SEIU Local 2015 Members Joined Together at both Nursing Home Facilities Across California and on Social Media (#GetMePPE and #ProtectAllWorkers) Calling on the Federal Government to Distribute and Deliver Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Individuals on the Frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic
Los Angeles, CA — April 9, 2020 — Today, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015, the nation’s largest long-term care union representing 400,000 nursing home and home care workers throughout California, joined forces for a National Day of Action. The union and its members from communities across the state called on the federal government to immediately begin proper distribution and delivery of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). The call to action reinforced the need for the administration to put the nation’s health care and long term care workers at the front of the line for this life-saving aid.
Beyond California, long-term care workers in cities from coast-to coast came united with one voice during what was the largest ever National Day of Action by healthcare workers during the coronavirus crisis to express the shared need for PPE in order for them to safely care for the vulnerable populations they serve.
“President Trump’s decision to invoke the Defense Production Act to increase the supply of PPE was an essential first step in ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable workers,” said April Verrett, President of SEIU Local 2015. “We are hopeful that the administration will prioritize distribution to long term care workers and others on the front lines as these brave caregivers continue to work without the personal protective equipment they need due to the administration’s lack of action.”
Long term care workers along with other healthcare workers’ heroic efforts leading the fight against the virus are saving thousands of lives everyday in California and across the country. These individuals are providing care to the most vulnerable populations who continue to work in fear of passing on the virus or contracting it themselves due to the continued lack of PPE. SEIU Local 2015 has continually demanded immediate, sweeping action by the federal government to secure the health, safety, and long-term economic well-being of America’s workers, regardless of where they work, their race, immigration status, or current healthcare coverage.
For frontline healthcare workers, SEIU Local 2015 is demanding that the federal government deploy its full force and power in these essential ways:
- Drive a coordinated, transparent national response using the full power of the Defense Production Act to deploy supplies and ventilators into the hands of healthcare workers.
- Protect each and every caregiver with healthcare coverage, paid sick time and paid leave.
- Procure, produce, and provide PPE to all healthcare workers for the duration of the crisis.
As it has with stay-at-home orders, developing a surge capacity, and protecting the most vulnerable, including the homeless, California has the opportunity to lead once again. SEIU Local 2015 joins its sisters and brothers of SEIU California to reinforce this message and remain committed to supporting in filling the federal government’s leadership void. Key actions to take are the following:
- Direct the state’s manufacturing and technical strength toward the production of PPE and respirators.
- Establish a PPE strike force.
- Develop a system for learning on-the-ground needs from frontline workers statewide
- Continue to inspire public and worker confidence with even greater transparency on PPE plans, challenges, and distribution.