargaining in Bad Faith As More Than 300 People Sign Public Petition Demanding That URMHC President & CEO Greg Hutton Settle Fair First Contract Read More
If we remain united, we can emerge even stronger. Read More
As we know, the job of caregivers is needed every single day, no matter what the season. Come January, 1199ers will also be called upon to use our collective power to defend our Union rights and help protect the most vulnerable in society. Read More
Staff retention was a key issue in the hard-fought campaign. Read More
1199ers attended the inauguration of joined Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott after working hard to help him win a second term. Read More
Title I of the LMRDA contains the Bill of Rights for members of labor organizations. Read More
Members campaigned for reproductive rights related ballot measures in three of the 1199 regions. Read More
1199ers came together on a sunny Saturday morning in Crown Heights, Brooklyn for the Panamanian Day Parade. Read More
On November 14, new members at the Boston-based Fenway Health clinic braved the cold to urge community members attending the Fenway Health fundraising gala to support caregivers in their yearlong fight for a fair contract. Read More
How members can retrain with the Career Pathways Training Program to further their careers and address skills shortages. Read More
Member political action is more important than ever as we prepare to confront an anti-worker agenda at the national level. Read More
The 1199 Magazine recently met a few of these dedicated professionals at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City to gain a better understanding of the important work involved in bedside care and patient preparation. Read More
In the days immediately following the presidential election, 1199 Magazine invited some of the most politically active Union Delegates to a virtual summit to share their feelings about the results and hear about their vision for future political action. Read More
Up and down the East Coast, members helped worker-friendly candidates to win. Read More
1199 has always been a fighting force for workers, even during the toughest times. Read More
As the largest union of healthcare workers in the United States and the largest SEIU local, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is thrilled to be joining forces with the AFL-CIO to build a new era of worker power. Read More