1199 HOSPITAL WORKERS
Major New York union takes anti-war stand
By an 1199 Delegate
New York
Thousands of delegates of 1199 SEIU crowded the historic
Apollo Theatre in Harlem on Sept. 20 to mourn the victims and
to consider the challenges presented by the Sept. 11 attack on
the World Trade Center.
The 1199 Health and Human Services Union is part of the
Service Employees International Union. With close to 200,000
members, it is the largest local in the greater New York area.
1199 represents workers in private and non-profit hospitals,
nursing homes and home care agencies, along with various health
and service institutions. Members and delegates come
predominantly from New York's African American and Latino
communities. The union has a militant and progressive
reputation.
Union President Dennis Rivera introduced the co-workers and
family of Marc Sullins, an emergency medical technician at
Cabrini Hospital. This union member was off-duty when he heard
about the Sept. 11 disaster. From a couple of miles away he
rushed to the World Trade Center to help. He had pulled at
least three people to safety when he re-entered one of the
towers just before it collapsed. He was never seen again.
One SEIU member lost a nephew there, another one a spouse.
Other members who had rushed to help were also lost, while
several members from other cities were on the hijacked
planes.
Local 32BJ, a sister local in SEIU, represented the building
service workers at the World Trade Center. Many of its members
are missing, and 5,000 survivors lost their jobs.
The international union has started a fund for the families
of those who died and for those in need because of lost jobs.
Local 32BJ has negotiated extended supplementary unemployment
insurance that will cover health insurance and 80 percent of
wages for the survivors.
An agreement was made with management for preferential
hiring. But, with the downturn in the economy, it is hard to
say whether new jobs will be available before the workers'
unemployment insurance runs out.
Union takes anti-war stand
Rivera presented principles of unity with regard to the
attack that had just been adopted by the union's Executive
Council, including that terrorism cannot be condoned or
justified; the perpetrators should be brought to justice; war
should be rejected as a response to the attack.
The last point--war is not the answer--stands out. It puts
1199 among those in the front line of the U.S. labor movement.
A motion for the delegates to support the council's position
was adopted by acclamation.
Earlier in the day, members of the union's negotiating
committee had taken up the difficult contract situation that
Sept. 11 created.
This year, for the first time, 1199 had been able to
coordinate contract expiration dates so that the contracts for
about 100,000 members would expire on Oct. 31. The contract
fight had been about to start. But the attack has made it
impossible for members to focus on the contract struggle.
Even worse, it would be extremely difficult to win sympathy
from the city's working class for a strike by health care
workers in the midst of this crisis. A substantial amount of
hospital and nursing home income comes from public funds, and
community support has always been essential for a successful
contract. At the same time, a decent contract can never be won
unless the bosses know that the union is willing and able to
conduct a successful strike.
The negotiating committee, following the leadership's
recommendation, is asking management to extend the contract
until the spring, but with an important condition. Management
would have to agree to put in whatever money was necessary
through that time to maintain the current level of health
benefits. Health fund actuaries estimate that this could mean
an additional 5 percent of payroll during this time.
The delegates understood the problem, accepted the proposal
and agreed to bring it back to the members for discussion. It
remains to be seen whether the bosses will agree. While the
League of Voluntary Hospitals represents the bosses in about 60
percent of the contracts, there are a large number of other
employers as well. Since the health care fund is industry wide,
it will be very tricky if some bosses agree and some don't. The
workers will be watching carefully for management's reply.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page