Bronxville, N.Y.
Rally demands fair union election for hospital
workers
By Joe
Yuskaitis
1199
Delegate
Bronxville, N.Y.
Three thousand workers from 1199 Service Employees
International Union marched through the streets here on May
16. The protest supported employees at Lawrence Hospital who
are fighting for union representation.
The demonstrators were dressed in white lab coats
emblazoned with the slogan "Justice for Lawrence Hospital
workers." They wore purple union hats proudly showing their
union affiliation.
They carried signs that read "Justice for hospital
workers" and "Whatever it takes, as long as it takes."
Protesters loudly chanted, "Ho, ho, hey, hey, 1199 is here to
stay."
The demonstration was in response to the hospital's hiring
of a union-busting firm from Kentucky that was brought in to
intimidate the workers. This resulted in a recent vote of 124
to 119 against the union. Leaders of 1199 are asking for a
new election, free from intimidation and coercion.
Dennis Rivera, president of 1199, addressed the mass
gathering in front of the Bronxville station of the Metro
North Railroad where the march concluded. He pledged that the
union would be there in the future in greater and greater
numbers until there was a fair election.
He added that letters to the hospital board of directors
have called for fair elections free from intimidation. But
the board has apparently no interest in meeting. As a
consequence, the union has earmarked monies for newspaper ads
and daily picketing has been set up. In addition to rotating
picket lines, home visits to board members are planned, since
they are unwilling to meet with union officials.
The enthusiastic crowd cheered as Rivera introduced actor
and activist Ossie Davis. Davis vowed he would be back for
future demonstrations and that the rallies would increase in
size as the struggle continued.
As the Rev. Jesse Jackson was introduced, protesters
erupted with chants of, "Fair elections" and "Keep hope
alive." Jackson remarked "it was wrong to steal an election
in Florida and one in Lawrence Hospital.
"It is not so much a race struggle but a class struggle,"
he added, that is about "feeding families and educating
children."
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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