NY Health Care Workers Vote Decisively to Join 1199

(NEW YORK, NY) Some 937 home health aide workers at New York Health Care (NYHC)have just joined 1199SEIU. With this victory on July 13, the workers—based in New York City, Spring Valley and Newburgh--ended their three-year fight to join the union, citing the need for workplace improvements like a voice on the job, fairer pay, health insurance and job security in order to better care for their clients and provide for their families.

"I am very happy because I have been working with NYHC for 11 years," said Yolanda Alicea. "It’s about time we had the union!"

1199SEIU home health aides and other homecare workers throughout downstate New York have achieved a voice in patient care, no-cost educational opportunities, higher wages and more by joining 1199SEIU.  NYHC workers are confident that they will achieve these improvements by becoming members.

"With the union, we have job protection, great health insurance, and opportunities to advance in our careers," said NYHC home health aid Migdalia Mojica. "I want to become an LPN, and 1199’s no-cost educational opportunities will allow me to reach this dream and better provide for my family. Without the union we had no job security—they could fire us for any reason. Often there wasn’t steady work and it was difficult for us to make ends meet. Being a home health aid is an enormous amount of our responsibility and we work very hard caring for our patients. We deserve the benefits the union is offering us."