POLITICS
Reproductive Rights 1199ers join the fight to keep abortion safe and available to all.
Putting the Pieces
Together After a lifetime of public service in her job, a Hudson Valley, New York member recognizes the value of political action. Yvette Martinez has been serving people in her local community of Port Jervis, in the Hudson Valley, for her entire adult life. But it is only in the past couple of years, that the connections between public service and political office started to come into focus for her. “I’ve been working at Bon Secours Community Hospital as a Mental Health Technician for the past 26 years,” says Martinez. “My job involves making sure our behavioral health patients attend groups—and sometimes running those groups myself. I am the eyes and ears of the clinicians on the ward.” As her work brought her into direct contact with the victims of the opioid crisis, Martinez became increasingly frustrated by the way local officials were dealing with the public health emergency on her doorstep. The local Port Jervis council voted against opening a methadone clinic, for example. “They wanted to keep the problem hush-hush,” says Martinez. Recognizing her growing interest in politics, an 1199 Delegate at Bon Secours recruited Martinez to become a Member Political Organizer (MPO) with the Union. It was a turning point for her. “Until about two years ago, I didn’t like talking about politics,” Martinez says. “But I have learned so much from 1199 and from sitting in on local council meetings.” As an MPO, Martinez was active during the Midterm cam14
November - December 2023
“I learned that our contracts depend on people we put in office. It is about the money [that elected officials control]. When there is no money, there are no raises.” – Yvette Martinez, Mental Health Technician at Bon Secours Hospital in Port Jervis, NY
paigns last year, talking to people at their doorsteps. “I saw the power that 1199 had because of the wins,” she says. “Those who were elected knew that 1199 had helped. I learned that our contracts depend on people we put in office. It is about the money [that elected officials control]. When there is no money, there are no raises.” She also notes that elected representatives advocated for keeping 1199 institutions open when they were under threat of closure. “If you want to talk about holding onto your money and paying lower taxes, talk to Republicans,” Martinez says. “If you’re interested in quality of life, looking after your family – the kind of things that Unions care about that affect everyone – talk to Democrats." Martinez became so engaged with the political process that she decided to run for the Port Jervis City Council on the Democratic slate. “I wanted more diversity of representation for this town,” she says. “Our slate had a mixture of small business owners, healthcare workers, educators and working people.” Unfortunately, two Republicans ran against her. One candidate quit the race after submitting his name, but it was too late to remove him from the ballot. The confusion resulted in Martinez losing the election by a handful of votes. Martinez had actually been involved in politics for years — even before her bid for public office. She just didn’t see it that way. As a long-term hospital employee, Martinez learned the details of the contract, and fellow members often came to her for advice. “But at the time, I didn’t want the responsibility or obligation of being a Union Delegate,” she recalls. “Back then, I really had no use for the Union. I thought it was just for people who got into trouble at work.” But once she became an MPO and started making connections, Martinez decided to become a Delegate, too. “All my weekends lately have been spent in Albany lobbying for increases in home care members’ wages and housing protections for working families. Last December, I went on a lobbying visit to Washington D.C.,” Martinez says. She has not given up on her own political ambitions, either. “I have been serving people my whole life, and it’s time to seek a bigger platform to make change,” she says. “Everything we have, people fought for at one time.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year and removed the constitutional right to abortion, poll after poll has demonstrated the unpopularity of the judgement. Most Americans seem to believe that the decision about whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is not something the state should weigh in on. Last year, six states included abortion-related measures on the ballot. Each poll resulted in victories for abortion-rights advocates, including those in more conservative states such as Kansas and Kentucky. In the most recent victory in Ohio in early November, campaigners appealed to voters innate conservatism about government overreach rather than focusing squarely on women’s rights. The strategy seemed to appeal to the widest group of voters. In Florida, 1199ers are taking part in a campaign to put reproductive rights on the 2024 general election ballot. If the initiative goes ahead, it would give Floridians the chance to vote down a potential 6-week abortion ban that is looming on the horizon in the sunshine state. At press time, there were more than 600,000 signatures on a petition for the constitutional amendment championed by Floridians Protecting Freedom. Deborah Montgomery, an 1199 RN and lactation consultant who lives in Palm Beach said her fellow nurses, doctors and caregivers were overwhelmingly against this extremist overreach by the state. “That is why 1199SEIU, the largest union of caregivers in the state, is strongly supporting the ballot initiative. In addition to our members canvassing neighborhoods, operating phone and text banks, and other volunteer actions, our Union will make a $250,000 contribution to gather petition signatures and votes,” Montgomery told the Palm Beach Post. “Like the vast majority of Floridians, and academic non-partisan studies prove this, our caregivers feel deeply that reproductive healthcare matters should be private, personal rights ― not for the state to intrude. We know that the decision to have an abortion is always delicate, difficult and usually necessary. It’s no place for cynical politicians or uninformed bureaucrats to flagrantly trample,” she added. Laws that outlaw abortion most hurt women and communities who need the most compassion and support. Low-income women, already challenged by lack of access to affordable healthcare, are not able to afford to travel to another state that provides proper reproductive and abortion rights. 1199 Magazine
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