CWA, NYSNA & PEF Respond to Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address

STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2022

CWA, NYSNA & PEF Respond to Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address

ALBANY–The Communications Workers of America, the New York State Nurses Association, and the Public Employees Federation issued the following statement in response to Governor Hochul’s State of the State address:

“We applaud Governor Hochul for recognizing that our frontline healthcare workers are in desperate need of additional resources as COVID-19 overwhelms our hospitals. The Governor’s pledge to invest $10 billion in higher wages, better hospital conditions, and a more robust pipeline of workers is a huge step forward and essential for protecting the health and safety of the public. This proposed massive infusion of resources could not have come at a more critical moment.  Skyrocketing cases have pushed our healthcare system to the brink of collapse. Morale is at rock bottom, thousands of health care workers are quitting their jobs in despair, staffing levels are dangerously low, and hospital conditions are deplorable. A major infusion of health care resources cannot wait–it must happen as soon as possible. At the same time, the CDC’s reckless decision to cut the isolation period for infected health care workers to 5 days without requiring a negative test before returning to work has put both workers and patients at serious risk. We look forward to working with the Governor to ensure all our healthcare heroes are appropriately protected and that all New Yorkers have the highest quality of care possible.” 

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The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 working men and women in telecommunications, customer service, healthcare, media, airlines, public service, and manufacturing. District One represents 65,000 total members in New York State. cwad1.org

The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. For more information, go to www.nysna.org

The New York State Public Employees Federation represents 50,000 professional, scientific, and technical employees across the state, including more than 8,000 nurses. For more information, go to: www.PEF.org.