CWA Healthcare Locals Brace For - and Fight Back Against - Federal Attacks on Our Healthcare Workforce

Changes to our healthcare system have been coming in rapidly over the past several months, including several recent rulings in November and December related to regulations, funding, and other aspects of our members’ work. 

1. Changes to the Definition of “Professional Degrees” Related to Healthcare

In late November the federal government declared that Nursing, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Audiology, Social Work, PA, and NP programs are no longer considered “Professional Degrees,” which spells tremendous changes for students seeking healthcare degrees and could deepen our staffing shortage.

Read more: Nursing programs lose professional degree status, threatening federal loan access

This decision could have significant impacts on the healthcare workforce, as it will drastically reduce the amount of funding that students in these programs can receive for their education, potentially shrinking the pipeline of new nurses and healthcare workers in the midst of an ongoing staffing crisis.

This decision is not final…yet. Soon, a public comment period will open and we will have the opportunity to tell the Department of Education, who oversees federal education funding, what we really think about this decision. Are you a healthcare worker? Click here to tell us about your experience with federal loans or funding and how it was able to help you in your job.

2. Termination of Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Regulations

Two weeks ago, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it is rescinding the minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. These standards provided a floor to ensure nursing home residents receive the basic bedside care needed.

Read more: HHS Officially Rescinds Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule

Rescinding this rule not only rolls back decades of work that CWA and other healthcare unions have done to address staffing shortages and win safe staffing regulations, it’ll cause undue stress on workers already struggling with chronic understaffing and put vulnerable nursing home residents at risk.

3. Big Win! CWA Local 1168 Delays Closure of Kaleida Facility

​

After the passage of the federal budget bill - the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” - this summer, Kaleida Health announced the closure of several clinics due to federal funding cuts, spelling the loss not just of clinics and services that our community relies on, but also dozens of jobs for CWA members and other healthcare workers.

But CWAers fought back, particularly Local 1168 which led the charge to draw attention to these closures and held several press conferences with elected officials and community allies. While several facilities are still being closed, last week it was announced that the Family Planning Clinic will remain open until access issues can be resolved — a huge victory for our members and for the Buffalo community.

As Local 1168 leadership said, “Workers, patients, and supporters showed extraordinary courage and solidarity. Their stories — shared in interviews, rallies, and public testimonies — demonstrated unwavering commitment to care. We pushed ever lever we had. We fought publicly, politically, and collectively because workers and patients deserve nothing less.”