Latest news with #1199SEIU
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
Dozens gather at Boston Medical Center to protest Trump''s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,' cuts to Medicaid
Donald Trump's tax bill, which he signed into law on July 4, will strip about $186 billion from SNAP and close to $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, the Globe Advertisement The bill could strip healthcare coverage from some 250,000 Massachusetts residents, Governor Maura Healey Advertisement Republicans frame the bill as a way to target Medicaid fraud and save money. It would require states to 'We're here to expose the harm of this big, bad bill that will transfer wealth from working people to wealthy people,' said Marlishia Aho, the regional communications director for 1199SEIU. Franswa Jean-Enard, a personal care attendant for his mom and a member of the union, said he's anxious his mom could be stripped of her healthcare benefits 'at any time' because of the cuts even though he has 'all the paperwork to justify her need for it.' She has several conditions, including advanced arthritis, and relies on Medicaid for 'all her care,' including physical therapy and medication. Jean-Enard said it was important for him to protest because even if he isn't ultimately affected, he doesn't want other people to lose access to life-saving treatment. 'Back home in Haiti, there's a saying — when your friend's or neighbor's beard is on fire, put yours in order — which means when something is happening to your neighbor, it could happen to you,' he said. The state requiring more frequent eligibility checks would also be a burden, as Jean-Enard said the paperwork for his mom's Medicaid is already time-consuming and can take months to process. 'I'm hoping it doesn't get to that, but I'm hoping with the help of the union, what we're doing and organizing, we can push back,' he said. Advertisement Jean-Enard said he understands the government wants to streamline spending, but that it shouldn't come at the expense of healthcare. 'Every single PCA is doing crucial work,' he said, adding that his mom's needs will only grow with time. Janice Guzman, also a PCA for her mom, was cut from 'That's why I'm here, fighting back,' Guzman said. 'My mom needs my assistance 24/7 — and I don't get paid for 24/7 — but it's helping me pay my bills. Right now, it's like, what am I going to do?' Others at the protest, like 70-year-old Fe Guidry, a PCA in New Bedford, said they're worried about cuts to SNAP, which Guidry said SNAP 'really helps' her purchase healthy food. 'We're fighting for the benefits that we have,' she said. Emily Spatz can be reached at
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health care union endorses Mamdani as key labor groups line up behind NYC Democratic mayoral nominee
NEW YORK — The largest health care union in the country, 1199SEIU, endorsed Zohran Mamdani on Friday as major organized labor groups coalesce behind the New York City Democratic mayoral nominee following his upset primary win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani has already garnered the backing of DC37, 32BJ, the Hotel Gaming and Trades Council and the United Federation of Teachers, among others. Many of those unions previously supported Cuomo, including 1199. 1199SEIU President Yvonne Armstrong cited Mamdani's push for affordability in the city as a major reason for their support. 'Working people across New York City are uniting to defend our neighborhoods and our city from unprecedented attacks from extremist politicians and their billionaire donors who are taking away health care, ripping families apart and endangering our democracy,' Armstrong said in a statement. 'We are proud to endorse Zohran Mamdani who will fight side-by-side with us to ensure New Yorkers get the services they need, build affordable housing, and create safe communities.' The organization's switch to Mamdani comes after Cuomo announced he was staying in the mayoral race as an independent. Cuomo's spokesperson Rich Azzopardi declined comment. The health care union's former president, George Gresham, was a strong ally of Cuomo and led 1199 when it threw its support behind of Cuomo in the primary. After Gresham was voted out in May, hundreds of rank-and-file members pushed the new leadership to rescind their backing of the former governor. The union has around 200,000 members in the five boroughs. 'I'm proud to earn 1199SEIU's endorsement, and I look forward to their partnership as we fortify our city for working people and ensure our health care system honors both the caregivers who dedicate their lives to healing and the people who rely on their expertise,' Mamdani said. _____
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health care union criticizes Trump spending plan, urges Tenney to vote no
Jun. 30—WATERTOWN — A local health care union is urging U.S. Rep. Claudia L. Tenney to vote no on the president's spending bill, citing concerns of potential cuts to Medicaid. The bill, dubbed by President Donald J. Trump as the "One Big Beautiful Bill," was heavily criticized during a press conference at the Butler Pavilion in Watertown on Monday afternoon. "We're here to tell Claudia Tenney to vote no on the big ugly bill because there is nothing beautiful about this bill," said Mark Spadafore, upstate New York political director for 1199 SEIU. 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East represents more than 450,000 members in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida and Washington, D.C. Spadafore said that the bill would cut nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. "That's what's at risk today and the effect it's going to have here in Watertown, across the 24th Congressional District, across New York state and the country will be devastating to our health care system," he said. A recent analysis done by the University of North Carolina showed that rural hospitals across the country could be faced with steep cuts, including Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg; Massena Hospital; Clifton-Fine Hospital in Star Lake; Gouverneur Hospital; and Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville. The hospitals would be hurt because rural hospitals often have a significant portion of their patients in Medicaid or Medicare programs that serve poor and elderly people. Mike Richmond, a union member and Oswego County hospital worker, has worries that the potential Medicare and Medicaid cuts could result in staff and care being cut. He also worries that people would have to drive long distances in order to receive care. "If we have to travel that far without our community hospitals, more people are going to be harmed," he said. Richmond had to rely on Medicaid for his son's medicine while he went to school to become a nurse. He said if his son did not have Medicaid, Richmond would not have been able to become a nurse and his son would not be contributing back to the community. "I am resolved to get this message out there to show that there's alternatives. To show that we need Medicaid not to be cut," he said. Politico has reported that Planned Parenthood funding is also at risk of having funding cut. Crystal Collette, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of the North Country New York, called the bill a "direct attack on our health and our freedom" while adding it puts almost 200 health centers at the risk of closing and could block over a million patients from receiving essential care. "The American people do not want Congress to eliminate this essential care and defund Planned Parenthood," she said. 1199 SEIU area Vice President Mary Wilsie said she is extremely concerned about the proposed cuts. "This funding loss threatens the existence of our health care facilities," she said. "We do not deserve to see these cuts, job losses, or facility closures." Advocates of the bill have stated the bill will cut "waste, fraud, and abuse." The president wants the bill on his desk to sign by the Fourth of July, which is Friday.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Unions, Kaleida Health agree to second contract extension amid negotiations
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Unions representing almost 8,000 healthcare workers at Kaleida Health have reached a second extension of their three-year labor deal through June 24, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East announced Friday. The agreement, involving workers represented by 1199SEIU and Communications Workers of America, follows the first extension that took place at the end of May. 'Kaleida's proposed changes to staffing language in our contract could increase the nurse to patient ratio,' said Johnine Gunsalus, a registered nurse at Oishei Children's Hospital. 'Currently, we have staffing ratios that have been agreed upon and we have seen some improvements in staffing. What management is proposing could negatively impact all of the work we have done over the last three years.' Healthcare workers are also asking for a comprehensive wage and benefit package along with the recruitment and retainment of experienced workers. The current agreement covers workers at Buffalo General Medical Center, Oishei Children's Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, HighPointe on Michigan, DeGraff Medical Park and others. Bargaining will continue starting at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cuomo backs raising NYC minimum wage to $20, but plan needs Albany support
Mayoral frontrunner Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday rolled out a proposal to raise New York City's minimum hourly wage to $20, but the plan would need Albany's backing, in part because he as governor blocked an effort to let the city set its own salary standards. Under Cuomo's plan, the minimum wage would jump to $20 from its current $16.50 level on Jan. 1, 2027, the one-year mark of his first mayoral term, should he be elected. Such a salary bump would impact some 800,000 workers, according to Cuomo's campaign. Unveiling the proposal at a rally at the Manhattan headquarters of 1199 SEIU, a healthcare union supporting his campaign, Cuomo acknowledged the city's affordability crisis has emerged as perhaps the most pressing issue in this year's mayoral race. 'The best way' to tackle the crisis, he said, is to boost wages for low-income New Yorkers. 'That will put more money in people's pockets,' said Cuomo, who's polling as the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary. A minimum wage boost wouldn't be as simple as a flick of a switch. Salary requirements are set by the state, meaning Gov. Hochul and the state Legislature would need to approve any minimum-level increase. Hochul and state lawmakers have already enacted a plan whereby the city's minimum wage ticks up each year at a rate determined by consumer price indexes. It's unclear if Hochul and legislators would be open to backing a proposal for a more immediate jump to $20. A Hochul spokesman didn't return a request for comment. As governor in 2014, Cuomo blocked a proposal from then-Mayor Bill de Blasio that would have empowered the city to set its own salary floor. in 2016, Cuomo pushed through an increase to New York's minimum wage law anyway, raising it to $15 for most workers, a feat he frequently touts as one of his biggest accomplishments as governor before he resigned in 2021 amid sexual misconduct accusations he denies. Had he let the de Blasio proposal pass in 2014, Cuomo would have had a much easier time to further raise the city's minimum wage as mayor. Cuomo acknowledged there's likely going to be pushback against his new proposal. 'The business people are going to say, 'Oh, no, you can't raise the minimum wage because that's going to slow the economy.' — Baloney!' said Cuomo, whose mayoral run is, in large part, being bankrolled by billionaires and executives in business sectors like real estate and finance. 'The pundits are going to say, 'Oh, it's going to be too hard to get it passed politically, politicians are going to be afraid to get it passed.' Well, I'll tell you this: They're wrong. And you know how we know they're wrong? Because we did it before and we're going to do it again.' Cuomo didn't offer much detail on how he'd get the proposal across the finish line in Albany other than to say his team will work with labor unions to 'organize the working men and women of this city' to support a higher minimum wage. 'I can't tell you how proud I am to be the labor candidate in this race,' Cuomo, who has been endorsed by several of the city's most influential private-sector unions, told a room crowded with members from 1199 and other labor groups. Cuomo isn't the only mayoral candidate to back a minimum wage increase. Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who's consistently polling as the runner-up to Cuomo in June's primary, has unveiled a plan that would get the city's minimum hourly wage to $30 by 2030. Some advocates worry a minimum wage jump could hamper small businesses in the city facing steep operational cost increases due President Trump's tariff policies, a drop in international tourism to New York and other factors. 'A wage increase like this would mostly impact small businesses, as they have minimum-wage workers, and I just hope Cuomo and any other candidates who have indicated support for an increase have consulted with them,' said Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit advocating for local businesses. 'Otherwise, this could be a prospect that makes small businesses very nervous. The fear is they'll have to lay people off or ultimately close.' Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said small business leaders will be part of any wage increase conversations if the ex-gov is elected mayor.
