Hundreds of health care workers from the 1199SEIU union walked out of Maimonides Medical Center Thursday after the hospital handed layoff notices to 117 of its members, including Jenny Santiago, an orderly at Maimonides for 15 years.
“We all have families. We have little children. We have mortgages. We have rent, and we have to put food on the table for our families, and if we lose our jobs we got nothing,” Santiago said.
They said the pink slips came without warning. Many received their 30-day notices right before Thanksgiving.
“They never even contacted the union to see if we could go to the state or the city or anywhere else to secure funding,” said Steven Kramer, a union executive.
Union leaders said management should have discussed cost-saving alternatives such as a hiring freeze or reducing overtime, instead of dropping the ax on its members.
“We are not going to accept these layoffs. We consider this a declaration of war," said Coraminita Mahr, Vice President of 1199SEIU.
A spokesperson for the hospital says part of its 2018 budget would eliminate 200 union and non union positions from its 6,500-person workforce -targeting areas that would have the least impact on clinical care.
Hospital officials blame rising costs and a reduction in government revenue for the need to cut costs.
However, union members say they are on the front lines of treating patients and the reductions will hurt patient care.
“When they’re in my care- they’re comfortable,” Santiago said.
Orderly Jenny Santiago and her fellow union members say they will continue to fight the layoffs for the sake of their families and their patients.