The war on unions and working people continues to escalate under the Trump regime. Earlier this month the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision forcing workers to give up their right to pursue class-action lawsuits against wage theft and other worksite abuses before being offered a position.Grad students have essentially lost their right to collectively bargain, and any day now the Janus vs AFSCME decision is likely to deal a tremendous blow to public sector unions by making it illegal for them to collect dues from workers who want to opt out of union
membership.
However, when the attack on workers becomes more vicious, workers can be counted on to fight back with a renewed sense of urgency, vigor, and militancy. In the last week of April alone, 10,000 workers voted “union yes” and are bargaining their first contracts. The militant teacher’s struggle that caught like wildfire across the country has also proven that public sector unions can fight back and win!
In Boston, the struggle for a collective voice at work is occurring at a momentous pace. And healthcare workers at Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury are on the frontlines of this struggle. Whittier Health Center is one of the only community health centers dedicated to serving poor and Black and Brown communities in Boston. Clients count on their healthcare professionals to provide essential care ranging from domestic violence counseling to youth development programs and primary care.
On June 14, 20 staff members at Whittier Health Center learned they had been terminated when they realized their key cards were deactivated. With no prior notice, these layoffs not only affected the workers who lost their jobs, but also their patients who rely on them.
Whittier Health management attacks workers’ right to unionize
Why were 20 workers laid off en masse without any notice or explanation? Because the workers were fighting for their right to a union!
For several months, the staff at Whittier have been organizing a union campaign to achieve a voice at work, and justice for themselves and their patients. The unit, which is composed of over 70 social workers, dentists, pediatricians, doctors, optometrists and other healthcare specialists, filed a petition with theNational Labor Relations Board and voted for their union on June 20.
Throughout the unionization effort, Whittier management has run an extremely intense anti-union campaign that climaxed when they decided to fire 20 workers, citing a lack of grant funding as the reason for the layoffs. Many of the staff who were fired were vocal supporters of the union efforts. According to staff at Whittier, Frederica Williams, the CEO and President of Whittier Health, rules with an iron fist.
Sherar Andalcio, a former doctor at Whittier Health, who was fired a few months ago for speaking out against the administration, told
Liberation News that “Williams rules like a dictator. It’s very top down. Workers have no say. If she doesn’t like something you did or said you’re fired. I was fired a few months ago because I spoke up.”
This sentiment is strongly felt by workers, who correctly feared for their job if they spoke up against Williams and her cronies. After learning of the massive layoff, Whittier workers and their union, 1199 SEIU, were prepared to fight back.
On June 15, over a hundred Whittier staff, community members and unionists came out in force to demand that Whittier management reinstate the 20 workers they terminated and allow staff to vote for their union without utilizing extreme intimidation tactics.
Right outside of Whittier Health Center, workers led energetic chants, declaring “Whittier deserves better, Roxbury deserves better, our patients deserve better!” and held signs that read “Our Union Our Voice” and “What’s disgusting, union busting!”
Workers also held signs in view of cars driving by which read “Honk if you support unions!” Dozens of cars and trucks, including trucks driven by rank and file Teamsters, responded with supportive honks, giving the crowd an extra boost of confidence while simultaneously providing a visible sign that the Roxbury community supports Whittier workers’ struggle for a union.
Many workers spoke to Liberation News about the culture of fear that Williams and top administrators fomented over several years. The environment of fear, they stated, led to high turnover rate which greatly reduced the quality of care practitioners could provide to their clients.
When asked what was driving the unionization effort forward, Whittier workers laid out the countless examples of exploitation they endured. Alyssa Schutte, a child and family clinician, and one of the 20 fired workers, stated that many staff members were denied their vacation time. Furthermore, while Williams rakes in $500,000 a year, worker’s wages have remained stagnant in a city where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country.
Beyond these basic workplace issues, which union contracts ensure are maintained and protected, Whittier staff did not mince their
words when it came to how they were treated by top administrators. Brenna Cyr, the only domestic violence advocate at Whittier and one of the 20 workers who were fired, stated that the work environment at Whittier was “an environment of fear” and that management “does not respect us.” Cyr went on to state that when workers stood up, administrators told them that they “were not dedicated to their clients.”
On top of this, Cyr discussed the outside anti-union consulting firm Whittier hired to spearhead their anti-union campaign. They described the misinformation Whittier disseminated. “They told us that the union would tell us everything and that we wouldn’t have choices, that we would have worse relationships with our bosses, that all the union would do is take our money, that people wouldn’t want to get hired here because the union would take their money.” The anti-union misinformers also made the outrageous claim that the union would prevent Whittier from fulfilling its mission, all the while Whittier management fired 20 workers without informing their patients.
Marlon Wallen, a former employee and patient at Whittier who sat on the patient advisory board, stated that the culture of fear and intimidation “has been going on for some time” and that the “ill treatment has forced many of the medical professionals and staff to be let go.” He went on to say that “no one is getting raises, and we find out the CEO is making 500K a year, and anyone who disagrees with her is just forced out.”
Staff reinstated and ready to vote union yes!
On June 17, the 20 employees Whittier fired were informed by 1199 SEIU that Williams was reinstating all of them. Many local news sources including the Boston Globe reported this development and 1199 put a public statement out declaring a temporary victory for the 20 workers. However, when staff walked into Whittier to attend a mandatory all-staff meeting on June 18 they were told they were trespassing on private property. One of Whittier’s Vice Presidents went as far as to threaten to call the police.
Despite management’s cold attempt to keep clients from their healthcare providers, on June 20, the 20 employees were finally allowed to return to work. That morning, Whittier staff called another action right before the polls opened. Over 50 community members, unionists, and Whittier staff showed up to make one last push of solidarity before staff voted for their union. Participants chanted “When we fight we win,” sang union songs, and cheered on the staff who walked into Whittier at 8 am to cast their ballots.
Right before staff walked in, Liberation News asked Cyr what they thought Whittier’s anti-union campaign did to union support. In response, Cyr laughed and said “Williams messed with the wrong group of people if she was trying to squash the union.”After several staff voted they returned to the crowd and told supporters that management was lining the halls leading into the voting
station. This level of intimidation is indicative of the long-term and systemic culture Williams and her goons have inflicted on Whittier staff over the years.
As Cyr mentioned, Whittier management continued to tell staff they “didn’t care enough about [their] clients” and that management “used [Whittier’s] mission statement against us and the union.” Cyr described that this type of bullying made people angry and willing to fight back against management’s abusive tactics. And as any unionist will tell you, the only thing that overcomes fear at the workplace is anger!
Cyr’s final comments shed light on the real reason every manager attempts to crush a union effort: “Workers have the power, and we’re going to take the power”
At around 9:30 pm on June 20 Liberation News received word that staff at Whittier voted union yes!
Clearly, Frederica Williams and her all out assault on unionization efforts were no match for the power and courage of workers coming together to do what they have a right to do: form a union. Despite this major victory for Whittier staff, their patients, and the Roxbury community, a long road lies ahead. Now bargaining begins, and if management’s dismal attempts to thwart the union show us anything, it’s that they are going to fight like hell to grind down worker power at the negotiation table. Fortunately, Whittier staff know all too well management’s tactics. And with solidarity Whittier staff can win the rights, respect, and benefits they deserve!
