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Occupy Baltimore & DC and 1199: We Are All the 99 Percent

The Heart Of Baltimore — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:16:00 +0000

The delegates of 1199SEIU’s Maryland/DC region voted unanimously on October 19 to support Occupy Baltimore and Occupy DC, the local outposts of the global movement launched on Wall Street last month.

While some have complained that the movement lacks a clear message, representatives from the two Occupy groups stated it plainly, beginning their presentation to the delegates with a group chant of “We are the 99 percent!” Few slogans better capture the challenge confronting American workers today.

After Hurricane Irene, Baltimore 1199er brings light to elderly residents in the dark

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:48:26 +0000

When Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc along the east coast last weekend, thousands of people lost electricity for days. Elderly residents at the Springwell Senior Living Community in Baltimore were hit especially hard. Luckily for them, 1199ers like Carolyn Taylor-Chester were on hand to provide care to residents without power.

Chester picked up extra shifts at the home in order to help the facility compensate for the lack of power. "My co-workers and I have been picking up extra shifts and doing the best we can to help out our residents."

Baltimore Catholic Charities Betraying Its Values in St. Elizabeth’s Contract Talks

The Heart Of Baltimore — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:36:48 +0000

Catholic Charities of Baltimore – the owner of St. Elizabeth’s nursing home – says its values are respect, service, dignity, compassion and justice. But in ongoing contract talks with 1199 caregivers, Catholic Charities is not living up to those values

On June 30, St. Elizabeth’s 1199ers, with support from their union brothers and sisters from nearby facilities, staged a spirited informational picket in front of the home, bringing attention to the facility’s contract crisis and the threat to resident care.

Summit Park Workers Unite to Win a Contract

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:22:55 +0000

With help from their 1199SEIU brothers and sisters, workers at Summit Park have won a contract after a year-long fight for better wages and better working conditions.

The contract was settled shortly after workers showed a united front during the second of two informational pickets. The picket held on May 4^th revealed to the community that the facility had been contaminated with asbestos and garnered coverage in the Catonsville Times and the Catonsville Patch.

Since the picket, management at Summit Park has been working with 1199 to ensure that the asbestos is being safely removed from the facility.

The new contract includes a number of significant victories for the workers:

For the first time, Summit Park workers will be allowed to take one personal day.
The workers will retroactive pay dating back to January 2011.
A 6 percent wage increase will be applied over 3 years.

According to 1199 Vice President Antoinette Turner, “It is so inspiring to see workers come together to achieve these victories. During these tough economic times, workers want a solid pay increase and retroactive pay, and they got those things because of their efforts.”

According to Donta Marshall, a GNA at the home and an 1199 delegate, “Winning this contract means so much to us because our voice has been heard and it shows that there is really power in numbers.” She adds, “In this economy, it really is a blessing to earn a decent wage increase and receive our retroactive pay – I know it will go a long way for me in covering my day-to-day expenses.”

Mayor’s Hard Work for a Healthy Baltimore Wins Endorsement from 1199’s Healthcare Workers

The Heart Of Baltimore — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:01:04 +0000

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was joined by close to one hundred healthcare workers from across Baltimore at the historic Eubie Blake Cultural Center to receive their endorsement in the race for Baltimore City Mayor. Surrounded by Maryland General Hospital workers in scrubs and Ravenwood Nursing Home workers in SEIU purple, a smiling Rawlings-Blake said she planned to ride the "purple tide" to victory.

"Our members have voted to endorse Stephanie Rawlings-Blake because no one has worked harder to build a healthy Baltimore," said John Reid, executive vice president of 1199SEIU, Baltimore’s healthcare union. "As a city council member, as council president and now as mayor, she’s fought tirelessly for quality healthcare - and for quality healthcare jobs. By helping caregivers to win a voice for our patients and a better life for our families, she’s helping to improve the quality of life for everyone in Baltimore."

Summit Park Picket Exposes Asbestos Crisis

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:53:40 +0000

If you found asbestos in a home, wouldn’t you tell the people who live there right away? Not if you’re management at Summit Park nursing home in Catonsville.

Officials at the Baltimore County facility had known since at least January there was asbestos in the home, but they kept the news from Summit Park’s residents and 1199 caregivers until late March.

“It’s scary,” said Sally Hill, a geriatric nursing assistant (GNA) and 38- year veteran of Summit Park. “It makes you wonder what else they’ve been hiding.”

On May 5th, Summit Park’s 1199ers made sure the whole community knew about the asbestos crisis, staging a spirited informational picket in front of the home. We brought attention to the asbestos controversy and to management’s year-long refusal to settle a fair contract.

Maryland’s Millionaires Meet their Match

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:41:07 +0000

1199 members traveled to Annapolis Thursday for our annual legislative action day and took some time out for a special visit to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber, Maryland’s big business lobby, has been pressing an all-too-familiar agenda in the state capital: tax breaks for corporations and the rich, healthcare and education cuts for everyone else.

But 1199 members helped beat back that agenda in Maryland during last fall’s elections, and we showed the Chamber yesterday that we’ve got the strength to do it again. Click here to see pictures from the rally on our Facebook page.

1199 Rallies to Save Civil Rights History & Shape Baltimore's Future

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:20:32 +0000

1199 members and community activists rallied Thursday in downtown Baltimore to save the historic Read's Drug Store building, site of a groundbreaking 1955 sit-in to desegregate the store's lunch counter.

Click here to see WBAL-TV's rally coverage.

The rally featured Dr. Helena Hicks, a leader of the 1955 sit-in who is now spearheading the effort to stop the demolition of Read's by out-of-town developers.

Special 1199SEIU Delegate Assembly Honors Civil Rights Pioneer

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:52:43 +0000

Dr. Helena Hicks tells the story of her 1955 sit-in.Over one-hundred-and-fifty 1199SEIU delegates and guests met Wednesday for a special delegates assembly celebrating Black History Month and focusing on our union’s deep ties to the civil rights movement. The highlight of the evening was the keynote speech by Dr. Helena Hicks, a civil rights activist who in 1955 led a sit-in to desegregate the lunch counter at Read’s Drugstore in downtown Baltimore.

In his introduction of Dr. Hicks, 1199 Executive Vice President John Reid noted that she and other civil rights activists “set the stage” for our local union’s formation in 1969, when thousands of Baltimore hospital workers rallied with Coretta Scott King to form our union. (Click here to see a video of Hopkins workers talking about the 1969 campaign.)

Dreaming Big in Baltimore

The Heart Of Baltimore — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:29:52 +0000

Commuters coming through Baltimore’s Penn Station are seeing more than a sales pitch on the station’s billboards and kiosks. In celebration of Black History Month, 1199SEIU is honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King with a series of inspirational ads that highlight their role in helping to build our union.

From the 1950s on, Dr. King had a close relationship with the union, calling himself “a fellow 1199er.” In 1969, Mrs King came to Baltimore and stood with the workers of Johns Hopkins as they united to improve conditions at the hospital and founded our local chapter.

The “DREAM” ads, which are on every billboard and kiosk in Penn Station, show how 1199SEIU is carrying on the Kings’ legacy in our Heart of Baltimore campaign. In the campaign, thousands of healthcare workers from across Baltimore are uniting to win a voice for better care and better jobs in our hospitals and nursing homes. The ads are also on display on bus shelters near the hospitals and nursing homes where Baltimore’s caregivers work.