A member of 1199SEIU in West Capital Park
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)
ALBANY, N.Y. — “Whatever you do to health care, we will do to you,” said the labor leader. And behind him — a group of self-described corporate “suits” nodded.
It’s rare to hear a CEO say “Hello Brothers and Sisters!” to a mass labor union rally — and to be greeted with sustained applause and loud cheering. But it happened more than once, in Albany, on Thursday — as labor and management stood together on a podium in a park outside the State Capital.
A “union maid” reflects on proposed cuts to health care
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)
Just outside the Empire State Plaza, the seat of state power, Albany’s West Capital Park was filled with thousands of 1199 workers, clad in trademark purple and waving bright yellow “thunder sticks”. Facing them on the podium was “GQ,” the house band, 1199 Political Director Kevin Finnegan, Secretary-Treasurer Maria Castaneda and Ken Raske, President of the Greater New York Hospital Association.
GNYHA represents nearly 300 not-for-profit and public hospitals and continuing care facilities in the metropolitan New York area and throughout the State.
GNYHA’s Ken Raske summons his “suits”
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)
“I got a bunch of suits with me…c’mon suits!” Raske said, urging three other “suits” to join him on the podium.
One by one the “suits” — administrators from various hospitals — spoke to the 4000-plus crowd about the need to stand together. The common message: divert wasteful spending, pork project funding, into health care.
1199SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Maria Castaneda
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)
Raske’s “suits” — and union leaders Finnegan and Castaneda — all stressed that the cure for what ails health care is voting those who would decimate it with budget cuts out of office.
President George Gresham addresses the membership of 1199SEIU
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)
His flight delayed, 1199SEIU President George Gresham arrived late — but his speech animated the crowd of union faithful. As the November sun set on the park, union members cheered Gresham who led them in chants of “Enough is enough.”
Addressing Governor Paterson and any legislators who might vote with him, Gresham said, “Whatever you do to health care, we will do to you.”
The notion that the union would use its clout to vote out any legislators voting against health care was raised by speaker after speaker. With the state capital in earshot it’s a safe bet Paterson and others heard the message — but were they listening?
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)
