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1199 on the move

Tens of thousands of 1199ers and supporters marched through midtown Manhattan on June 18 to demand a new contract from the hospital bosses' association, the League of Voluntary Hospitals. 1199 recently merged with the Service Employees union, and members of other Service Employees locals joined the march in support of 1199.

The 1199ers were demanding improved job security, wage increases and the right to organize new workers. Hospitals and their affiliates have moved many hospital services to out-patient neighborhood clinics and in-home care, and workers at these sites need the union.

Three days after the mass demonstration, on June 21, negotiators announced that they had reached a tentative contract agreement. The tentative settlement will avert the strike of 30,000 hospital workers that was planned for July 1.

The outline of the agreement includes some advances for the union, but it also leaves some of these issues unresolved. More details will be available in the coming weeks.

-Hillel Cohen
Delegate, 1199 National Health and
Human Services Union,
Service Employees
New York

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