1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is a healthcare union in the United States, with a membership of 400,000, including retirees. It is a local union within the Service Employees International Union. It is a former local of 1199: The National Health Care Workers' Union.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East | |
 | |
| Founded | 1932 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
| Location | |
Members | 347,139 (2013)[1] |
Key people | Leon J. Davis, founder Doris Turner[2] Dennis Rivera |
| Affiliations | SEIU |
| Website | www |
History
The 1199 Union traces its origins to women of color employed at drug stores and volunteer hospitals in New York City, who worked for relatively low wages.[3]
Influence
Patrick Gaspard, a former executive vice president for politics and legislation at the union, was the political director for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.[4] Gaspard was appointed White House Political Director during Obama's first term in office.[5]
In 2016, 1199SEIU's president George Gresham was credited by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for helping secure the passage of the $15 minimum wage in New York State.[6]
See also
References
- Fink, Leon; Greenberg, Brian (1989). Upheaval in the Quiet Zone. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06047-4.(Information on the early history of 1199.)
- Fink, Leon; Greenberg, Brian (2009). Upheaval in the Quiet Zone (2nd, paperback ed.). University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07605-3.