Cayuga Medical Center nurses' unionization

A Trumansburg resident whose family has relied on CMC for four generations, she asked the legislature to adopt the resolution without weakening its language.

A county resident and physician, she said nurses are the backbone of healthcare and unions give them a voice amid chronic understaffing.

President of UAW Local 2300 and son of a nurse, he said his mother's pay was cut and she was pushed out after 27 years — something a union would have prevented.

A UAW Region 9 representative, he spoke about nurses' safety risks during COVID and their right to a say in workplace safety.

An Ithaca resident and former CMC patient, she said nurses treated her with respect and deserve the same through a CWA union.

A retired nurse born at Tompkins County Hospital, she described dangers on the psych unit and advocated for nurses having more say in their working conditions.

President of CSEA 718 at Bangs Ambulance, he read an email from a CMC senior vice president asking Bangs to stop inviting nurses to union events, calling the hospital's neutrality claims false.

A Workers United representative, he condemned union-busting, cited the hospital's use of anti-union consulting firm LRI, and said every worker deserves a union.

Speaking for the Ithaca Teachers Association's ~600 members, she drew parallels to teachers' own contract campaign and called on the legislature to pass the resolution.

An 11-year CMC med-surg nurse, she described rationing bedsheets, unsafe patient loads, and colleagues driven to despair, urging support for safe staffing.

A Town of Ithaca healthcare consumer, she said nurses are the ones who really keep hospitals running and should have a seat at the table.

A 30-year resident and former SEIU 1199 nurse organizer now teaching at the ILR School, she said research shows unionized facilities have lower turnover and better care.

A lifelong county resident, she said this is about the safety of the whole community that depends on the regional hospital.

An Ithaca resident and former organizational consultant, she argued unions are partners, not adversaries, and urged legislators to step up for care workers.