(NEW YORK CITY) - Thousands of Health Care Workers rallied near City Hall in Foley Square, urging the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York to reach a new contract covering 86,000 Service Employees International (SEIU) Union Local 1199 members who are employed at Hospitals and Nursing Homes across New York.

The Workers - Registered Nurses, Emergency Medical Technicians, Certified Nursing Assistants, Social Workers, Housekeepers, Technicians, Dietary Staff and other Front-Line Caregivers - filled the plaza in a sea of purple shirts and signs that read: "Care Lives Here, But We Can't Afford To," as negotiations continue ahead of the current contract's September 30th expiration.

"There is no health care without workers," Local 1199 President Yvonne Armstrong told the crowd. "We will not be taken for granted or disrespected. Every Health Care Worker should be able to afford to live in the communities we serve."

Armstrong said Health Care Workers kept New York's Hospitals and Nursing Homes operating through the COVID-19 Pandemic and continue to provide essential care every day, arguing employers must invest in the workforce that makes patient care possible.

"We are united, we are organized and we are ready to fight to win health care justice," she said.

The contract covers 86,000 Workers employed at 90 Hospitals and Nursing Homes across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, including facilities operated by Montefiore, Mount Sinai, Northwell Health, NewYork-Presbyterian and NYU Langone.

According to the Union, negotiations began on May 28th and management has rejected the Bargaining Committee's economic proposals.

Union Leaders say their "floor" for wage increases is 5% annually, while also seeking to preserve employer-paid health insurance and pensions, strengthen safe staffing enforcement, establish job security protections related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and expand workplace violence safeguards.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Healthcare workers demand fair contract before Sept. 30 expiration - The Chief