Professional and Technical Workers United in 1199SEIU Have the Strongest Voice
To Advance Our Professions & Protect Our Patients
Professional and Technical workers need a real say in our jobs and patient care
Professional and Technical employees need a strong voice both at work and in government, to assert our important role in the healthcare delivery team, build respect for our individual professions, ensure we are respected and properly compensated, and advocate for our patients. Joining 1199SEIU is our opportunity to win our voice and join the strongest, most effective, and fastest-growing union of hospital professionals in the country.
As hospital professionals, we are stronger together
Over 450,000 healthcare workers have united in 1199SEIU to win power and a real say in our jobs, including over 35,000 professional and technical members. The collective strength and expertise of our union allows 1199SEIU members to negotiate strong contracts that advance the needs of our individual professions and improve patient care.
11999SEIU Pro-Techs have won the highest job standards
With the right to negotiate a union contract and the strength of our union, 1199SEIU Pro-Tech members have won higher pay, safe staffing, training & education opportunities, retirement security, affordable healthcare, and job protections, as well as a strong, effective voice in staffing, scope of practice, and patient care.
Swipe to hear our voices!
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Brian Fullerton, Respiratory Therapist, Northern Westchester Hospital
“With 1199, the benefits for me and my family are unbeatable. Being part of our union means my coworkers and I can fight for and win fair wages and the good working conditions we need to care for our patients.”
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Maria Kaufer, nutritionist, Forest Hills Hospital, New York
“With my 1199 contract, after one year of working at least 3/5 time members have no cost education opportunities. This year I’ve taken four free inter-disciplinary seminars, all accredited, including a recent one on congestive heart failure. 1199 helps professionals stay aware and informed of the latest trends, research and skills in our respective fields.”
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Darryl Sadler, Surgical Tech, Beth Israel Hospital, New York
“Many surgical techs have had top-notch training and years of experience, but have never been licensed or certified. Now, because we’re being required to be certified, 1199SEIU set up pre-testing for surgical techs to determine the level of preparation we need to pass the exams. 1199 then created different levels of intensive prep classes, which members can attend for free. That’s the kind of special attention that our union pays to the concerns of individual professions.”
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Maureen Gill, Recreational Therapist, Cold Springs Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation
“I’ve come to value 1199 so much. Not just in helping me further my education, but in striving for equality in the workplace and job protection. Our employer has tried to replace long term workers who have 40 years or more on the job with agency workers. We have been able to protect our jobs through our union."”
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Vivian Stuart, clinical laboratory technologist, MS, MT (ASCP) and educator, New York
“With 1199SEIU, we led the effort to win licensure for clinical laboratory practitioners in New York State. It took many years of lobbying and speaking out, and we finally won. The union’s training fund regularly offers 3 and 6 credit CEU seminars at no cost. 1199SEIU is about being the best healthcare professional you can be, and getting respected and valued for your work.”
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Diana Nielsen, PTA, Southampton Hospital
“Being part of 1199 offers me job security, regular pay raises, awesome health benefits and after working 36 years at another hospital, FINALLY a pension! As a union delegate, I have had the privilege of helping to negotiate our last contract and wording with other dedicated coworkers.”
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Jon A. Fatone, Watch Engineer, Northern Westchester Hospital
“My coworkers and I joined 1199 to have real job security, take advantage of advanced education opportunities, and protect each other. Through our union, we also achieve the fair wages and medical benefits we deserve.”
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Alma Pendelton, Registered Dietitian, retired
“I was a registered dietitian for over 37 years. The 1199SEIU training fund paid for my BS, and I also received a stipend and health benefits while I was in school. Now, I’m retired with a great pension and I remain active in my union. Being in 1199 allows dietitians to move up the ladder and then stay there, even after we retire.”
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Patricia Hentschel, PT Rep, Patchogue
“We deserve better job security and health insurance. Together in our union, we are better able to negotiate both.”
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Stella Davis, LPN, Bronx Lebanon Hospital, New York
“I’m in an RN program, and everything has been paid for by the 1199SEIU Training Fund, from pre-reqs to clinicals to books. I also recently took an in-service seminar in wound care through the union training fund for free, which would have cost me $1,500 out of pocket.”
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Chandra Chakraver, pharmacy specialist, Prison Health Services, New York
“I was able to get my pharmacy technician certificate at almost no cost through our union’s training fund. And now I’m in the Licensed Practical Nurse prep program that our training fund provides. 1199SEIU allows professionals to further our career goals.”
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John Herr, Respiratory Therapist, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Massachusetts
“During contract negotiations, it was refreshing to sit at the table and be a part of a team of co-workers that were negotiating with management. For years, I never got to negotiate anything with management, they just told me what to do. They would rearrange my schedule a certain way, things I wasn’t so happy about. So it felt empowering to sit there at the table and know that you were negotiating a contract for your coworkers and yourself.”
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Elise Rackmill, Social Worker, Continuum Network, New York
“Social workers benefit from the support, advocacy and job protection that 1199SEIU provides. 1199’s historic fight for social justice, civil rights, healthcare access and equality coincide with the values of our profession. 1199 has proudly been at the forefront of efforts to defend and strenghten the social work profession, from the fight against the attempted deregulation of Social Work Departments to the successful struggle to secure licensure.”
By joining 1199SEIU, thousands of professional and technical workers have won the best job standards and patient protections:
—Alma Pendelton, Registered Dietitian, retired
“I was a registered dietitian for over 37 years. The 1199SEIU training fund paid for my BS, and I also received a stipend and health benefits while I was in school. Now, I’m retired with a great pension and I remain active in my union. Being in 1199 allows dietitians to move up the ladder and then stay there, even after we retire.”
Winning a say in our profession and patient care
As healthcare professionals, we often have very specific concerns particular to our fields of work. When professional and technical workers join 1199SEIU, we more meaningfully participate in decision-making and have our voices heard in a variety of ways, including:
Professional Councils where workers meet regularly with colleagues to design continuing education programs, strategize legislative priorities, and address workplace issues.
Professional Practice Committees where workers meet regularly with management to address issues such as staffing, equipment, work policies, and scope of practice.
—Marc Goldberg, MPT, NYU Medical Center
“Like many rehab facilities, retention and recruitment has been a major concern at my workplace, and this has required us to take on higher workloads and constantly train new staff. The turnover left little or no time for research projects or for keeping on top of increasing documentation requirements. As our frustration mounted, we decided to work with our union to establish policies that would help us retain qualified therapists. This included creating salary differentials above our base pay for advanced masters, transitional DPT, entry-level DPT, DOT, PhD and specialty certifications from the APTA and AOTA. And 1199SEIU’s training fund helps us achieve all of these credentials at little cost. With the help of 1199SEIU, we were able to ensure that we keep the most skilled therapists and provide the best quality of care for our patients.”
Our professional voice in public policy
Our jobs, and healthcare, are highly regulated, and 1199SEIU is the most influential voice for hospital professional and technical workers in the government and regulatory arenas. Together, we have fought for and won healthcare funding, patients’ rights and expanded access for the uninsured, licensure for laboratory practitioners, respiratory therapists & social workers, and more.
—Mary Nee, CAT scan technologist (pictured on right with Tara Carroll, CT Tech) Maimonides Medical Center
“Many states have passed legislation expanding our scope of practice by allowing techs to inject contrast material. Because many New York imaging techs belong to 1199SEIU, we campaigned for and won a $2/hour differential for any tech with this responsibility. To this day, many techs who are not members of 1199SEIU are not compensated with a differential for injecting contrast material. This victory shows that when you’re part of a strong, effective union like 1199SEIU, you have a say in how changes to your profession are implemented.”
Join 1199SEIU
Thousands of professional and technical healthcare workers all over the country are joining 1199SEIU to win the highest job standards, ensure respect for our individual professions, and improve patient care. Now, it’s our turn.
