N.Y. SEIU Leader Dennis Rivera To Head New National Health Care Union

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 05 Feb 2007 - 8:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Dennis Rivera, the "politically powerful" head of the New York-based 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, announced on Monday that he is stepping down from his position to take over as chair of a new national health care union within the Service Employees International Union, AP/Long Island Newsday reports (AP/Long Island Newsday, 1/29). Rivera, who has acted as president of 1199 SEIU for 17 years, has become "perhaps the most formidable and visible labor leader in New York politics," the New York Times reports. The new one million-member union, SEIU Healthcare, will combine more than 30 locals across the U.S. The union will call for nationwide standards for health care workers and will lobby in state capitals and in Washington, D.C., to advocate for its members. Rivera said that under the new union, he foresees opportunities to double the number of unionized health care workers. In addition, Rivera has detailed plans to have the new union create a political action committee that would have a budget of $40 million every two years -- putting it among the nation's largest PACs. Rivera said he hopes SEIU Healthcare will be a powerful political advocate for universal health coverage, according to the Times (Greenhouse, New York Times, 1/30). In addition, the new union might bargain with national hospital and nursing home chains, union officials said (AP/Long Island Newsday, 1/29). Rivera said, "It is a time of enormous opportunity. I believe we can obtain in the next two years, certainly with a new Congress and president, universal health coverage in the United States."

Timing of Departure
Rivera said that his strategy as leader of SEIU Healthcare would be parallel to his strategy in New York, in which he "form[ed] alliances with hospitals and health executives to fight against cuts and fight for broader and better coverage," the Times reports. Rivera said he would step down from the 1199 on June 15, when his term ends, adding that he is not leaving sooner because he wants to remain in office to protect nearly 300,000 members of SEIU 1199 and the state's hospitals from cuts that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) is expected to release in the New York state budget. In a speech on Friday, Spitzer said he would call for billions of dollars in Medicaid and other health care savings when he releases the state budget. Rivera said that it is "sad and unfortunate that while Democratic governors across the nation are expanding health care access and proposing universal health care, Mr. Spitzer has taken a different posture that is more consistent with right-wing Republicans" (New York Times, 1/30). Rivera will be succeeded by George Gresham, 1199's current secretary-treasurer (Benjamin, Albany Times Union, 1/30).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations