From the Desk of the Assistant to the Vice President of CWA District 1

Healthcare in the United States is in crisis. We’ve all seen it; our bills going up, our premiums rising, prescriptions getting harder and harder to afford. In New Jersey, our members in Local Government have been hit with staggering increases between 37%-55%. At every single bargaining table across the District, the cost of healthcare is a top issue.

And healthcare workers, including the 15,000 represented by CWA across NJ and NY, and the nurses represented by the New York State Nurses Association still on strike as we speak in New York City, are stretched beyond their limits. Workers are understaffed, overworked, and too often asked to choose between their own basic needs like bathroom breaks or meal breaks and their patients’ safety. This system is failing everyone — except those at the top who profit from it.

That’s why reigning in healthcare costs will be the fight of our lives this year. CWA represents members in different communities and different types of work, but this is an issue that touches all of us, and we must face it on every front: at the bargaining table, in legislative chambers, and within healthcare facilities themselves. The care that our public sector,telecom or education sector members receive is as strong as the care that our healthcare members are able to provide, so these issues are deeply intertwined. This struggle cannot be fought on a single front, but everywhere we have power.

2026 began with the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies that catapulted millions of Americans into sharp increases in their medical bills. While those of us not on the exchange have been spared for now, we know the ripple effects are inevitable - more uninsured Americans will ultimately drive up costs for everyone. 

But we’ve also had some huge, inspiring events already in the first month of 2026. I’m thrilled to welcome 350+ nurses in Ithaca, NY who organized and voted in January to join CWA — that organizing was born out of a shared desire to fight for a better workplace to care for their patients. I’m also very proud to have stood with our NYSNA union family taking a stand in NYC for their patients and one another. 

What’s better than starting a new year with some union power, organizing and fighting for fair contracts? Nothing - especially as we stand together, organized and united, to fight for a healthcare system that truly works.

-Billy Gallagher, Assistant to the Vice President, CWA District 1