Cynthia McCormick - September 1, 2008     (Click here to download pdf of the full article from the Cape Cod Times)

Tammy Lawler’s job as a medical secretary at Cape Cod Hospital has her old job as a hairdresser beat on several counts.

As a hospital employee, she gets health benefits, generous vacation time and tuition money for classes or training in health-related fields.

“That’s what brought me to the hospital - the benefits and the wages,” said Lawler, a Dennis resident and the mother of two sons.

She credits her ability to earn a living on Cape Cod not only to Cape Cod Healthcare Inc., the parent company of Cape Cod and Falmouth hospitals, but also to the hospital workers union.

The union has a long name - 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - and it’s accomplished a major objective. “It gives me a voice,” said Lawler, a union delegate.