CWA Members Fight for Hospital Funding and Raising the Minimum Wage in NY

The fight for a fair, pro-worker New York State budget is coming down to its final days, and CWA members have continued to speak out for our top priorities to protect workers, including vital funding for our healthcare centers throughout the state. 

On April 17th, dozens of CWA members traveled to the Capital in Albany for a rally alongside 1199SEIU and other healthcare advocates and elected officials to demand a strong injection of funds into our healthcare system so that workers can get the support they need to adequately care for patients.

“Hospital systems across our state are in crisis,” said Maureen Kryszak, a Registered Nurse at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo and member of CWA Local 1133, addressing the massive crowd. “Staffing has never been worse, working conditions are untenable, and patient care is suffering.”

“New York must act now to support hospitals, protect healthcare workers, and ensure the most vulnerable NYers can get the care they need and keep hospitals and healthcare facilities open and serving the community,” said Cori Webb, also a Registered Nurse and member of Local 1133.

One of CWA’s other big priorities for this year’s New York State budget is raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation so that workers don’t get left behind when inflation goes up - a move that could lift up millions of New Yorkers. On April 12th, IUE-CWA Local 81381 President Christina Christman spoke out at a rally in Rochester alongside other labor and community advocates calling for raising the minimum wage to $21.25 per hour. 

“Food is going up, gas is going up, rent is definitely going up,” said Christina. “People cannot afford to live anymore. Our members, by far have to work second jobs or work overtime just in order to stay alive, stay afloat. It’s not acceptable anymore.”

Read more about the minimum wage rally in Rochester here.