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Work We Do: Providing crucial support in the community
It’s Raining Now!
January-February 2024
Politics: 1199ers already gearing up for November showdown
Rustin: A historical movie for our times A Journal of 1199SEIU January/February 2024
CONTENTS
None of us can afford to sit this election out.
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4 Rustin–reviewed A historical movie for our times. 5 The President’s Column Biden v Trump. When it comes to helping working people, there is no comparison.
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cover: Members sending a
message to the New York State Governor, Kathy Hochul, to close the Medicaid funding gap.
@1199seiu www.1199seiu.org 2
January-February 2024
1199 Magazine January-February 2024 Vol. 42 No.1 ISSN 2474-7009 Published by 1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East 498 Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10018 (212) 582-1890 www.1199seiu.org
Editorial: The Stakes are High in 2024
8 Around the Regions Maryland members tackle short-staffing; Boston hospital members win substantial raises; Floridians unite around reproductive rights; Upstate 1199ers commemorate Dr King; NY nursing homes to face shortstaffing fines.
9 Taking Back the House 1199ers worked to get out the vote in New York Congressional District 3. 10 The Work We Do Upper Manhattan Mental Health members provide community support. 14 Victory for Rochester Members One day strike in Upstate New York, leads to landmark deal. 16 Fighting for Florida Members A new Delegate cuts her teeth in a national campaign against a giant corporation.
18 Healthcare Justice Now It’s time to demand New York State stop selling Medicaid short. 21 Union wins in MA and NY Nobody wins unless everybody pays their fair share. 22 Our History Medicaid was one of the “Great Society” programs that advanced civil rights.
When we’re constantly bombarded with scare stories about rising crime, immigrants overwhelming our public services, and horrifying conflicts abroad, it is tempting to duck and cover. Who wants to pay attention to the news when it's all bad? We may know that unemployment has reached historic lows, the violent crime rate is going down nationally, and we’ve been able to negotiate substantial wage increases in many of our shops from Upstate New York all the way down to Florida. Any politician will tell you, though: “When you’re explaining, you’re losing.” The fact is, things just don’t FEEL good for many of us. We may have lost loved ones during the pandemic and suffered personal trauma in our workplaces. The price increases driven by global events and corporate greed have hit our pockets. It takes a lot of time to bounce back. We’ve all heard the adage that “slow and steady wins the race.” Delivering visible and concrete change to the lives of working people takes time. We know this from our battles with management. Negotiating with the bosses is hard work and contracts are rarely settled quickly. On the national stage, the representatives who we elect to champion our best interests face the same problem. The Biden administration worked hard to pass a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill more than two years ago. We know this will kick start much-needed public transportation projects from New York to Florida that will make a big difference to our daily commutes. It will ensure that our communities finally have the resources to address the results of environmental racism—from polluting highways to lead pipes. But building new subway lines, rebuilding communities and ordering new busses will not happen overnight. On the other hand, decision time for our country is coming up sooner than we think. Polls show that many working people are unenthusiastic about their choices in November. So there is a real temptation to just sit it out, when the nation goes to the polls again in November of this year. Let’s be real, though. As Union members, we know that we never win any improvements for ourselves and our
president
George Gresham secretary treasurer
Milly Silva senior executive vice presidents
Yvonne Armstrong Veronica TurnerBiggs executive vice presidents
Jacqueline Alleyne Lisa Brown Roger Cummerbatch Tim Foley Todd Hobler Patricia Marthone Brian Morse Joyce Neil Roxey Nelson Rona Shapiro Gregory Speller Daine Williams Nadine Williamson editor
Sarah Wilson art direction and design
Maiarelli Studio director of photography
Kim Wessels contributors
Leyla Adali Marlishia Aho April Ezzell JJ Johnson
Helena Pallarés
families by sitting on the sidelines. In 1963, more than a quarter of a million people marched on Washington D.C. to demand an end to state-sanctioned segregation. The organizing drive for the march and the attempts to derail it are dramatically displayed in a powerful new Netflix movie. <See Rustin: A historical movie for our times. p.4>
As Union members we know that we never win any improvements for ourselves and our families by sitting on the sidelines.
More than sixty years later, in many ways the battle lines have not changed that much. Superficially, it may seem that the choice in the upcoming election is between two old white men. But what they have delivered and would deliver for working people is completely different. <See Biden v Trump: When it comes to working people there is no comparison. p.3> Our decision is clear. We can stick with the Biden administration and its slow and steady path to change that is already beginning to deliver real gains or watch helplessly from the sidelines as extremist Republicans dismantle the Medicaid and Medicare programs on which many of our jobs depend. We can support a President who believes in our labor movement and will help us advance, or we can allow those who want to roll back the clock on all of our rights to take power.
1199 Magazine is published six times a year—January/ February, March/ April, May/June, July/ August, September/ October, November/ December—for $15.00 per year by 1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers E. 498 Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10018 Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 1199 Magazine, 498 Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10018
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Biden v Trump
Thousands of 1199 members were among the sea of activists who flooded the nation’s capital in 1963.
When it comes to helping working people, there is no comparison. The President’s Column by George Gresham
Rustin: the Movie A historical film that speaks directly to our times
Last summer, 1199ers again traveled to Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Healthcare union members know we cannot afford to allow themselves to be divided by race, ethnicity, religion, gender expression or sexual orientation... or anything else. Solidarity is needed more than ever as we hurtle towards the tight race to control the country this November. When working people work together, we can change the course of history. That is what Rustin reminds us. In 1963, an astonishing 250,000 people converged on the Lincoln Memorial following an audacious organizing campaign led by the venerable activist, Bayard Rustin, sending a clear and powerful message to the elected 4
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“Each of us are taught in ways both cunning and cruel that we are inadequate, incomplete. And the easiest way to combat that feeling of not being enough is to find someone we consider less than.” – Bayard Rustin
representatives of the day. Unless the Democrats take a stand against segregation, Rustin explains in the movie, “our people will not show up for them.” Sure enough, the Civil Rights Act was passed in July 1964, less than a year after the massive show of strength in the nation’s capital. But it was no easy road to get there. There were factional divisions within the movement, which are deftly depicted in the film. Not only were the then U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond and F.B.I. Director J Edgar Hoover doing their best to derail the march by discrediting Rustin personally—he was gay—but Rustin also faced stiff opposition from fellow civil rights activists. In order to shore up his backing in the movie, Rustin asks Dr Martin Luther King with passion:
“Explain to me why, after all that is left undone am I yet again forced to justify my existence. Each of us are taught in ways both cunning and cruel that we are inadequate, incomplete. And the easiest way to combat that feeling of not being enough is to find someone we consider less than. Less than because they are poorer than us or because they are darker than us or because they desire someone our churches and our laws say they should not desire. “When we tell ourselves such lies, start to live and believe such lies, we do the work of our oppressors by oppressing ourselves. Strom Thurmond and Hoover don’t give a sh*t about me. What they really want to destroy is all of us coming together and demanding this country change.” Rustin is available to watch on Netflix.
Biden is widely considered to be the most pro-union president since Franklin Roosevelt, nearly a century ago.
A lot is at stake this year. In November, we will elect the President, Vice President, the entire House of Representatives, onethird of the Senate, and entire state legislators in Massachusetts, Florida, New York and Maryland. One thing different this year from previous presidential election years is that we already know the candidates. Regardless of whatever hoopla the media manufactures, President Joe Biden is going to be the Democratic candidate and Donald Trump is going to be his Republican opponent. Whoever wins will become the oldest person to be elected president; so, age should not be a dealbreaker. Everyone knows Biden sometimes stumbles over words; he always has, having overcome years as a stutterer. On the other hand, virtually everything Trump says makes one wonder if he’s deranged, depraved, a pathological liar—or all three. But let’s compare what the two men did in office for workers and ordinary Americans. labor rights: Trump came into the White House saying he would “fight the elites” on behalf of workers. Instead, he pushed bills making it easier for employers to get away with wage theft; to allow companies to avoid paying lowwage workers overtime pay; to misclassify fast-food and gig workers as “independent contractors” so their bosses could take a slice of their tips; and to prevent them from unionizing and bargaining collectively. He gutted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to allow companies to hide workers’ injuries. At the National Labor Relations Board, Trump installed business-friendly board members and a general counsel who set about
reversing pro-union policies. By contrast, Biden is widely considered the most pro-union president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, nearly a century ago. During his three years—and under his union-friendly NLRB appointees—union organizing has grown at a pace not seen in several decades. Combined with a new generation of militant labor leaders, unions like the Teamsters and UAW won their best contracts in this century. Most dramatically, during the recent historic auto workers strike, Joe Biden became the first president in history to walk a picket line, while candidate Trump took it as an opportunity for a photo-op at a non-union auto parts plant. infrastructure: During his 201516 campaign, Trump promised to rebuild the country’s aging infrastructure. But in four years as President, he never once introduced an infrastructure bill, let alone passed one. His singular legislative victory was a $1.5 trillion (over 10 years) tax giveaway to the one-percent of already wealthy individuals—including himself. Joe Biden actually passed a one-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that promises to deliver clean water and eliminate the nation’s lead pipelines; ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet; and repair and rebuild our roads and bridges. It is the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history—and the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak. It will build a national network of electric vehicle chargers, upgrade our power infrastructure to achieve a zero-emissions future, and deliver the largest investment in cleaning up toxic Superfund sites.
the judicial branch: In partnership with Senate Republicans, Trump was able to pack the Supreme Court with three far-right justices, giving the court a two-thirds ultra-conservative majority. Together with hundreds of (nearly all-white) corporate-backed appointees to district and appellate courts, Trump helped create an unelected branch of government now able to block or reverse any progressive legislation emerging from Congress. The Trumpist courts have abolished gun control laws, reproductive rights, affirmative action in colleges and universities, voting rights (mainly for Black voters) and legal remedies for reversing corporate poisoning of our air and water. Biden used his Supreme Court appointment opportunity to nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the court. Two-thirds of the federal judges he has appointed to date are women, and the same share are people of color. No other president has nominated such a diverse group of judges.
public health: Covid emerged during Trump’s presidency but can hardly be blamed on Trump. But he can be blamed for politicizing the disease, blaming it on China, denigrating Dr. Anthony Fauci, making a point of refusing to wear a mask himself, casting doubt on science and expertise, promoting hair-brained notions (remember the idea that maybe swallowing household bleach would work against Covid?). The Biden administration, by contrast, has taken concrete steps to protect the most vulnerable in society. For instance, it has proposed rules to create a national standard for nursing home staffing ratios.
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Florida Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey New York Washington, D.C.
Around the Regions
MARYLAND
Maryland Members Tackle Short-staffing 1199ers from Maryland came together with their elected officials and the Caring Across Maryland coalition on January 24 to support the Nursing Home Staffing Crisis Funding Act of 2024. The legislation aims to direct additional state funds towards improving wages and tackling the nursing home labor shortage. It would stipulate that skilled nursing homes allocate a portion of Medicaid
reimbursements to increased wages and improved benefits. Ditanya Rosebud, an 1199 cook at the Levindale Hebrew and Geriatric Center in Baltimore, explained: "Short staffing was an issue before the pandemic, but since the pandemic, it has become a full-blown crisis. Back in the day when we had good staffing ratios, I cooked lunch and dinner for 15 residents. We used to work in smaller household kitchens
where we could spend quality time with the residents as we prepared their meals. It was a family-like dynamic, and the social aspect of mealtime made the residents and the workers feel good. “Now, I cook for 30 residents. I’m doing literally double the work for the same pay. Since we became permanently short staffed, cooks only work in the main kitchen in the basement. We no longer have the opportunity to interact with the residents we have spent decades feeding and bonding with. Working short-staffed feels more like being on an assembly line than being a part of a care team. We are always in “go mode” which is very stressful on our minds and bodies.” Raising wages will help reduce chronic short staffing by making those who have been working through this crisis feel more appreciated and less likely to quit. “Robbing Peter to pay Paul is unsustainable,” adds Rosebud, “I care for my two grandchildren. They play sports and I want to be able to afford to buy them more nutritious foods, but those are the foods that are most expensive. If I got a wage increase and could cover all my bills, I would spend anything extra on improving my grandchildren’s quality of life.”
“Short staffing was an issue before the pandemic, but since the pandemic, it has become a full-blown crisis.” – Ditanya Rosebud, 1199 cook at the Levindale Hebrew and Geriatric Center in Baltimore
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Floridians Unite for Reproductive Rights Florida 1199ers joined forces with a coalition of reproductive rights supporters to put the issue of abortion on the November 2024 general election ballot. On January 5, the activists announced that they had gathered enough signatures give Floridians the chance to vote down a potential six-week abortion ban. Election officials verified 910,946 petitions submitted by Floridians Protecting Freedom, which is 20,000 more signatures than are needed to get the issue onto the ballot.
Deborah Montgomery, an 1199 RN and mother of a teenaged daughter, has consistently championed the need to protect abortion rights. “I’m insulted and incensed by the deep intrusion and radical attacks on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, and the GOP legislature.” As a lactation nurse who works directly with new mothers and babies, Montgomery has seen firsthand the tragedies that result from dangerous, forced or unwanted pregnancies. Babies arrive in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with little hope for a healthy, happy life, and young mothers and families face heartbreak. The petition announcement demonstrates strong support for women’s reproductive freedom amongst Florida voters.
“I’m insulted and incensed by the deep intrusion and radical attacks on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, and the GOP legislature.” – Deborah Montgomery, 1199 RN
Upstate 1199ers Commemorate Dr. King
Boston Hospital Members Win Substantial Raises More than 1,600 hospital members at Boston Medical Center ratified a strong four-year contract on December 13 which included wage increases of up to 39 percent based on market adjustments, experience and annual raises. Helena Hawko, an 1199 Surgical Technician at the hospital, said: “I've worked at BMC for 17 years, and my coworkers and I have had to watch techs at other hospitals be paid at a rate that BMC refused to match. In this contract, we pushed management to pay us closer to what our skills are worth,” In addition to higher wages, members maintained access to free and low-cost educational opportunities, created a public health emergency committee and a pathway to paid trainingmentorship for existing staff. The bargaining unit includes social work, patient access, laboratory, ambulatory care and radiology departments.
FLORIDA
Ditanya Rosebud speaks at the podium in Baltimore, MD. 1199 members celebrate with Boston City Councilor, Tania FernandesAnderson (wearing pink).
Upstate 1199 members who live near Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse came together at a series of events in January to honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Dr. King has always spoken on the injustices of laborers,” said Angela Haynes, CNA at Elderwood at Williamsville, near Buffalo, who attended the luncheon to honor those whose work impacts the lives of workers and the Buffalo community. “I was so impressed with the people nominated. It was an honor to see and feel the passion in their fight to help others,” she added. Rochester members hosted a celebration where their state Senator Jeremy Cooney delivered a keynote speech. The event also commemorated the life of Bruce Popper, the retired 1199 Vice President who passed away in 2022. In Syracuse, 1199ers got up early on Marting Luther King day to participate in the joint labor and community day of service in honor of the great civil rights leader. Volunteers delivered warm clothes, sandwiches and toiletries to people in need in the local community.
Alicia Baker, a homecare worker from the Weinberg Campus near Buffalo attends the MLK event.
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POLITICS
Around the Regions
NEW YORK
cating for healthcare and supporting the labor movement. When Democrats gained the majority in the House and Senate in 2021, they enacted dramatic reductions in insulin prices to just $35 per month for Medicare recipients, won the right for Medicare to force drug companies to lower their prices and slashed the cost of insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges. As a result of the latter, over 21.8 million Americans—a record high—were able to get affordable health insurance through the ACA.
NY Nursing Homes to Face ShortStaffing Fines Long-awaited enforcement action to force New York State nursing homes to improve staffing levels or face hefty fines, finally moved a step closer on December 28 when the state’s supreme court rejected legal arguments brought by employers. Concerted political action by 1199 nursing home members during the Invest in Quality Care campaign back in 2021 ushered in historic reforms to management responsibilities regarding staffing levels. New laws were passed requiring nursing home owners to employ enough staff to ensure a daily minimum of 3.5 hours of care for each facility resident. But employers argued that labor shortages made it impossible for them to comply with the law. The supreme court has now rejected their arguments and the ruling by Justice James Gilpatric clears the way for fines of up to $2,000-per-day to be levied against understaffed nursing homes. Justice Gilpatric sided with NYS officials
and described the nursing homes’ lawsuit as a misguided attempt to legislate through the courts, which ignores the crucial separation of powers in the New York Constitution. The judge also rejected arguments that the state staffing law should be struck down, noting that state officials have broad authority to pass laws seeking to protect citizens’ health, including at nursing homes.
New laws were passed requiring nursing home owners to employ enough staff to ensure a daily minimum of 3.5 hours of care for each facility resident. Nursing home members pressing for staffing legislation in 2021.
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Taking Back the House 1199ers work to get out the vote in New York Congressional District 3.
The national political showdown in November may still be many months away, but 1199 Weekend Warriors have already begun pounding the pavement to make sure voters understand why we need to elect representatives who will fight for working people in Washington, D.C. As this edition went to press, Tom Suozzi was fighting to replace the disgraced former U.S. Congressman George Santos in the Long Island district he vacated in a special election on Feb 13. The Union endorsed Suozzi in this bellwether race because he has proven himself to be a reliable ally over many decades on the issues that matter to working people. 1199 Home Care Delegate Lavern Barnett works at the All Metro agency and Rockville Skilled Nursing and Rehab on Long Island. “We want someone who is honest and for the people to represent us,” she says. “Suozzi has al-
ready showed the support we need on issues like preserving Medicaid. Everyone is deserving of quality care and emotional support regardless of their financial circumstances. But we know that people who rely on Medicaid for their care are often short-changed and given fewer hours than they need.” With extremist Republicans in Congress threatening deep cuts in funding for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, the importance of flipping the House of Representatives back to Democratic control is clear. A Union of healthcare workers cannot allow anti-labor or anti-healthcare agendas to take hold. With several key districts in New York in play, the path to restoring Democrats to power runs right through 1199SEIU’s stronghold. Voting matters. We are in a crucial fight to protect our values and freedoms and to elect those who have a strong record of advo-
U.S. congressional candidate, Tom Suozzi, on the campaign trail with 1199 members.
“With the Republicans in Congress trying to abolish Medicare and Medicaid, we need representatives to fight for these programs that many of our hospitals are dependent upon to stay afloat. I work in the billing department, and I see firsthand the difference between payments from commercial insurers versus Medicare and Medicaid. For instance, an ER visit is likely to be reimbursed at $1,600 by a commercial plan compared with just $300 from Medicaid,” said Jeera Grissett, an 1199 Delegate and Senior Account Clerk at Jamaica Hospital in Queens. “As you get older you begin to see how decisions that are made today can affect you tomorrow. It is important that we have the right people in office to make sure that we don’t lose the Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid that so many working people rely upon. We certainly don’t need another George Santos in this district,” she added.
“As you get older, you begin to see how decisions that are made today can affect you tomorrow.” – Jeera Grissett, an 1199 Delegate and Senior Account Clerk at Jamaica Hospital, Queens 1199 Magazine
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The Work We Do: Community Support Making it through the holiday season can be especially challenging for people who are already facing mental or physical health challenges. The 1199 members at Upper Manhattan Mental Health are dedicated to providing a social safety net in the community which helps to ease the burden. The work of these frontline caregivers takes many forms. They help make outpatients’ home environments healthier and safer, for instance, as well as communicate with doctors and New York City agencies to make sure their clients access all the assistance they deserve. As part of the Health Home program run by NYC Health and Hospitals, 1199 Care Coordinators and Social Workers are there to help people better understand and manage their conditions—as well as identifying all the services and programs that meet their physical, mental health, and social service needs.
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1. “One of my first cases when I started here seven years ago,” recalls 1199 Delegate and Senior Care Manager Edwina Rivers, was a man who lived alone in a sixth-floor walk-up and was receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment. “He had very little income coming in and was about to be evicted.” Because the man was unable to climb up and down the stairs very often to get his mail, he didn’t get the notification that he needed to re-certify for his Section 8 housing subsidy, so it was cut off, and his rent was not being paid. “I was able to get him on the medication that he needed and start to help him get his life back,” Rivers says. “Soon after that, he called me to say that the bailiffs were at his door preparing to evict him. I was able to speak to them and luckily, they were reasonable. We went to court and eventually got public assistance to pay off his back rent. We were also able to get him Supplementary Security Income. “Care managers are problem solvers,” adds Rivers. That’s why she’s been active in the Union’s Medicaid Equity campaign to press New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates instead of prioritizing a “rainy day” fund. “We have to unite and keep fighting to close the Medicaid gap. No matter how many times a week I see a client, we will only be reimbursed for one ‘core service’. The recommended caseload is 45 people, and I usually have 52 or 53.”
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“The people who I see now generally have very real problems that are affecting their mental health. That is what makes it rewarding to help people feel like they have a reason to get up in the morning.” – David Rabb
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2. 1199 Social Worker, Priscilla Fernandez, is a bilingual therapist specializing in children and adolescents. “It is nice when you are able to make a connection and see a teenager grow and mature and come into their own. Sometimes, I work with multiple kids in the same family. “You have to be really openminded to work in this field. It is important to understand both the struggles people face, and the strengths that they have,” she says. Families might not have money to pay for childcare, but they form
relationships with neighbors and rely on family members for help. Some families are initially reluctant to work with Fernandez and her team; they may have had previous visits from social services and be fearful that she could remove their kids from the home. 3. 1199 Social Worker David Rabb followed an unusual path to arrive at Upper Manhattan. “I used to work in private practice with the ‘worried well’,” he says. “The people who I see now generally have very real
problems that are affecting their mental health. That is what makes it rewarding to help people feel like they have a reason to get up in the morning. As a LCSWR, Rabb also plays a role in providing a safety net for kids who may be coming out of institutional care. “I particularly like working with teens as they steer a course and figure out who they are and what is important to them,” he says. “Sometimes, their parents are working two or three jobs to make ends meet, so they may be relying too much on their peer group for guidance.”
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“Often people suffer from depression and self-doubt. We’re here to help them step back into their lives”.
The work is demanding—but the success stories are sweet. “I was working with a woman recently who had moved away from New York to start a new life with her husband,” he says. “Sadly, her husband passed away within a month of their arrival. She came back to New York with very little and was depressed, and about to lose her home. I helped her to understand that she was eligible to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as well as her husband’s pension. She is now much more positive and healthy. We applied for an apartment for her in Brooklyn, and she should be moving in soon.”
– Harold Johnson
4. “We see a lot of people with comorbidities, meaning that they may have mental health diagnoses and also problems with alcohol or drug addiction,” says Harold Johnson, an 1199 Social Worker who works with adults. Mental illness keeps them trapped, and it is even harder to overcome their addictions. “We give them the tools to thrive. When people know better, they do better. Often people suffer from depression and self-doubt. We’re here to help them step back into their lives.”
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7. “I like my job because I don’t have to come into the office every day. I worked for 40 years at Metropolitan Hospital in East Harlem, says Sharon Brown-Gross, an 1199 Case Manager, who now works with people with severe mental health challenges. Some of her clients are parolees, or people who have recently returned home from in-patient psychiatric care. “Many of the people I see do not believe they need mental health services,” she says, but there are many success stories. “I saw a gentleman with severe substance abuse problems, who has now been sober for well over two years. I never thought he would get there, but recovery is definitely possible. You just have to do the work. We were one piece of the puzzle that helped him get well.”
5. One of the longest-serving 1199ers at the Upper Manhattan center is Jackie Alcantara, who started more than 30 years ago. Now a Care Manager, Alcantara began as a receptionist in the intake section. At age 19, she didn’t feel ready for college. But by 2021, she had earned her Human Services degree and now plans to study for a Master’s Degree with the help of 1199 education benefits. “I went to school so that I could work with clients one-to-one in their community,” she says. It was rewarding to meet a person with multiple health challenges recently, who had difficulty doing household chores. Alcantara was able to complete the paperwork to get the woman a Home Health Aide paid for by Medicaid. 6. 1199 Care Manager Omar Perez Mendoza is bilingual and specializes in adult mental health. Half of his case load are Spanish speakers. He’s now studying nursing and hopes to become a Nurse Practitioner. “I am passionate about my work. I love what I do,” he says. “My phone is open 24/7, and some of the people I work with do call me several times a week. I have one client who calls me at 1 a.m.” 12
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OUR UNION
Victory for Rochester Members One day strike in Upstate New York leads to landmark deal.
Nearly 1,000 healthcare union members in Rochester, New York, have signed a groundbreaking new contract, including wage increases of up to 18% over the three-year term. 1199ers joined forces with SEIU Local 200United to ratify the deal with University of Rochester Medical Center after holding a massive informational picket and historic 17-hour strike. “The last strike at this hospital was back in the mid-Seventies,” says Shariff Hill, an 1199 Cook and Chief Delegate in the Hospital’s Food and Nutrition Department. “The only reason we voted to authorize a strike this time around
was that the employer refused to pay us a living wage. The things we go through here, day in and day out…they called us heroes during the pandemic, but sitting at the bargaining table they treated us like commodities. “We came at them head-on with a one-day strike. But it took the threat of another 72-hour strike to really move them at the table.” After members took the second strike vote, negotiations finally took a turn and bargaining ran late into the night. Hill adds, “They needed to see a show of strength. Members were fed up not making what we should be making. Too many of us are living paycheck to paycheck, barely putting groceries on the table. Members are having to decide whether to put gas in the car or feed their kids. We were asking ourselves: ‘Why should I risk my health for an employer who just doesn’t care for me?’” 1199 Delegate Robin White—another member of the bargaining committee and a Patient Care Technician at Strong Memorial Hospital—says, “The improvements we won for workers in this contract will improve the lives our union members and their families. It will also attract more workers to fill vacancies reducing our heavy workload.” Starting pay for new hires will be $17 per-hour by December 31, and workers will reach $18.38 per-hour at start of the third year. As well as wage improvements, members also won job upgrades, maintained their no-cost healthcare, and increased their childcare benefits and training pay. “Covid played a huge part in our deciding to strike,” says April
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“Covid played a huge part in our deciding to strike. Traveling PCTs were making much more than we were. Management is trying to eliminate the union by not filling PCT vacancies.” – April Shepherd, (right) an 1199 Patient Care Tech
UMRC members taking a stand.
Shepherd, an 1199 Patient Care Tech who’s worked at UMRC for 21 years, and served on the bargaining committee as a Delegate. “Traveling PCTs were making much more than we were. Management is trying to eliminate the union by not filling PCT vacancies. Agency staff do not get benefits, so even though they are paid more, it is cheaper overall for management to go that route. “We all now walk in the door at a certain dollar amount. I got a 12 percent raise. I’m studying to be an LPN, so I’m doing fewer hours. The pay increase means that I will not lose money.” Shepherd adds, “We used to have 400 PCT members and that has whittled down to just 200 over the past eight years. On my
unit we used to have ten techs then we were down to two and our manager was forced to hire a third. Some units are now forced to work without any PCTs at all.” Hari Kadariya, an 1199 Environmental Service member, who joined the bargaining committee for the first time, says the hospital “should have signed a contract based on our proposals. “So many other jobs in Rochester pay more than $20 per-hour as a starting salary,” the mother of three who is now pregnant with her fourth child says. “The hospital hasn’t been able to find employees. We cannot raise our families on just $15 per hour. We did not want to strike, but they forced us into it.”
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OUR MEMBERS
“It’s great being a part of something bigger and knowing you have strength and a voice to accomplish more and stand up for everyone else when they can’t speak up for themselves.”
Fighting for Workers' Rights in Florida A new Delegate cuts her teeth in a national campaign against a giant corporation.
Caring for people comes naturally to Jennifer Parker, a Unit Secretary at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, located on the outskirts of Orlando. “I generally like helping people, and I like to see them doing well,” the 23-year HCA veteran says. It turns out that being an 1199SEIU member in Florida is also a natural fit for Parker—she discovered the union thanks to the mentorship of her organizer, Janelle Manigault. “I started having issues with my boss and Janelle would help and guide me to handle those situations – she was behind me every step of the way,” Parker says. “I saw then that I wanted to be involved with 1199.” Manigault quickly saw Parker’s leadership potential and encouraged her to become a Delegate almost two years ago. “Being a Delegate has given me more leeway and say so when someone’s in trouble. I have more [resources] available to help them; it’s opened up so many doors for me.” Parker has strengthened her leadership and advocacy skills by being on the bargaining committee for the recent contract 16
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fight with HCA Healthcare. After joining a national campaign with partner locals across the country, Florida 1199ers won a landmark contract with the healthcare giant in August, which included significant wage increases for the lowest earners. “I’ve seen a ton of changes at the hospital since I started, a lot of them were not good,” says Parker, who was 19 when she began working at HCA (then owned by Columbia) back in 2000. During the contract fight, she flew to Nashville, Tennessee in May 2023 for a rally at HCA’s headquarters with a delegation of Florida 1199ers. “I wanted to take part because of how they were treating us, by not giving us fair wages for so long,” she says. “It felt amazing taking this action because it meant something. We went in the middle of negotiations and so many people showed up. We knew we had to show management we were not going to back down. We actually saw them on the roof watching us with binoculars and we didn’t care—it was great.” The persistence paid off when
they settled the contract with one of the highest wage increases in HCA’s history. “It was the first increase I’d gotten in nine years,” says Parker, who is also proud to have played a role in helping her coworkers have a better quality of life. After the contract victory, Parker kept up the fight, using her skills in the Florida Reproductive Rights ballot initiative and helping to secure the victory of Florida House Representative Tom Keen. “I try as much as I can to get out and make my voice heard,” Parker says. “I have people ask me, how can I be like you? I’m mentoring a friend who’s trying to be a Delegate, so I’m showing her the ropes a little bit. I see a little of myself in her and how I was at the beginning, so I can train and guide her and hopefully she can become a Delegate too.” As far as what keeps her motivated, Parker says its the victories, the camaraderie, and sharing the benefits of being a part of the union. “When you see and feel the victories, it gives you encouragement to keep pressing on,” she adds. “When I’ve worked
– Jennifer Parker
with a member and given helpful advice, when people come to me with their issues and I’m able to get them what they need, all of these are wins—and it keeps me fueled and keeps me going. They become family members; you become close to people and lean on each other. It’s a good feeling that you’re a part of something that gives you a voice and helps you stand strong. It’s great being a part of something bigger and knowing you have strength and a voice to
JENNIFER PARKER
Unit Secretary at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital
accomplish more and stand up for everyone else when they can’t speak up for themselves.” People don’t always recognize what goes on behind the scenes to achieve what’s been achieved, Parker says. “I know because I fought for it; I educate people so they know what the union is doing for them. I let my fellow employees know that the reason they have what they have at HCA is because of 1199, and I tell them to spread the word so everyone knows.” 1199 Magazine
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POLITICS
HEALTHCARE JUSTICE NOW
It’s time to demand New York State stop selling Medicaid short. Every single week since the start of the year, 1199 members from all over New York State have been making the trip to Albany to deliver one clear message to the Governor: “It’s raining now!” All the way from Buffalo to the eastern tip of Long Island, members have been confronting their legislators with the stark realities of short-staffing and service line cuts in their institutions, which are getting in the way of delivering the quality care that all New Yorkers deserve. 1199ers know that a small portion of the state’s unprecedented reserves could close the Medicaid funding gap, save struggling hospitals, and protect low-income seniors, children, families and people with disabilities. So, they are demanding that New York Governor Kathy Hochul fund Medicaid to protect the most vulnerable in the state who need help right now. Shameka Burnette-Mathews traveled all the way from Niagara Falls with fellow members from Erie, Chautauqua and Niagara counties to give her elected representatives a first-hand account of what the Medicaid gap means in practice. Burnette-Matthews, an 1199 Delegate and Medical Secretary at Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, told them, “Even for those patients who are not on Medicaid, the funding gap affects the services the hospital can offer to everyone, including those with private insurance “It wouldn’t take away from anything else,” she said. “We know that local representatives in Western New York agree. It is a matter of what they tell the Governor when they are 18
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in the big room.” Medicaid equity is a civil rights issue. Over seven million New Yorkers rely on the services it funds—the majority of whom come from Black and Latino communities. But at the moment, New York State is reimbursing hospitals 30 percent less than the actual cost of needed care. This Medicaid funding gap endangers healthcare providers and the low-income patients who rely on them. The impact of COVID has only made matters worse, with hospitals across New York State struggling more than ever. Many have already slashed maternity care and mental health services, and dozens teeter on the financial brink. Last year, both Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn and Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan announced that they were closing services. Eastern Niagara Hospital in Western New York already closed its doors last June. The New York State Office of Mental Health has also reported the closure of 850 inpatient psychiatric beds across the State. Chronic underfunding of psychiatric services makes operating and staffing these services extremely difficult. Over the past 15 years, nearly 30 maternity units have shut down or reduced services. Sandra Diaz an 1199 Delegate and CNA at the Cabrini nursing home in Dobbs Ferry, has personal experience of what reducing maternity care means. “With the state paying out 30 percent less than what care actually costs, it means that there are
1199ers from all over New York State holding press conferences and lobbying their elected officials for Medicaid equity. Photos continue on p. 20.
“My community is suffering because the State of New York refuses to pay the full cost of care for Medicaid patients while it sits on massive reserves that could be saving lives.” – Sandra Diaz, an 1199 Delegate and CNA at the Cabrini nursing home in Dobbs Ferry.
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fewer providers willing to accept Medicaid in the Bronx and around the state,” she said. “Women in the Bronx and similar communities are much more likely to have these childbirth complications than women in wealthy areas. I had to have two C-sections myself. It breaks my heart imagining that my babies could have gone home from hospital without their mother. It troubles me that my neighbors— Black & Latina women—are much more likely to have C-sections, life-threatening complications and even fatalities during childbirth.” Diaz said her community is suffering because the state refuses to pay the full cost of care for Medicaid patients, while the State of New York sits on massive reserves that could be saving lives. “Why? Are my neighbors in Morris Heights 30 percent less valuable than people in other communities?” she said. NYS elected representative also heard from Ana Medina, an 1199 Delegate and home care worker who lives in the South Bronx. “I’m the mother of three and have three beautiful grandchildren,” Medina said. “Growing up, my kids depended on Medicaid, and now two of my grandchildren are on Medicaid. Many people may not realize that so many hardworking New Yorkers, including healthcare workers who take care of other people’s families, do not have private insurance. This means our children often depend on Medicaid to be healthy.” Medina also knows what it’s like to have to go through the re-enrollment process every year—worried that they are looking for any excuse to take away her children’s’ health insurance. “Kids are exposed to so much at school. It is critical they have coverage,” she adds. “Missing checkups and shots, leaving asthma untreated—there are so many conditions that can become severe when they could have been prevented. Children and their parents should not worry about paying for medical expenses when they are struggling with an illness. We should be doing everything possible to keep children healthy—not putting up roadblocks.” 20
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OUR UNION
“Growing up, my kids depended on Medicaid, and now two of my grandchildren are on Medicaid. Kids are exposed to so much at school. It is critical they have coverage.” – Ana Medina, 1199 home care Delegate, who lives in the South Bronx.
Union Victories in MA and NY
1199 continues to grow and add new members who go on to negotiate strong contracts. Nearly 300 healthcare workers in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts were celebrating on December 13, after forming a union with 1199SEIU at Upham’s Corner Health Center. “For me it was moving that we achieved a decisive victory for the working class,” said Jose Morales, a home care worker at Upham’s Corner. “With this process that we have achieved with La Unión 1199SEIU, we can negotiate a decent contract; where our voices are heard without any type of coercion.” Home care worker Ruth Akhungu said, “With the backing of our union, we have a strong voice to improve our working conditions and pay. As home care workers providing essential care, we need guaranteed raises, so our salaries increase with the rising cost of living.” The workers who voted to join 1199SEIU include home health aides, medical assistants, patient service representatives, maintenance and dental assistants. The Union victory at Upham’s Corner comes less than two months after nearly 450 workers at another Boston clinic, Fenway Health, voted to join 1199. Members at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, who formed their union in 2022, also agreed to their first contract in September 2023. In New York, more than 140 laboratory technologists at Northwell Health’s microbiologist facility won their 1199 vote on December
20. These professional workers intend to stay strong and build for their first contract battle with the healthcare giant. On the same day, another group of 17 professional workers at Mercy Hospital in Long Island celebrated an 1199SEIU union victory of their own. The case managers and social workers in the hospital’s behavioral health unit are the latest group to join 1199 since the hospital service workers were first organized in 2017.
These original members at Mercy Hospital recently negotiated substantial raises in their second contract. Direct care workers at the hospital will see increases of 18 percent over the next three years and significant improvements to their healthcare plan. “The pay increases we fought for and won are substantial,” 15year dietary aide Dawn Naughton said. “A lot of us have been working overtime or two jobs to survive. I did the calculations, and they are going to make a big difference in my life.” Manny Oxilus, a clinical laboratory associate who has worked at Mercy for 14 years, called the contract the “biggest win since we voted to join the union.” “People said it couldn’t be done, but we did it,” he said. “This contract has competitive wages and benefits that will help attract new talent and workers– and better staffing means better patient care.”
Caption TK here
Ruth Akhungu, a home care worker at Upham’s Corner
“For me, it was moving that we achieved a decisive victory for the working class.” – Jose Morales, a homecare worker at Upham’s Corner Health Center
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OUR HISTORY
1199ers preparing to march on Washington in 1963 Members march in Manhattan in 1995 to protest Republican Gov. George Pataki’s proposed Medicaid cuts.
SOCIAL JUSTICE MEDICAID PROMOTES
The “Great Society” programs that advanced civil rights. “Of all the inequalities that exist, the injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhuman,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated in the 1960s. Dr. King added that the health care system was a clear example of the denial of civil rights. In 1963, some 1,000 members of 1199 boarded trains to attend the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In the following two years, Congress passed, and President Lyndon Johnson signed, some of the most important bills in our nation’s history. Chief among them were the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Medicare and Medicaid Act. It’s no coincidence those landmark bills addressed both health care and civil rights. The two are inseparable. Civil and voting rights were designed to grant full citizenship to all. Medicare and Medicaid were meant to provide seniors and the poor their human right to quality health care. 22
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Title VI of the Civil Rights Act protects persons from discrimination based on race, gender, religion, sexuality, national origin, disability, and age in all programs that receive federal funding. Medicare insurance covers seniors. It is paid for through two U.S. Treasury trust fund accounts. Enrollees also pay a monthly premium. Medicaid provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income. Medicaid is jointly funded by federal and state governments, but primarily managed by the state. It is by far the largest source of health care funding for people of low income. Medicaid along with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover some 40 million of the nation’s children. With the passage of Medicare and Medicaid, the financial landscape for hospitals shifted in the late 1960s from fee-for service and philanthropic contributions
to federal funding. As a result, the Union campaigned for adequate funding. 1199’s lobbying campaigns did not separate the needs of members from the human rights issues of quality care and full access for all. The Union Constitution states: “Thus, together with our partners in the healthcare industry, and our friends in our communities, we can build a political environment that can expand access to affordable quality care to everyone and work to create a more healthy—and a more just—society for all.” In the late 1980s, 1199 leveraged its growing political clout to emerge as a major protector of health care in New York State. Home Care, the Union’s newest and fastest-growing division at the time, depended almost entirely on Medicaid dollars. The Union’s lobbying and demonstrations targeted both Democratic and Republican administrations. For example, on March 14, 1989 some 7,000 members rallied in Albany, NY to successfully prevent Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo from slashing the state Medicaid budget by $310 million. Exactly six years later, some 30,000 members marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Ave. to successfully block Republican Gov. George Pataki’s proposed Medicaid cuts. During the 1990s, management at the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes also joined hands with 1199 in its lobbying efforts. 1199 News reported that during the decade, the Union had forced Albany to back down on more than $11 billion in proposed Medicaid reductions. The Union also used its political clout in Washington. In 1997, Vice President Al Gore helped direct an additional $1.25 billion in Medicaid dollars to the state. In 1999, the Union and the Greater NY Hospital Association strengthened their cooperation and their outreach to civic and religious leaders when they jointly formed the Health Care Education Project (HEP). HEP’s mission is to protect and expand access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans through education, advocacy, and coalition building.
“Together with our partners in the healthcare industry, we can build a political environment that can expand access to affordable quality care to everyone and work to create a more healthy—and a more just—society for all.” – 1199 Constitution
The organization conducts education and advocacy efforts on critical health care issues. The work of HEP continues to win major budget fights in the 21st century. Each victory means that more patients, particularly from traditionally underserved communities, have access to care. The obstacles to quality care and their connections to economic and civil rights came sharply into focus in the campaign to defeat and subsequently repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA). A key element of the ACA is the expansion of Medicaid in any state that accepts ACA funds. To date, 10 states have refused to expand Medicaid eligibility under the ACA. Eight of the 10 are Southern “right-to-work” states with poor records of defending civil rights. A March 2023 study by The Commonwealth Fund found that under the ACA: “Insurance coverage rates improved for Black, Hispanic, and white adults between 2013 and 2021. The coverage gap between Black and white adults dropped from 9.9 to 5.3 percentage points, while the gap between Hispanic and white adults dropped from 25.7 to 16.3 points. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders also increased coverage. It is now time to go one step further, which is why 1199 recently launched the Medicaid Equity campaign to ensure that New York State reimburses institutions who serve Medicaid patients at the same rate as commercial insurers do—a model which we must advocate for nationwide.
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“Care Managers are problem solvers,” says Edwina Rivers, an 1199 Delegate who works at Upper Manhattan Mental Health, where members provide an important social safety net to the local community. See page 17.
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