Newly Unveiled: Healthcare Worker Covid Heroes Project

CWA healthcare workers have spent the past two years fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic - and in Western New York, 2,000 of our members even went on strike last year to fight for better staffing and resources to protect their patients and themselves.

On February 1st we unveiled a new project put together in collaboration with Buffalo-based artists Brendan Bannon and Ariel Aberg-Riger highlighting the heroic efforts by our healthcare workers - check it out at buffalocovidheroes.com.

The project was started during the historic 40-day strike by Catholic Health Mercy Hospital workers in Buffalo last fall. Through self portraits of the workers as well as audio and video stories, our members give gripping, moving first-hand accounts of what the pandemic has looked like from inside our hospitals and the unprecedented challenges - and fortitude - created by the pandemic.

“I hope New Yorkers and everyone from across the nation will listen to the voices of these healthcare workers,” said Dennis Trainor, CWA District 1 Vice President. “Their incredible determination and sacrifice have saved lives and kept our healthcare system afloat during an unprecedented global pandemic. Yet our hospitals are still in crisis as this pandemic continues to rage on, and we must remain steadfast in our support of these heroes as they selflessly fight for our health and safety.”

The project includes dozens of workers from Mercy Hospital, from environmental services and dietary workers to lab technicians and registered nurses.

“I am a caregiver. My biggest fear during this pandemic was knowing it could come from anywhere,” said Jamie Banks, CWA Local 1133 Executive Board Member and a CT Technologist at Mercy Hospital. “The chance of possibly hurting my husband, my kids or my family, not to mention anyone else is an awful burden to carry each day you report to work.”

Visit buffalocovidheroes.com to see more of these powerful interactive stories.