Healthcare Workers Fight Back to Protect Funding, Jobs, and Patient Care | CWA District 1 Newsletter
Read on the web: From the Desk of the Assistant to the Vice President of CWA District 1CWAers Fight to Stop Disastrous Cuts to Healthcare ServicesUpcoming Event: Info Session on Rising Costs of HealthcareThousands of Union Members Rally in New York to FIX TIER 6!Local 1109 Welcomes New Members at Chelsea PiersLocal 1037 Members Mobilize for a Strong ContractWomen’s History Month Town Hall: March 25Upcoming Event: Know Your Rights in the Workplace, April 22  From the Desk of the Vice President of CWA District 1We get questions at times from our members about why CWA engages in politics. We’re a labor union, a strong, fighting union that makes it possible for us to stand together to fight for good wages and benefits, and make sure that every worker has the opportunity for a good life.What does that have to do with politics? The reality is that our fight — on the job and at the bargaining table — is deeply affected by politics. By the legislators we elect to office and the laws they pass, the policies they put in place.HealthcarePensions and retirement securityWorkplace conditionsThey’re all impacted by elected officials and the decisions they make. Even our very right to organize, bargain, and strike is affected by the laws and regulations that electeds set. We could choose to sit politics out — but that would mean being left out of the room where decisions are being made and leaving it all to big corporations and the richest Americans to make decisions for us. If our union doesn’t have a voice in those decisions, powerful corporate interests will dominate them.Our political work isn’t about party loyalty — it’s about strategic campaigns to improve the lives of our members. We represent a diverse membership, and I’m very proud of that diversity and our ability to come together to fight for our wages and working conditions, and for the rights we all deserve. But I also know that because of this diversity, some of the issues we take on may feel distant to some and deeply personal for others. We’re not always going to agree on every issue! But the bottom line is that these things do have real, everyday impacts on working people, and staying silent means losing our voice and our ability to influence them for working people. That is not an option. Just as we fight for a voice at work, we fight for a voice in our communities — because our lives, our jobs, and our futures depend on it.CWAers Fight to Stop Disastrous Cuts to Healthcare Services  In the wake of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that will slash federal funding for healthcare services, many healthcare facilities throughout the country are taking the opportunity to make their own drastic cuts to services and staff.Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY, where CWA Local 1168 represents thousands of workers, has already announced the planned closure of several vital services throughout the region, signaling a deeper incoming crisis for a healthcare system that is already struggling and a workforce that is already stretched far too thin. CWA Local 1168 has stepped up to help lead the fight to protect our communities and keep as many services open as possible. On February 19th, Local 1168 leaders and members joined other healthcare workers, patients, and community members to defend access to critical rehab care at a public hearing addressing Kaleida’s proposal to cut Medical Rehabilitation Unit services at Buffalo General Medical Center.”There’s just not enough medical rehab beds at Erie County Medical Center, and Catholic Health, and now here,” said CWA 1168 President Cori Gambini. “Everybody’s cutting those beds, right? The focus has lately been on acute care. So, we can save a life, and we’ll take care of you, and they do a great job, we do a great job here doing that, but when it comes down to rehab, you’re going to be on your own.” The Medical Rehab Unit currently serves an average of 26 to 29 patients per day; reducing the unit would leave eight to eleven patients per day without access to rehab services.  CWA healthcare members aren’t stopping there — on March 6th, CWA Locals 1122, 1133, and 1168 joined a huge coalition of unions and community groups in Western New York to hold a press conference calling on the State Legislature to include money in the NYS budget to address funding cuts impacting our communities. Following the passage of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in Congress last year, billions of dollars are being cut from healthcare funding — these devastating cuts will impact healthcare funding to our local hospitals, nursing homes, homecare and clinics, risking healthcare jobs, cutting services, and increasing wait times for care. “Medicaid cuts are directly worsening short staffing in our facilities,” said Brian Magner, RN and President of CWA Local 1133. “When positions go unfilled and workloads grow, patients wait longer, complications increase, and lives are put at risk. We are calling on New York State to increase Medicaid funding in this year’s budget to protect safe staffing and patient care.””Shutting down clinics and reducing Medical Rehab Unit beds goes beyond merely cutting services,” said Cori Gambini, RN and President of CWA Local 1168. “It hinders recovery, deprives patients of their independence, and places immense pressure on families and an already overwhelmed Healthcare system. It is imperative that New York State fills in the gap that the Federal Government took from this community. Medicaid funding from NYS must ensure these vital services remain open and accessible.” Watch video of the press conference here. You can help! Send an email to your NYS Assemblymember and Senator to tell them that we need to restore $500 million in funding cuts to make sure that financially struggling hospitals get the care that they need!Upcoming Event: Webinar on Rising Costs of Healthcare +(4).png) The US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world – and our costs are only increasing each year, even as we bargain strong contracts. What’s behind it? Join us on Thursday, March 26 at 7pm ET for a webinar and discussion with Michael Kinnucan, a healthcare economist from the Fiscal Policy Institute, who will break down the real forces driving up the cost of healthcare. We’ll discuss:What these trends mean for working peopleWhy healthcare costs have become a central issue for Americans across the country and in negotiations at the bargaining table across all industries>>Click here to register for the webinar.The webinar will be held virtually over Zoom, so you can join from anywhere! A link to join will be sent after you register.Thousands of Union Members Rally in New York to FIX TIER 6! .png) On March 8, thousands of union members packed the MVP Arena in Albany, NY in an incredible show of solidarity, calling on the Governor and State Legislature to Fix Tier 6 in this year’s New York State budget, which is being debated as we speak. The Tier 6 pension system for New York’s public employees is unfair, hurts recruitment and retention in public service, and weakens the promise of a dignified retirement for workers who serve our. communities  Workers hired after 2012 pay more into the pension system, work longer, and receive smaller retirement benefits than earlier tiers. Tier 6 members contribute 3-6% of their salaries for their entire careers, while earlier tiers stop contributing after a set number of years. They also cannot retire without penalties until age 63, compared to age 55 with 30 years of service under Tier 4. We’re working to fix this in the New York Legislature this year – you can help! Send an email to your NYS Assemblymember and Senator to tell them that we need to include Fix Tier 6 reforms in the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget! Check out this episode of the NYS AFL-CIO’s Union Strong Podcast to learn more about the fight to Fix Tier 6. CWA Local 1109 Welcomes New Members at Chelsea Piers .png) On February 17 a unit of 129 servers at Pier 60, LLC (Chelsea Piers) in Manhattan voted overwhelmingly YES to join CWA Local 1109! Local 1109 organizer Ena Lee worked with the Organizing Committee to build a supermajority of support, reaching a majority of signed cards within just 24 hours of the launch. The Organizing Committee tracked public support consistently and workers wore red “CWA Yes” bands to show that they were all in for their union, and signed Vote Yes pledge cards leading up to receiving their union ballots. Local 1109 leadership attended union meetings and distributed campaign materials, and Executive Board member Steve Moser advised workers on operating like a union before the election, including collective actions that reinstated a suspended worker with backpay. Congratulations and welcome to our newest members! +(1).png) CWA Local 1037 Members Mobilize to Secure Better Futures for Workers and the Community  Bergen’s Promise workers, members of CWA Local 1037, are building their power through solidarity and collective action to win the contract they deserve that includes salary increases, affordable healthcare, and a better work/life balance. They recently circulated a petition calling on management to settle a fair contract, signed by 97% of the workers.Bergen’s Promise workers provide care management services and coordinate a number of community-based resources for youth ages 5-21 and their families.Upcoming Event: Women’s History Month Town Hall, March 25 +(2).png) March is Women’s History Month! Please join the CWA National Women’s Committee for a Town Hall on Wednesday, March 25, from 7pm-8pm ET to discuss awareness and prevention of sexual violence in the workplace. >>Click here to register.Upcoming Event: Know Your Rights in the Workplace, April 22 +(3).png) As we see an increased presence of immigration enforcement in many workplaces, including some of our own, it’s important to know what your legal rights are at your job if you’re in a situation like this. Join us for our next virtual “Know Your Rights” training (conducted over Zoom) on Wednesday, April 22, at 7pm to hear from lawyers from the AFL-CIO, covering constitutional rights in and out of the workplace and how they apply to immigration enforcement, protesting and other acts of civil resistance. >>Click here to register. If you or a coworker is more comfortable receiving the training in Spanish, we’ll be hosting a training conducted in Spanish on April 15.CWA District 1 80 Pine Street, 37th Floor New York NY, 10005 cwad1.org |