Who is 1199SEIU?

Quality, affordable healthcare for all.

2010-03-17T15:54:45Z

1199SEIU is the largest, fastest-growing and most effective healthcare union in America, with the strength of over 350,000 members throughout the East Coast.

In Massachusetts, 1199SEIU represents more than 35,000 members in hospitals, nursing homes, homecare and clinics, with nearly 8,000 in the Greater Boston area – including Boston Medical Center, Good Samaritan and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Centers, Carney Hospital and Union Hospital.

A history of constant innovation.

2010-03-17T15:54:31Z

While some unions have struggled to adapt to a changing economy, the frontline health care workers of 1199 are more relevant than ever as vital, pragmatic advocates for patients, caregivers and working families. Our track record of partnering with forward-thinking employers to achieve shared goals and solve the problems brought on by the health care crisis reflects this union-wide spirit of innovation.

Working pragmatically toward solutions.

2010-03-17T15:53:44Z

1199 members have developed a highly effective approach to problem solving, which involves working with employers to increase resources and improve efficiency, jobs and quality of care. The following are some of the most successful examples of labor-management partnerships in the country:

As of February 2010, 13 Massachusetts hospitals and 17 nursing homes are part of the union’s training and education fund, giving thousands of union members the opportunity to enhance their skills and advance their careers. 1199’s Training and Upgrading Fund now has sixteen voucher partnerships with schools across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In New York, 1199 members have worked with the Greater New York Hospital Association to create the Healthcare Education Project, which informs and mobilizes voters on health care issues. The Healthcare Education Project has stopped cuts to health care facilities, achieved millions in new funding for patient care and passed innovative legislation such as the Family Health Plus program that covers over one million previously uninsured children and adults.

1199 New York members have also worked with the League of Voluntary Hospitals to create the largest and most successful health care training fund in the country, which offers educational opportunities to more than 30,000 workers a year. 1199 members and the League have also created a Labor Management Partnership that has had quantitatively measurable benefits for clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and hospital efficiency.

Uniting all health care workers.

2010-03-17T15:53:06Z

1199 was founded by New York pharmacists in the 1930s. That small group soon realized that they could only have an effective voice in the health care industry if their union embraced all health care workers. Today, 1199SEIU is the largest and fastest growing local health care union in the United States, representing almost every job classification in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient facilities and the homecare industry. 1199 members include registered nurses, nursing assistants, x-ray techs, respiratory therapists, dietary workers, research techs and many others.

1199SEIU now has members throughout New York State, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.