Militant/Jacob Perasso
WORCESTER, Mass. A group of workers from Albany, New York, came to bring solidarity to Massachusetts Nurses Association members on strike at St. Vincent Hospital here May 5 on the 60th day of their walkout. Over 700 nurses are fighting against unsafe working conditions and understaffing dangerous for both medical workers and the patients. At far left is Mike Fitzsimmons, a member of the New York State Nurses Association and of the union’s bargaining committee at Albany Medical Center fighting for their first contract. The delegation included Kathie Fitzgerald, far right, who brought $60 she and her co-workers collected at the Walmart store where she works as a cashier, as well as a card they all signed. Fitzgerald is the Socialist Workers Party candidate for Albany Common Council president.
Randy Gerlach is president and CEO of Schofield Care, which operates a 120-bed nursing home in Kenmore.
The Schofield Residence is rated four stars by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, meaning it’s considered above average. Yet it doesn’t quite meet the new safe staffing bill’s mandate of 3.5 care hours per resident per day.
“Are they working smarter, not harder? And if they are, why are we going to penalize them, to add cost when they re already doing a very good job?” Gerlach said.
Like nursing home operators, advocates for nursing home residents also worry the bill won’t actually improve care, but for much different reasons. They say 3.5 hours isn’t enough.
AFT
Reopening schools has been one of the most contested issues of the COVID-19 era, and few have been happy with the pace – parent, teacher or student. One person who thought New York City has tackled it correctly is Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. Unlike some national labor figures, Weingarten remains influential among local education unions in New York, where she headed the United Federation of Teachers from 1998 to 2009.
7. John Samuelsen
International President, Transport Workers Union
As international president of the Transport Workers Union, John Samuelsen represents 150,000 transit workers, including 41,000 at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, his former employer whose tracks stretch from New York City to Poughkeepsie and Montauk. After a $3.9 billion bailout in March 2020, the MTA is receiving another $6 billion in aid via the American Rescue Plan, sidestepping once again the looming jobs catastrophe caused by the pandem
Juansilvaphoto.com
As it became clear that many workplaces – essential and less so – would remain open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ALIGN became a key player in a coalition of 70 unions, workers’ centers and nonprofits that have pushed the NY HERO Act. The bill sets enforceable workplace standards for testing, PPE, social distancing, hygiene and more. Maritza Silva-Farrell has led ALIGN, an alliance of labor and community organizations, since 2016.
52. Charlene Obernauer
Executive Director, New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health
NYCOSH, the watchdog nonprofit that Charlene Obernauer leads, is well known for its annual report on construction deaths in New York state. The latest report on calendar year 2019 found that while construction-related deaths dipped slightly across the state, they rose 10% over the previous year within the five boroughs. In her role, Obernauer has advocated for better COVID-19 protection at New York work sites and also conducts tr