Our Life & Times

A JOURNAL OF 1199SEIUAugust/September 2011

& BEYOND

1199ers who go t

he extra mile.

John Buscemi, a

New York Down

town Hospital

engineering wo

rker, toiled roun

d-the-clock for

four days in the

aftermath of 9

/11. See page 8.

ABOVE

Contents

p.7 p.12Our Life And Times, August/September 2011, Vol 29, No 4 Published by1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East310 West 43rd St. New York, NY 10036Telephone (212) 582-1890www.1199seiu.org

PRESIDENT:George GreshamSECRETARY TREASURER:Maria Castaneda

EXECUTIVE VICE

PRESIDENTS:Norma Amsterdam Yvonne Armstrong Lisa BrownAngela Doyle Aida Garcia George KennedySteve Kramer Patrick Lindsay Joyce NeilJohn Reid Bruce Richard Mike Rifkin Monica RussoNeva ShillingfordMilly SilvaVeronica TurnerLaurie ValloneEstela Vazquez

EDITOR:J.J. JohnsonSTAFF WRITER:Patricia KenneyDIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY:Jim TynanPHOTOGRAPHER:Belinda GallegosART DIRECTION & DESIGN:Maiarelli StudioCOVER PHOTO:Belinda Gallegos

Our Life And Times ispublished 6 times a year by1199SEIU, 310 West 43rdSt., New York, NY 10036.Subscriptions $15 per year.Periodicals postage paid atNew York, NY andadditional mailing offices. ISSN 1080-3089. USPS 000-392. Postmaster: Send addresschanges to Our Life AndTimes, 310 West 43rd St., New York, NY 10036.

3 ABOVE AND BEYOND Our members build bridges to heal our nation and the world.

4 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Fighting mad, but hopeful.

5 MARRIAGE EQUALITY 1199ers help win marriage equality in New York State.

6 THEY, TOO, ARE AMERICA Immigration is a Union issue.

7 HEALING HAITI Members give of themselves to restore the wounded nation.

8 THE WORK WE DO New York Downtown Hospital members recall 9/11.

10 MISSION TO GHANA Buffalo members volunteer at rural African hospital.

12 OUR DELEGATE LEADERS Buffalo’s Rose Speranza and Maryland’s Imogene Hall.

13 PEOPLE New Bedford PCA Ariane Martin is a photographer.

14 AROUND THE UNION Brookdale members fight for benefits, Kaleida workers hang tough.

p.6

www.1199seiu.org

p.8New York DowntownHospital paramedicJuana Lomi.

3 August/September • Our Life And Times

The Union’s historic mission has been to organize andunite all workers to fight for a better life formembers and all working people. Guided bythese principles, members throughout ourUnion provide the best possible care to theirpatients and work equally hard to heal ournation. From contributing to our Martin LutherKing Jr. Political Action Fund to volunteeringwithin their communities, these members findmany ways to answer the call.

And they are doing so in an especiallydifficult environment, one in which those whorepresent the moneyed interests are going toextreme lengths to cripple government. Most ofthese right-wing Republican extremists arguethat government retards progress and economicdevelopment, and that corporations and thebusiness community are the engines ofeconomic progress. Corporations and the rich,they argue, would get our economy and nationback on their feet if the government would justget out of their way.

Progressives and Democrats counter thatgovernment, indeed, has a role. And that role isto protect the interests of the great majority —working people, the poor and small-businesspeople — and curb the greed and rapaciousnessof the corporations and moneyed interests.

They say also that in addition to keeping our country safe,government has a responsibility to protect ourenvironment, build and maintain ourinfrastructure and help the most vulnerable —including children and seniors — among us.

Earlier this summer, the debate over the roleof government took the form of the fight overraising our nation’s debt ceiling. What used tobe a routine occurrence (the ceiling has beenraised 90 times since 1940) was elevated to anepic battle by extreme Republicans bent onweakening programs such as Social Security and

Medicare and prolonging the recession throughthe 2012 national elections.

These extremists care far more aboutcrippling government so that corporations andthe very rich can have free rein than they careabout the nation’s debt. That is the meaning ofthe attacks on public workers and unions acrossthe nation. That is the reason for the assault onthe Environmental Protection Agency and othergovernment bodies that attempt to blockcorporate crimes.

Although in the main we are not publicworkers, 1199SEIU members are victims ofthis assault. Powerful interests are workinghard to erase the gains we’ve worked so hard toachieve. And we’re organizing and fighting backto stop them. Scores of members are leaders inthese battles.

And then there are those who go beyond the call of duty.Some travel thousands of miles to care forothers. For example, for the last four years,1199SEIU members from Kaleida Women’sand Children’s Hospital in Buffalo havetraveled to a small village in the African nationof Ghana to provide much needed advancedmedical services.

1199ers from several states have traveled toHaiti to care for victims of last year’s earthquake.Members in all of the Union’s regions haveparticipated in actions for immigration reform,among them immigrants who are in the variousstages of the path to citizenship.

Retired New York City members leave thecomfort of their homes to take part in actionsagainst the powerful banks to dramatize theneed to redirect our failed economy.

Finally, Our Life And Times visited NewYork Downtown Hospital members who werefirst responders on Sept. 11, 2001. They, too,went beyond the call of duty.

EDITORIAL

The Union’s historicmission has been toorganize and unite allworkers to fight for abetter life for membersand for all workingpeople.

Tibrum Tanao, a resident of Saboba,Ghana, holds health insurance card.A group of 1199ers traveled toSaboba this year to providemuch-needed medical care.

Beyond theCALL OF DUTYOur members build bridgeswhile others sow hate.

Jim Crampton

Pho

to

TAX THE RICH

In his column in theMarch/April issue of OurLife And Times, PresidentGeorge Gresham makes a

strong case for a militant struggleagainst the current attack onunions and the public sector. Hestates that it’s a “lie of monstrousproportions” that our country isbroke. “Our country is extremelywealthy,” he states, “but thewealth is not in our hands.” Hepoints to the solidarity and mili-tancy of the struggles in Wiscon-sin last February as leading theway forward.

I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, this is not the

same tune our Union was singingwhen encouraging us to rally forCuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Plan(MRP), which slashed $2 billionin State Medicaid funding (whichwill lead to an additional $2 bil-lion loss in federal matchingfunds).

At that time, George told usthat, with New York facing mas-sive budget deficits, there wouldhave to be pain, but at least itwas shared pain. But who is shar-ing this pain with us? Certainlynot Wall St. nor the wealthy ofNew York, who Gov. Cuomo hasvowed to defend against any taxincreases.

While the MRP includeddearly needed living wage lan-guage for our home health work-ers, it also meant painful cutsthroughout the medical system,in particular for nursing homes.Even after four decades of de-clining living standards, it ap-pears yet again that only workingpeople and the poor are beingasked to pay for this crisis.

To paraphrase our president,the idea that the country is brokeis a big fat lie. Wall St. fat catscontinue to line their pockets,thanks to hundreds of billionsof dollars in governmentbailouts. We as a labor move-ment need to be drawing a line inthe sand and saying “No Conces-sions!” We need to take backwhat decades of tax breaks forthe rich and corporations havestolen from us.

It’s time for our actions tomatch our rhetoric. The future forall working people depends on it.

LUCY HERSCHELThe Legal Aid Society,Queens, NY

Editor’s Note: Throughout theNYS budget debate, 1199SEIUlobbied and demonstrated—unfor-tunately unsuccessfully—in Al-bany and within the legislativedistricts in support of increasedtaxes on the wealthy.

RETIREES STEP UP

Iam among the retirees whohave been calling otherretired 1199ers to ask themto contribute to our Martin

Luther King Jr. Political ActionFund. Our Retirees Locallaunched this campaign so thatour Union can fight back againstthe attacks on unions, workingpeople and seniors.

I volunteer at least one hourevery week. Whether I speak tomembers in English or Spanish, Itell them that our Union must bestrong politically to surviveduring these critical times.

I tell my retired sisters andbrothers that our Social Securityis under attack and thatstrengthening our Union alsohelps to protect our pensions. Ialso tell them that we need to bestrong not only for seniors, butalso for future generations.

I would spend more timevolunteering at the Union, but Ialso am working in my Queenscommunity to help organizetenants against rent increases. Ialso work part-time to help makeends meet and spend timehelping sick friends and relatives.

But I will always find sometime to come to our headquartersand help because I love myUnion and I realize that these aredesperate times. I hope moreretirees will do the same. Theyshould join the Retirees Localand contribute to our politicalaction fund.

LESVIA MENDEZQueens, NY

Let’s Hear From YouOur Life And Times welcomesyour letters. Please email them [email protected] or snail mailthem to JJ Johnson, 1199SEIUOLAT, 330 West 42nd St., 7thfloor, New York, NY 10036.Please include your telephonenumber and place of work.Letters may be edited for brevityand clarity.

4August/September • Our Life And Times

I don’t know about you but I am angry. I read the morning papersand watch the evening news and it makes me mad how badly ourcountry—or at least our government—has lost its way.

More than 23 million Americans cannot find full-time work. Morethan 15 million American families (one-third of home-owners) owe moreon their mortgages than their homes are worth. Some 50 millionAmericans can’t see a doctor when they are sick.

But in Washington, they apparently don’t get any of this. At least,they aren’t talking about it. What they are talking about is “the deficit”—which opinion polls say only one in 10 Americans thinks isimportant—and getting “spending under control.”

Nobody seems to remember that we had a surplus during the ClintonAdministration and that when George W. Bush started his wars and cuttaxes for billionaires, thereby creating the deficit, the Republican Partydidn’t seem to care. That was then.

This is now: Unemployment doesn’t matter; the infrastructure doesn’tmatter; Social Security and Medicare don’t matter. The environment, ourchildren and their schools, accelerating poverty—none of that matters.What matters is the deficit.

What this means, in reality, is demanding that working- and middle-class families pay off the debts that we did not create. The most massivetransfer of wealth from the American people to the very wealthy is takingplace in front of our eyes.

We are told that the government is broke, that we cannot afford topay for public services, or to put people to work. Yet the country isswimming in money. The financial assets of the billionaires and thebiggest corporations are at historic highs. For 30 years, virtually allbenefits of economic growth have gone to the richest one percentof Americans.

Taxpayers gave away trillions of dollars in bailouts to the giantbanks and insurance corporations that, in turn, pay few or no taxes whilegiving their executives multimillion dollar bonuses. Bank of America paidno federal taxes for 2010. GE, which made $14 billion in profits last year,not only paid no taxes; it got a $3.2 billion tax credit from Washington.

Despite all the fine talk about “shared sacrifice,” our politicians inWashington and our state houses—even those who should know better—refuse to make the bankers and the corporations pay their fair share. Asformer Labor Secretary Robert Reich said, “If you took the greed out ofWall Street, all you’d have is pavement.”

When you’re in debt, you have a choice of raising revenue or cuttingback. Since Washington and our state capitals refuse to make the rich paytheir share, they make us cut back.

Meantime, our states and localities are operating in the hole, forced tocut hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters and other essentialpublic servants from the payrolls, while freezing wages and cutting healthand pension benefits for those who remain. Schools, health care, publicand workplace safety have been cut to the bone. Nothing remains to be cutexcept Social Security and Medicare. And now they’re coming after that.

What apparently is off the table for the national leadership, inaddition to a fair tax system, are cuts in military spending. We spend some$1.2 trillion every year to pay for our current and past wars and toprepare for future wars. Our military budget is more than the combinedmilitary budgets of the rest of the world. Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitzof Columbia University estimates that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistanalone will cost us $4 trillion. And now we’re fighting in Yemen, Pakistan,Libya, Somalia and who knows where else.

Washington tells us we “can’t afford” a raise in the minimumwage, programs to improve literacy, anything approaching jobs creation,or funds for rebuilding our decayed bridges, tunnels, levees and roads.But we can afford $4 trillion for Halliburton, Bechtel, Blackwater and theother military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So I’m angry. But I’m also hopeful. I see what working people like usare doing to fight back in Greece and Egypt and Spain and Wisconsin.We are in a world of trouble but the only way out is to fight our way out.It has always been that way for working folk. We have to remember that“we are many, they are few.”

THE PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Letters

Fighting Mad“We are many. They are few.”

George Gresham

Retiree Lesvia Mendez


MARRIAGE EQUALITY

There was celebration across New York State when onJune 24, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law thestate’s Marriage Equality Act. A lot of 1199ers were onthe front lines of the fight to get the legislation passed— staffing phone banks, canvassing communities andtrekking to Albany regularly for demonstrations and

lobby days. The struggle won equality for gay, lesbian and mixed-gender couples under New York’s matrimonial laws and highlightedthe reality in today’s society that family comes in many forms.

Mark Black is a social worker retired from St. Barnabas Hospital inthe Bronx, NY. He’s been with his partner Glen Leiner for 15 years.Black and Leiner are long-time advocates for marriage equality.

“We’d done phone banking and gone to all the rallies in Albany,but when the parents, children and siblings spoke, that was what reallypersonalized it and confirmed the realities of our lives for people,” saysBlack. “Now you get to see the contrast of what marriage is and what itis becoming, and it’s really beautiful to see things change,” says Leiner.

In fact, statistics from the last U.S. Census show that tradi tional,nuclear families are the minority of the nation’s households.

“Glen and I are very committed to each other. His family loves andaccepts me. We’ve been domestic partners for seven or eight years,”says Black. “It’s not that our relationship needs the state’s blessing, butwe know that the larger landscape requires it.”

Causten Wollerman, a field director with the National Gay andLesbian Task Force, agrees with Black. For many in the LGBTcommunity, says Wollerman, an 1199SEIU delegate, marriage is

about insuring the partnerships people already have.“Marriage is being able to share in a long-term committed

relationship and being able to participate in that relationship andall the perks that come with it,” says Wollerman. Wollerman, 26,is a transgender male and has been with his partner JB for two years.“If [my partner and I] decide to have kids I want to be sure thatwe don’t have to jump through hoops to visit them in the hospitalor at school.”

“And in a failing economy we have to lean on our partnersmore than ever,” he adds. “So we need those protectionsof marriage more than ever. When we talk about gay

marriage, we are talking about everything. It’s about raising thebar of acceptance in our whole society.”

As far as things have come, says Black, there’s still work to be done. “There are still 28 states that don’t recognize gay marriage,” says

Black’s partner, Glen Leiner. “So the status of your relationshipdepends on where your plane lands.”

“And even with the Union, it wasn’t easy when we wantedto get our benefits,” says Black. “We had to bring in seven oreight pieces of documentation in addition to our domesticpartnership agreement.”

Wollerman understands that there are more struggles, but praisesthose who stood by the courage of their convictions.

“I’m really proud of the legislators who took such a strong standon this and I hope that people who changed their minds grapplingwith it really changed their values,” says Wollerman. “I have a lot ofcompassion for people who struggle with gay marriage. It’s hard tochange your views. But the truth is, gay people have been aroundforever and there’s nothing wrong with us.”

“IT’S REALLY BEAUTIFUL TO SEE

Things Change”1199ers were on the front lines of New York State’s struggle for Marriage Equality.

Marriage is being able to share a long-term, committed relationship and allthe perks that come with it.

Top: Retired social workerMark Black (right) and hispartner Glen Leiner.

At left: Causten Wollerman(left), field director withthe National Gay andLesbian Task Force anda transgender male,with his partner JB.

They, Too, Are AMERICA


The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. But that doesn’tchange the fact that the immigration issue is oneof the most vexing and polarizing in our nation.

1199SEIU has long supportedcomprehensive immigration reform thatprovides a path to citizenship for theundocumented. And it has consistentlyopposed anti-immigrant measures such asArizona’s apartheid-like immigration law.

“The problem with today’s economy isnot immigrants,” says 1199SEIU Pres.George Gresham.” The problem is ourbroken immigration laws that allow bigbusiness and crooked bosses to exploitworkers who lack legal status, driving downwages for all workers.”

1199ers from Florida to Massachusettshave participated in actions and lobbiedelected officials for comprehensiveimmigration reform in their home states andin the nation’s capital.

On June 17, young activists, members ofthe New York State Leadership Council(NYSLC) addressed the 1199SEIU’sExecutive Council to ask for the Union’ssupport for the NYS Dream Act, whichwould provide a path to citizenship forundocumented college students andmembers of the military. Council membersvoted unanimously to support the bill and

urged support for similar legislative initiativesin all of the Union’s regions.

The 1199SEIU National Benefit Fundalso helps put immigrant members on a pathto citizenship.

Close to 8,000 1199ers from scores of nations have takenthat path through the 1199SEIU CitizenshipProgram. The program offers counseling,workshops and application preparation. It alsooffers classes in English as a Second Language,U.S. History, Government and Civics, whichprepare members for the citizenship interviewand exam.

“July 14, the anniversary of the Frenchrevolution, was one of the happiest days ofmy life,” says Meleca Canovic, a homeattendant at HANAC agency in New YorkCity. “On that day I became a U.S. citizen.”

Canovic was born in Montenegro, thenpart of the former Yugoslavia. After earningher nursing degree in Montenegro, Canovicworked for two years in Lybia. She came tothe U.S. in 1995 during the end of the warsthat followed the breakup of Yugoslavia.

“Montenegro is a beautiful country withbeautiful beaches and is a popular touristarea,” Canovic says. “But there was war andmy family and I wanted to live in peace, so Istarted a new life at age 46.”

She now lives in Brooklyn with her hus -band, Nijaceim, and the older of her two sonsand is able to spend time with her grandson.

“Through my Union’s CitizenshipProgram, I was able to pass the test andbecome a U.S. citizen,” she says proudly.“What I like to think about is that the U.S.is now my home, and I will be able to votein the next presidential election.”

The path to citizenship for FranciscoRobles, a cook at Manhattan’s Mt. Sinaihospital, was long and sometimes difficult.He came to the U.S. at age 18 from theDominican Republic at the urging of hismother who then had U.S. residency.

“Shortly after I got here, my mothermarried and moved to Puerto Rico and I wason my own,” Robles recalls. “I had a greencard, but I had no skills and no job. Without afamily, soon I was homeless. It was the lowestpoint in my life.”

A friend eventually helped Robles f ind a job in aChinese restaurant. He became a member of1199SEIU when he landed a cooking job atFlorence Nightingale nursing home. When itclosed, Robles went to Mt. Sinai.

“I didn’t give a lot of thought tobecoming a citizen, but I found out about theCitizenship Program,” he says. “I went toclasses and they were great. I learned somuch about the country’s history. My kidshelped me study for the exams.”

Robles has four children between theages of 22 and 9, and lives with his wife andthe two youngest. He says that he is proudestof the fact that when things were darkest, henever lost hope or succumbed to crime.

“I’m proud of myself and my kids areproud of me,” he says. “Becoming a citizenhas made this the best year of my life. And Istill have a lot of living to do.”

A path to citizenship for the undocu mentedwould mean many, many more Franciscos andMelecas can come out of the shadows.

Immigration reform is a union issue.

IMMIGRATION

Meleca Canovic, a home attendant with New York City’sHANAC agency, shown with her husband, Nijaceim,became a U.S. citizen on July 14.

“Becoming a citizen has made this the best year of my life,”says Francisco Robles, a cook at Manhattan’s Mt. Sinai Hospital.

HAITI


Alot of people haveforgotten theearthquake that hitHaiti’s capital Port AuPrince on Jan. 12, 2010.

Scenes of devastation no longerfill the nightly news, but mentalhealth tech Angel Ruiz and homeattendant Yolande LeBlanc Charleshaven’t forgotten. And they’rededicated to helping Haiti’shundreds of thousands sick andhomeless as the poverty-strickencountry rebuilds itself.

On Jan. 21, Ruiz was among ateam of 100 healthcare workers whotraveled to Haiti to work for severaldays at St. Damien’s Hospital,which is located on the outskirts ofPort Au Prince. He still raises fundsfor relief efforts.

Charles, who was born in PortAu Prince and came to the U.S in1981, does her part by sending asteady stream of donated healthaids and basic necessities for Haiti’spoor and homeless through1199SEIU’s We Care For Haitiprogram.

Ruiz works for the University ofMiami Medical Center and has donemissionary work in one of Haiti’spoorest cities, Jacmel. The countryhas a special place in his heart.

“I knew right away that Haitiwas going to need a lot of helpbecause they were living in suchmiserable conditions,” he says.So he got to work finding outabout volunteer delegationsthrough the Union.

Ruiz’s team at St. Damien’s inHaiti included seven otherSEIU volunteers. They

worked 12- and 16-hour daysoften with little food and even lesssleep. Some 800 patients floodedthe 200-bed hospital. The situationwas worsened by soaring tempera -tures, lack of sanitation anderuptions of violence close tothe hospital.

“Every day, as the people’s paingrew, so did the absence of hope.Working side by side with nuns andpriests, we tried to alleviate theirsuffering by delivering medical careand love to each patient,” Ruizrecalled. “We tried to fortify theirspirits with smiles, jokes andlaughs. Amidst the terror anddeath, we watched peoples’ faceschange as we delivered their carewith a smile.”

Charles, who works for NewYork City’s FEGS agency, wantedto do something to help Haitians

that was more than just writing acheck. Family responsibilities keepher from traveling.

“I felt like I wanted to giveeverything I have for the peoplethere. And when I saw that 1199wouldn’t ignore it and we weresome of the first people onthe ground there, I just knewI had to get in touch with them,”she says.

Every few weeks she bringsbags of soap, toothpaste,women’s hygiene products,lotions, creams and other

basic things that many of us take forgranted to 1199SEIU’s We Care ForHaiti office on West 42nd St. inNew York City. She buys a lot withher own money. She also collects alot of donations in her communityand from friends.

“When I was young, the prieststold me that I needed to stand upfor people who were poor,” saysCharles. “If people need bread, youjust give it to them. You don’t judgethem or ask them why.”

You can learn more orcontribute to relief efforts inHaiti by logging on towww.wecareforhaiti.org orwww.konbitforhaiti.org.

For the Love of HaitiMembers give of themselves to help heal the wounded nation.

“We tried to fortifytheir spirits withsmiles, jokes andlaughs. Amidst theterror and death,we watchedpeoples’ faceschange as wedelivered theircare with a smile.”

Bottom left: Angel Ruiz. Bottom right: YolandeLeBlanc Charles.

Tom Sayler P

hoto

New Haiti Support CampaignAs it did last year, 1199SEIU through itsWe Care For Haiti Program will participatein October in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEFcampaign. Members should see theirorganizers for information about howto participate in the effort.

THE WORK WE DO

4

5

6


1. “That sadness will never go away.It’s something that will never leaveus,” says paramedic Juana Lomi, whohas been at NY Downtown for 20 years.“I’ve learned to embrace it. I can’t runfrom it. I can’t deny it. It’s been a testfor us over these 10 years, becauseyour mind always goes back to whatused to be here.”

2. John Buscemi has worked in NYDowntown’s engineering departmentfor 22 years. He lives in New Jersey.“By showing my hospital ID I was ableto get into Manhattan. It was justchaos. We never knew what the nextthing was going to be. When Building 7collapsed we lost power, but we had tomake sure all of our vital equipmentwas running. I was here for four days.When I walked out there was eightinches of ash on my car.”

3. “It’s still a little scary, but Iwouldn’t want to work anywhere else,”says PCT Deshon Amaker, with patientElsy Garcia. “It’s something I neverthought I’d see — to see so manypeople hurt. You didn’t know if youwere going to get out with your ownlife. I called my husband and kids andtold them that I loved them.”

4. “I actually saw the first plane hitthe building because I was on Fultonand Broadway. I couldn’t believe it,”says Kerry Brown, a file clerk.“Emotionally it just pulled everyonehere together. Still, when people bringit up today, it really saddens me.”

5. Registrar Betty Nelson recalled thefamily members she spoke with,desperately searching for their lovedones after the disaster. “I still feel itaround every Sept. 11. I get a littledepressed and my heart gets heavy,”she says. “But you have to keepmoving on and living.”

6. “It doesn’t feel like 10 years,” saysDolly Olivo, a lead cashier and creditcounselor who’s worked at NYDowntown for 28 years. “Now I try andreflect on life more. I try to be moreconscious of my fellow man and taketime to thank the Lord that I was hereto help others on that day. And Ialways take time to tell people that Ilove them now.”

Sept. 11 marks the tenth anniversary of thedestruction of the World Trade Center. Scores of1199SEIU members were among the first responders.One, Marc Sullins, an EMT from the now-closedCabrini Hospital, lost his life. New York DowntownHospital sits in what was once the shadow of theWorld Trade Center. On Sept. 11 at New YorkDowntown, workers — many of whom stayed for daysat a time — cared for hundreds injured in the disaster,while virtually cut off from the rest of the city. For thisedition of The Work We Do, some of our members atNew York Downtown share their memories of 9/11and how the day changed them.

New York Downtown Hospital Members Recall 9/11

THE WORK WE DO:1

2

3

Members Make Medical Mission to Ghana.

A JOURNEY TO SAVELives.

SOLIDARITY

1


While most working people lookforward to their vacation as a timefor rest and relaxation, five1199ersfrom Women’s and Children’s(Kaleida) Hospital in Buffalo, NY,used their vacation time last springto provide health care to poorvillagers in Saboba in the WestAfrican nation of Ghana.

RN Elin Raimondi, surgicaltechnologists Connie Crampton andCorey Parker, LPN Rose Wray andorganizer Jim Crampton were amongthe team of 13 from MedicalOutreach and Community Assistanceof Western New York (MOCA) whotook part in the 10-day mission.Women’s and Children’s HospitalDr. Emmekumia Nylander led the group.

MOCA is a team of medical anddental professionals, students andactivists that provides healthcareservices, including surgeries, in theremote community of Saboba. Theteam works primarily in the village’ssmall hospital staffed by a singledoctor, the only medical facilitywithin a 500-mile radius.

Since $11 provides healthinsurance to a Saboba family of fourfor an entire year, 1199ers on theteam asked for an $11 contribution

from 99 members. Some contributedmore, enough to provide insurancefor 300 residents. The team alsobrought more than 600 pounds ofmedical supplies.

“This was one of the mostimportant things I’ve ever done,”says Wray, who has been an LPN for23 years. “The whole experiencewas an eye opener for me. It’sdifficult to believe that there arepeople in the 21st century with solittle. We didn’t feel that we did verymuch, yet the people of Sabobawere so appreciative of what wewere able to do.”

Wray notes that work of thevolunteers extends beyond healthcare. For example, one year the teamhelped build a school and clean ahospital.

“It has been a life-changingexperience,” says Raimondi, an RNfor 33 years. “This was my third trip,and I take something different fromeach.”

She stresses that leaving Buffaloand traveling thousands of mileshelps to remind her why shebecame a nurse. “We don’t becomehealthcare workers just to push

papers. I didn’t become a nurse towork at a desk, but that’s whathealth care has become in ourcountry.

“It’s hard to describe the prideand joy that I felt when villagersasked me if I’m from 1199 and thenthanked me for making it possiblefor them to have health insurance.Another villager said to me, ‘Godsent you here to help us.’

“Little do they realize that theyhave given us far more than wehave given them,” Raimondi says.

“But it’s not for the faint ofheart,” she warns. She describes alife with no running water orflushing toilets and late eveningswhen the temperature reaches 110degrees. Because medical suppliesand equipment are in short supply,surgery was performed withoutgeneral anesthesia and with limitedlighting.

Those inconveniences did notdampen her spirit or resolve,Raimondi says. She summarizeswhy she and the others took part inthe mission: “I can’t change theworld, but I can touch the life of oneperson in it.”

“They havegiven me morethan I havegiven them.”

1. Residents of a suburb of Saboba,Ghana. 1199ers from Women andChildren’s Hospital in Buffalo helpedprovide much-needed medical carein Saboba.

2. Saboba medical team.

3. Volunteers in the Sabobaoperating room.

4. Residents of Saboba, Ghana.

5. A surgical tech from Saboba’shospital, left, with group leaderDr. Emmekumia Nylander.

2

3 4

5

Photo credits: 1, 2 and 4 Jim Cram

pton. 3 and 5 Barb Willio

“I Want To MakeSure EveryoneIs Treated WithRespect”


“We were doing PAC cards and there was a little contest. I justwent to everyone I knew and collected cards. I got mywatch and a duffel bag. That was back in December.I kind of forgot about it,” says Rose Speranza, anRN delegate on the neonatal intensive care unit atWomen and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in UpstateNew York.

In April, Speranza got calls from VP’s Bruce Popperand Jim Scordato telling her that she’d won a trip toWaikiki Beach in Hawaii. Her name was entered in adrawing for delegates who collected the most PAC cards.

“I couldn’t believe it. I asked Jim if he was pullingmy leg,” says Speranza.

He wasn’t. And when Speranza’s husband didn’twant to go on the trip, he suggested that she take heryounger sister, Maureen Rasch, who was at the timebeing treated for breast cancer.

“She’d had a really tough year,” says Speranza.“And then my other two sisters decided to join us. Wehad a ball. It was the best thing the four of us have donesince we were young. We were like little kids again.”

Speranza’s been at Women and Children’s since 1982and has been a delegate pretty much the whole time.

“I want to make sure everyone is treated fairly and that thecontract is followed,” she says. “It’s a lot of worksometimes, but I just want to make sure that everyone istreated with respect.”

She laughs when she tells the story about hersurprise trip, but when she talks to members about theimportance of their political action contributions, shetries to get them to understand that there’s a lot more atstake than the price of an airline ticket.

“We have so many issues. I talk to them about theimportance of having lobbyists on our side and aboutlegislation,” she says. “If we don’t have those thingswe’re dead in the water, because the other side hasthem. We have to make sure we have the money andproper funding to run this place.”

A Maryland Union Pioneer When Imogene Hall went to work at Prince George’s Hospital Centerin Cheverly, MD, in 1968 she wasn’t an activist.

“I used to speak at church sometimes, but not muchother than that,” she says

But a few years of poor working conditions and lowwages would change things

“I helped them organize the Union here. We hadpeople who were really scared,” says Hall, anenvironmental service worker at Prince George’s.“We’d go to different places where we could bring acrowd — the VFW or a restaurant. And one personwould bring another one along. When people learnedhow the Union could protect them and help them onthe job, we organized the election.”

Hall says she surprised herself a little back then, butthe drive was the bedrock of a decades-long dedicationto justice and solidarity that’s marked her career atPrince George’s.

“My father had been in the Teamsters, but thatwasn’t what influenced me. What moved me was whatwe were up against at Prince George’s — the workingconditions and the low pay. And I wanted to be part ofsomething that would help people.”

After that organizing drive, Hall was almost immediately elected tothe position of delegate, or as they were called then,shop steward. And she’s continued to serve in theposition for the last 32 years. She’s earned a reputationfor being tough, strong and most important, fair.

“It doesn’t have to be hostile,” she says of her workhandling grievances and navigating labor-managementrelations. “We’ll always have people with problems.Sometimes people don’t know what to do. Or they justneed support so they don’t make a mistake. It makes mefeel good when I can help someone with a problem thatthey don’t know how to deal with.”

OUR DELEGATE LEADERS

“We have to makesure we have themoney and proper

funding to runthis place.”

Rose Speranza (below), RN delegateon the neonatal intensive care unit at

the Women and Children’s Hospitalof Buffalo in upstate New York.

Imogene Hall (at right), an environ mentalservices worker at Prince George’s

Hospital Center in Maryland.

Robert Kirkham Photo


PEOPLE

Above: New BedfordPCA Ariane Martinphotographs someplayful subjects.

At right: Martin’sphotos of her parentsDyan and Glen and(below) New Bedford’sFair Haven shipyard.

She’s Just Waitingfor the Right Shot.New Bedford PCA Ariane Martin is a photographer.

Ariane Martin, a personal care attendant in NewBedford, MA, always thought a camera was little morethan a snapshot box.

“I’d do the usual things, you know, take pictures atbirthdays and stuff,” she says.

And then last year Martin was among the group ofworkers chosen to participate in a photo documentaryproject conducted through a partnership with theUniversity of Massachusetts Labor Education Center.Under the guidance of professional photojournalist PeterPereira, workers from different sectors and unions weregiven cameras to photograph their everyday lives — theplaces they live, where they work, their families andtheir neighborhoods.

“It was really cool learning how to shoot pictures atdifferent angles and from different places and to trainyour eye differently,” says Martin. “When you take apicture you usually shoot a person’s face. Peter taughtus not to do that. He taught us to think outside the box.”

The pictures were shown in June at New Bedford’sZeiterion Theater in an exhibit called “Work in Progress:Workers See Themselves Through a New Lens.”

Martin says she doesn’t take snapshots any longer. “I’ve always seen the world differently, but this reallyhoned my photography skills,” she says. “I never say‘Okay, stand there’ any more. It’s not a posed picture.I have a 10-year-old daughter and a three-year-oldniece and I’m always in the background just waitingfor the right shot.”


Brookdale MembersFight to Save HospitalSome 3,000 workers at Brookdale UniversityHospital and Medical Center inBrooklyn are fighting for restorationof their 1199SEIU benefits. In lateMay the hospital’s managersunilaterally replaced workers’1199SEIU benefits with expensiveand inferior Blue Cross insuranceafter falling six months behind onpayments to the 1199SEIU NationalBenefit Fund.

“The people at this institutionare being denied what we’veearned,” says Jennifer Montague, apatient care technician at theinstitution for over 25 years. “Wenegotiated our benefits andmanagement lied. They’re saying onething and doing another. They can’teven fulfill the arrangement they’veput in place.”

Brookdale, like many Brooklynhospitals, has been sufferingfinancially as it continues to servesome of the borough’s poorestpatients. It was among severalBrooklyn institutions discussed atmid-July hearings where workers andcommunity activists passionatelycalled on state officials to protectBrooklyn’s safety net hospitals.

Demanding the restoration oftheir benefits, Brookdale workershave held protests, a Town Hallmeeting and a candlelight vigil to callattention to management’s move —which is a direct violation of their1199SEIU collective bargainingagreement.

At the July 18 Town Hallmeeting at Grace Baptist Church,scores of workers and theirsupporters met with elected officialswho called on Brookdale bosses tohonor their contract and do the rightthing by their employees.

“It’s no secret that this hospitalis facing a dire crisis and the

population that is served byBrookdale is burdened by theproblems that plague us most,” saidState Sen. John Sampson, whosedistrict includes portions of CrownHeights, East Flatbush, Brownsvilleand Canarsie — neighborhoodswhich rely heavily on Brookdale.

“But you have never waiveredin your commitment in providing thehighest quality care to your patientsand it’s inexcusable that workerswho have negotiated a contract ingood faith have lost their healthcoverage because of mis manage -ment,” Sampson said

Mammographer Paulette Forbesurged her co-workers to be fearlessin the fight. For information go towww.SaveBrookdale.com.

“This is an attack on the wholecommunity,” said Forbes, a delegatewith 22 years at Brookdale. “We arebeing used to test the waters to seehow far they can get. We need to letmanagement and the whole worldknow how strong we are.”

Around the Union

Brides’ March isSeptember 261199SEIU is helping to raise awareness ofdomestic violence and itsconsequences through its participationin the 11th Annual Gladys Ricart andVictims of Domestic ViolenceMemorial Walk on Monday, Sept. 26in New York City. The Union is amember of the organizing committeeand members are encouraged toparticipate.

The six-mile procession,organized by New York LatinasAgainst Domestic Violence seeks toraise consciousness about domesticviolence within and outside theLatino community. The walk wendsthrough Upper Manhattan and theBronx and is also known as theBride’s March because manyparticipants wear wedding gownsto commemorate Gladys Ricart.Ricart was murdered in 1999on her wedding day by a jealousex-boyfriend.

This year domestic violenceclaimed the lives of at least threeNew York City 1199SEIU members.In July, Trenance Williams, an RN atSt. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx,was stabbed to death by herboyfriend on the terrace of theapartment the two shared. Neigh -bors and witnesses couldn’t get toWilliams in time to help her.

In June, the murdered body ofFelicia Cruz, a home health aide with

Mobilization for Youth, was found inthe lower Manhattan apartment ofher boyfriend. And in AprilBrookdale Hospital RN TatianaPrikhodko was stabbed to death byher boyfriend in a violent rampagethat also took life of her adultdaughter Larisa. (Larisa was an RNat Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan,where nurses are represented by theNew York State Nurses Association.)

Just days before last year’s march,

Ana Ybe spoke at a press conferenceat 1199SEIU headquarters inManhattan. Ybe’s daughter, Jessica,was a home attendant with theBronx’s Alliance Agency. On Jan. 16,2010, Jessica’s boyfriend killed herand two of her children.

At the press conference Ybetearfully praised the courage of theBrides’ March participants andexpressed the hope that the walkwould help other families.

“Every day — morning, noonand night — I miss them,” she said ofher lost family members.

For more information callBrides’ March Coordinator GracePerez at 914-213-0316, [email protected] or log on towww.BridesMarch.com.

Participants of all ages and backgroundswalked in last year’s Brides’ Marchagainst domestic violence.

Brookdale workers rallied June 10.

Retirees Knit-In To Save MedicareOn Aug. 7 scores of New York City-area retirees said “enough isenough” to the attacks on Medicareand to banking giants whocontinue to fatten their coffers —and pay little or no tax.

Organized by UnitedNY, acoalition of labor and communityactivists that includes 1199SEIU,retirees held lunchtime “Knit-Ins”at branches of Citibank, WellsFargo and Chase banks inManhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronxand on Long Island. They told thebanking giants to pay their fairshare in taxes so politicians whocontinually demand spending cutswill stop their assault on programslike Medicare, Social Security,education and health care.

Knitters calmly walked intobanks wearing “Save Medicare!Make The Banks Pay Their Share!”t-shirts and carrying hand-knitblankets embroidered with “SaveMedicare.” They sat in waitingareas with their yarn and needles,quietly sending their message tobank management, employees andlong lines of customers. Outsidethe branches other retirees andtheir supporters picketed, chantedand carried signs.

“I wasn’t nervous at all,” saysretiree Urizene Drysdale, whoworked as a CNA at UnitedOddfellows and Rebekah Home inthe Bronx and who was among thefour knitters at the Bronx action.“If they would have taken me to jailI’d be out by now. I did thisbecause I need my Medicare. I liveon my Social Security and mypension,” Drysdale says.

At the Bronx action, at aCitibank on Creston Ave. nearFordham Rd., managers andsecurity asked knitters to leaveafter about 15 minutes. As theknitters emerged they weregreeted with applause and cheers.

For more information aboutUnitedNY and the Fight for a FairEconomy, log on towww.UnitedNY.org.

15

Brookdale �Brides’ March �Retirees’ Knit-In �Kaleida �Labor Chorus

Troubadours for Peace1199ers Jeff Vogel, a Manhattan Beth IsraelHospital respiratory therapist, andGwendolyn Dennis, the executivevice president of the Retirees Local,were among the members of theNew York Labor Chorus who inApril spent a week in Cubaperforming for groups as diverse asthe National Chorus of Cuba, theChorus of the National Trade UnionFederation and children’s choral andtheater groups.

“We believe that our visit helpedto bring people together andpromote peace,” says Dennis, whowas born in Sierra Leone and lived in

Liberia and Nigeria before settling inNew York and later retiring fromNew York Presbyterian hospital inupper Manhattan.

“The experience was an eye-opener for me,” Dennis says. “I wasimpressed by the warmth andresilience of the Cuban peopledespite hardships due to scarcity andinconveniences like the need to waitin line for things we in the U.S. takefor granted.

“I also was surprised by thenumber of churches we sang in andby the fact that some of the Jewishmembers of our chorus attendedseders in Havana.”

“Cultural exchanges areexcellent ways for people to learnfrom each other,” says Vogel. “I also

appreciated that throughout ourtravels there, we weren’t bombardedby commercial ads. What we didfind was music everywhere. It wasnot unusual for us to disembark fromour buses and dance to live music atrest stops.”

Vogel notes that when the rock-and-roll group the Beatles were therage in the 1960s, their music wasbanned in Cuba. Said Vogel, “Anindication of the changes in Cuba isthat we sang in in a park that wasnamed in honor of Beatle JohnLennon.”

Kaleida WorkersHang ToughAfter nearly four months of negotiations,3,800 1199SEIU members employedat six institutions that make upWestern New York’s Kaleidanetwork won a two-year contractthat includes 3 percent in wageincreases, maintains their healthbenefits and increases employercontributions to the Training Fund.

Kaleida negotiations began inMarch and were conducted jointlywith the Communications Workersof America and the InternationalUnion of Operating Engineers,which also represent workers atKaleida institutions.

Talks got off to a rough start, saysMyra Holiday, a mail clerk at BuffaloGeneral Hospital, who was on the45-member negotiating committee.1199SEIU members made up abouthalf of the committee. Managementinitially came to the table lookingfor millions in givebacks and con -cessions, which included theelimi na tion of the Training Fund,reducing starting wages for new hiresby 20 percent, and major changes inthe pension plan.

“It was really important that wekeep the Training Fund,” saysHoliday. “That’s one of the greatestthings that’s ever happened becauseit allows members to go to school

and improve and support them selves.They build better lives for theirfamilies.”

Negotiations all but stalled morethan once. Kaleida continued toinsist it was stretched too thin tofinance contract improvements. Butworkers hung tough. On June 6 theyheld the Buffalo area’s largest picketever, when 3,000 workers picketedBuffalo General Hospital. After that,both sides agreed to a contractextension. Finally, after some 14straight days of talks, the agreement,which covers 1199SEIU-representedservice, maintenance, technical and

clerical workers and RNs, was settledon June 28 and ratified on July 19.

“These were some of thetoughest negotiations I’ve ever beena part of in terms of cuts andgivebacks. And I’ve been on everycommittee since 1199 came upstate.They wanted everything on thetable,” says Holiday. “But I think themajority of people are happy andmorale is good.”

1199ers in the NY Labor Chorus presentedcaps to Cuba’s Children’s Choralemembers on an April tour of Cuba.

Kaleida workers held Buffalo’s largestpicket on June 6.

August/September • Our Life And Times

Jeff Vogel Photo

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BrookdaleMembersFight to SaveHospitalWorkers at Brookdale Hospital andMedical Center in Brooklyn held ademonstration June 15 to demand therestoration of their 1199SEIU benefits.Management fell behind on payments tothe 1199SEIU National Benefit Fund andput 3,800 1199ers in an expensive andinferior insurance plan. Workers andtheir supporters have vowed to keep onthe pressure until management honorsthe contract. See page 14.

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