NYU Hospitals Center Clericals Finally Have a Union Voice!

It’s official. An overwhelming majority of clerical workers at NYU Hospitals Center have made their voices heard and are now members of 1199SEIU. A total of 425 clerical employees, including project assistants, secretaries, clerks, health info management representatives and others, are now finally united with their co-workers who are already 1199 members.

It's been a long time coming. Five years ago, clerical employees made a courageous effort to join the Union but were bombarded with a fierce intimidation campaign.  Although most employees expressed a desire to join 1199SEIU at the beginning, the anti-worker campaign took a terrible toll and employees lost that Union election by only 11 votes. This time, as part of an effort to build a new foundation based on mutual respect, management agreed to let workers make up their own minds without interference.

"Forming our union was such a positive experience this time around," says Anthony Bibus, an outpatient lab project assistant. "My co-workers and I really felt like we were respected and we had the right to make our own decisions.  I’m proud to work at a hospital that understands the value of unions and respects workers' voices."

Anthony, who has been on the job for 26 years, says, "I'm also excited that we will have the opportunity to achieve no-cost healthcare, retirement security and job protections for the first time ever.  I love my patients and my co-workers- Now, it’s time for all of us to get involved in our upcoming contract negotiations so we can continue to make our hospital the best place to work and receive care."