Latest news with #1199SEIUUnitedHealthcareWorkersEast
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Local leaders back nursing home workers ahead of week-long strike
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Nursing home workers and members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East across 15 nursing homes are planning to strike for a week on May 20 if a contract cannot be reached. During a press conference on Monday, local leaders showed their support for the workers. 'The hard-working members of 1199SEIU caring for our loved ones at nursing homes across the region, again at our most difficult times, as our families, our loved ones, our neighbors encounter, you're the ones there providing care and comfort, love, a helping hand,' said Congressman Tim Kennedy. Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope told the story of her dad staying at a nursing home prior to his death. She said she, her siblings and her mother cared for him, but not every patient has that. 'If (the nursing home workers) had an opportunity to go home at a reasonable hour, that's not fair because if my dad was still here at that point that meant that he may not have received 100% of everything that he needed,' she said. Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart described getting her allergy medicine refilled and a mammogram on Monday from the workers 'all in one day.' 'They deserve better pay, period,' she said. 'I don't even know why this is an argument, I don't know why this is a conversation … I don't know why we have to keep sitting at these tables.' Kennedy said that Republican-led Congress cutting Medicaid is a disrespect to the workers. He said leaders in Washington, D.C. are lying when they say they are getting rid of waste and are instead referring to nursing home workers and the work that they do. Nurses, housekeeping staff, dietary workers, and other staff are planning to strike at the following locations if a deal is not reached by May 20: Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Comprehensive Rehab and Nursing Center at Williamsville Elderwood at Lockport Elderwood at Williamsville Ellicott Center Garden Gate Health Care Facility Gowanda Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (excluding pros/techs) Newfane Rehabilitation and Health Center Northgate Health Care Facility Ascension Living Our Lady of Peace Absolut Care of Gasport Safire Rehabilitation of Northtowns Schofield Residence The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Delaware Park Williamsville Suburban Care Center Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health care union president ousted in upset election
NEW YORK — Longtime labor leader George Gresham was toppled by his former lieutenants in a contentious race to lead the nation's largest health care union. Gresham, who became president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East in 2007, lost his reelection bid by a resounding margin to challenger Yvonne Armstrong, who leads the union's long-term care division, according to data reviewed by POLITICO. Gresham's defeat ushers in a new chapter for the union, which represents 450,000 health care workers across five East Coast states and was once a powerhouse in New York politics. It is very rare for union heads to lose internal elections in New York, a state in which labor holds outsize power in local politics. 1199SEIU helped elevate Bill de Blasio to the mayoralty when he was lagging in the polls 12 years ago, and it recently endorsed Andrew Cuomo for mayor. Armstrong and her second-in-command, Veronica Turner-Biggs, will take the reins as the organized labor movement and the health care industry contend with the Trump administration's attacks on collective bargaining rights and Congressional Republicans' expected Medicaid cuts. Armstrong and Turner-Biggs, who ran as the Members First Unity Slate, will also preside over an internal reckoning. The union is conducting an independent review of Gresham's spending, after a nine-month POLITICO investigation revealed that he had long used members' dues money to benefit himself, his family and political allies. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce subsequently asked the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate. 'Because of your courage—your heart, your hustle, your belief—we now have the chance to lead our union into a new chapter: one rooted in transparency, unity, and real member power,' the Members First Unity slate wrote in an Instagram post announcing the outcome. In a Facebook post published early Sunday by Gresham's 1 Union 1 Future slate, he congratulated the victorious candidates and recalled his path from rank-and-file member in housekeeping at New York-Presbyterian Hospital to union president. 'No matter who you voted for, at the end of the day we are all part of our precious 1199 family, and I know that we share the same deep love for our union and the labor movement,' Gresham wrote in the statement. 'It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President for the past 17 years.' 'Our solidarity as 1199 members is today more important than ever,' he added. 'We have major work cut out for us in the coming weeks and months to fight back against federal cuts to Medicaid, to negotiate the strongest contracts, and to defend the most vulnerable in our communities.' The union said early Sunday that official results from the election, which was conducted under the supervision of American Arbitration Association, will be posted shortly. Gresham's term as president ends in June.
Politico
05-05-2025
- Health
- Politico
Health care union president ousted in upset election
NEW YORK — Longtime labor leader George Gresham was toppled by his former lieutenants in a contentious race to lead the nation's largest health care union. Gresham, who became president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East in 2007, lost his reelection bid by a resounding margin to challenger Yvonne Armstrong, who leads the union's long-term care division, according to data reviewed by POLITICO. Gresham's defeat ushers in a new chapter for the union, which represents 450,000 health care workers across five East Coast states and was once a powerhouse in New York politics. It is very rare for union heads to lose internal elections in New York, a state in which labor holds outsize power in local politics. 1199SEIU helped elevate Bill de Blasio to the mayoralty when he was lagging in the polls 12 years ago, and it recently endorsed Andrew Cuomo for mayor. Armstrong and her second-in-command, Veronica Turner-Biggs, will take the reins as the organized labor movement and the health care industry contend with the Trump administration's attacks on collective bargaining rights and Congressional Republicans' expected Medicaid cuts. Armstrong and Turner-Biggs, who ran as the Members First Unity Slate, will also preside over an internal reckoning. The union is conducting an independent review of Gresham's spending, after a nine-month POLITICO investigation revealed that he had long used members' dues money to benefit himself, his family and political allies . The House Committee on Education and the Workforce subsequently asked the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate . 'Because of your courage—your heart, your hustle, your belief—we now have the chance to lead our union into a new chapter: one rooted in transparency, unity, and real member power,' the Members First Unity slate wrote in an Instagram post announcing the outcome . In a Facebook post published early Sunday by Gresham's 1 Union 1 Future slate, he congratulated the victorious candidates and recalled his path from rank-and-file member in housekeeping at New York-Presbyterian Hospital to union president. 'No matter who you voted for, at the end of the day we are all part of our precious 1199 family, and I know that we share the same deep love for our union and the labor movement,' Gresham wrote in the statement. 'It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President for the past 17 years.' 'Our solidarity as 1199 members is today more important than ever,' he added. 'We have major work cut out for us in the coming weeks and months to fight back against federal cuts to Medicaid, to negotiate the strongest contracts, and to defend the most vulnerable in our communities.' The union said early Sunday that official results from the election, which was conducted under the supervision of American Arbitration Association, will be posted shortly. Gresham's term as president ends in June.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Major health care union backs Cuomo's mayoral bid
NEW YORK — New York City's largest private sector union endorsed Andrew Cuomo's mayoral bid Friday, adding to the list of politically influential labor organizations backing the scandal-scarred former governor. The union, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, cited Cuomo's 'record of delivering for health care workers' and his work securing a $15 minimum wage, expanding paid family leave, winning marriage equality and defending immigrant rights. 'New York is at a crossroads, and we need leaders who will stand up for working people, fight for good union jobs, and ensure every New Yorker — no matter their zip code — has access to quality healthcare, affordable housing, and a living wage,' President George Gresham said in a statement Friday. 'At a time when our city is facing enormous challenges, we need leaders with the experience and vision to deliver real results — our members recognize that Governor Cuomo is the clear choice to lead New York forward.' The union represents 200,000 health care workers within the five boroughs and played a large part in getting former Mayor Bill de Blasio elected, making it one of local politicians' most coveted endorsements. It may not be the most consequential now, though. The union's political power has softened from years without a permanent political director and an increasingly disenchanted membership. Lawyer Maya Wiley won the union's support in the 2021 mayoral race, to no avail. President George Gresham, a longtime Cuomo ally who eventually called on him to resign, urged the union's top officers weeks ago to throw their support behind his candidacy. But the endorsement landed on the union's backburner, as Gresham campaigned for reelection and grappled with fallout from a nine-month POLITICO investigation into his lavish spending of union funds. The union's internal election — its first contested leadership race since 1989 — is being conducted by mail through the end of the month. Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi did not respond to requests for comment on the POLITICO investigation into Gresham's spending. The union has donated heavily to Cuomo's gubernatorial campaigns in the past and, through an advocacy arm co-led by the Greater New York Hospital Association, spent millions on television ads in 2018 praising his health care policies.
Politico
25-04-2025
- Business
- Politico
Major health care union backs Cuomo's mayoral bid
NEW YORK — New York City's largest private sector union endorsed Andrew Cuomo's mayoral bid Friday, adding to the list of politically influential labor organizations backing the scandal-scarred former governor. The union, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, cited Cuomo's 'record of delivering for health care workers' and his work securing a $15 minimum wage, expanding paid family leave, winning marriage equality and defending immigrant rights. 'New York is at a crossroads, and we need leaders who will stand up for working people, fight for good union jobs, and ensure every New Yorker — no matter their zip code — has access to quality healthcare, affordable housing, and a living wage,' President George Gresham said in a statement Friday. 'At a time when our city is facing enormous challenges, we need leaders with the experience and vision to deliver real results — our members recognize that Governor Cuomo is the clear choice to lead New York forward.' The union represents 200,000 health care workers within the five boroughs and played a large part in getting former Mayor Bill de Blasio elected, making it one of local politicians' most coveted endorsements. It may not be the most consequential now, though. The union's political power has softened from years without a permanent political director and an increasingly disenchanted membership . Lawyer Maya Wiley won the union's support in the 2021 mayoral race, to no avail. President George Gresham, a longtime Cuomo ally who eventually called on him to resign, urged the union's top officers weeks ago to throw their support behind his candidacy. But the endorsement landed on the union's backburner, as Gresham campaigned for reelection and grappled with fallout from a nine-month POLITICO investigation into his lavish spending of union funds . The union's internal election — its first contested leadership race since 1989 — is being conducted by mail through the end of the month. Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi did not respond to requests for comment on the POLITICO investigation into Gresham's spending. The union has donated heavily to Cuomo's gubernatorial campaigns in the past and, through an advocacy arm co-led by the Greater New York Hospital Association, spent millions on television ads in 2018 praising his health care policies.
