PHOTO BY ROSE LINCOLN
4 4. Pete Seeger, the People’s Troubadour Like Nelson Mandela, Pete Seeger also was persecuted for his political beliefs and activism on behalf of working and oppressed people. He passed away on Jan. 27 at age 94. Seeger inspired and led a renaissance of folk music with his trademark five-string banjo and songs of love, peace, and brotherhood. He was a champion of labor, civil rights and liberties, and the environment. Blacklisted in the 1950s for his left-wing politics, later generations celebrated him and denounced his persecutors. He sang at President Barack Obama’s 2013 inauguration ceremony along with Bruce Springsteen and others. “He was on the right side of every issue,” says Charles McLaughlin, who recently retired from his position of ultrasound technician at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. “He was one of labor’s greatest allies.”
5. Zenith Nursing Home Strike At Zenith NH in Lexington, MA (now called Excel NH) workers—supported by community groups and elected officials—fought off the implementation of pay cuts of 40% to 60%. Zenith workers stood strong and after a months-long campaign successfully defeated the pay cuts and other measures that would have driven them into poverty.
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6. Hopkins Strike Victory In July, after a series of strikes and a rally that brought thousands of 1199SEIU members and their families to Baltimore in a show of support, 2,000 caregivers at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore settled a four-and-a-half year agreement that dramatically improved pay for low-wage workers at Hopkins. Lowpaid employees at Hopkins received raises as high as 38 percent over the life of the contract. Hopkins workers also won a $15-an-hour minimum wage that will apply immediately to workers with 20 years of service. Workers with 15 years of service will make at least $14.50 in 2015. “This contract will make a real difference in the lives of Hopkins workers, and sets a stronger standard for healthcare workers all across Baltimore,” said food service worker Michelle Horton. 7. Tallwoods Care Center Organizing Victory On March 28 workers at the Bayville, NJ institution voted 80-50 for representation by 1199SEIU. The new bargaining unit covers 205 workers and includes CNAs, LPNs, housekeepers, receptionists, dietary, laundry and recreational workers. Tallwoods workers overcame a vicious antiworker campaign and refused to be intimidated by harassment, captive audience meetings, other management union busting tactics.
8. Farewell Basil Paterson, our counsel and defender died April 16 in New York City, where he was born and raised and where he has left an indelible mark. He was an icon in New York politics, serving as New York City deputy mayor, a state senator and New York’s first African American secretary of state. His son, David Paterson, was New York’s first African American governor, serving from 2008-2010. The elder Paterson was a staunch supporter of 1199. He helped negotiate many contracts with the League and Voluntary Hospital and Homes. He was widely regarded as a genius strategist and communicator. That is how he is remembered by many 1199ers. “Basil gave people confidence and helped to put fire in our bellies,” says Tommie Williams, the lead materials handler at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx and a veteran of many League negotiations. “When he stepped into the room, he commanded respect and we all felt better.” At Pres. George Gresham’s urging, the 1199SEIU negotiating committee dedicated this year’s League talks to Paterson’s memory. In 2013 to honor Paterson, the Basil Paterson Scholarship Fund was established by 1199SEIU’s Bill Michelson Homecare Education Fund to help provide training, education and employment services for 1199SEIU homecare members.
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11 November/December Our Life And Times November/December 2014 • Our Life2014 And •Times
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