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ALSO COVERING ELMHURST, JACKSON HEIGHTS, LONG ISLAND CITY, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE, REGO PARK, SUNNYSIDE
June 19-25, 2020
Union celebrates healthcare frontline
workers while honoring George Floyd
BY BILL PARRY
Hundreds of 1199SEIU members
staged a candlelight vigil at Mount
Sinai Queens Hospital in Astoria to
honor thousands of its members who
are selflessly sacrificing their health
and the health of their loved ones to
care for people suffering through
COVID-19 pandemic.
The vigils were a way to celebrate
the heroic colleagues who contracted
COVID-19 and lost their lives, as well
as those who continue to work every
day without being recognized for their
heroic acts.
Union members designated as
Town Criers led the crowd in cheers
and explained why they were there.
“We are the healthcare workers
who have sacrificed and risked our
lives while working on the frontlines
of the COVID-19 pandemic,” a Town
Crier said. “We leave our families behind
each day to come to work to care
for patients who are unable to care for
themselves. We are here to pay tribute
to our fallen sisters and brothers who
gave their life coming to work and
providing care for their patients. We
thank them for their dedication and
bravery.”
The union members also visited
Parker Jewish Institute and Katz
Women’s Hospital honoring the memory
of George Floyd. Members kneeled
for eight minutes and 46 seconds
while holding signs reading “Black
Union members took a knee for George Floyd and honored healthcare worker at several Queens hospitals. Courtesy 1199SEIU
Lives Matter,” “Time for Change” and
“Enough is Enough” during the silent
vigil, after which members cheered
and went back to work.
Union officials said the vigil, like
others held around the city in recent
weeks, was during members’ lunch
breaks so as not to interfere with patient
care.
“Police brutality and an inadequate
response to COVID-19 have
led to avoidable death and emotional
trauma in our communities,” a union
organizer said. “While we are on the
frontlines fighting COVID-19, protestors
were on the frontlines fighting
injustice and racism.”
Simultaneous vigils were held at
all facilities where 1199SEIU members
work in all five boroughs, and in
all five states where 1199 represents
healthcare workers, New York, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, Maryland,
Florida and the District of Columbia.
Vol. 8 No. 25 40 total pages
2021
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