Dear fellow SEIU Healthcare PA member,

After almost a year of intense and often divisive politics, American voters have made their choice. I know that in healthcare workplaces across Pennsylvania, union members throughout the campaign have been having conversations about the right direction for our country. Some of you may have disagreed with each other, or disagreed with the position we took to support Hillary Clinton. Speaking for myself, the election of Donald Trump is not the outcome that I hoped and campaigned for. However, everything I have learned as a caregiver and as a union member tells me that we have to find ways to bridge our disagreements and come together to meet the challenges of our uncertain future.

Healthcare is a team effort. We cannot provide excellent care for every patient, resident, and client unless we communicate and collaborate.

What’s more, the effectiveness of our union depends on mutual respect and solidarity among members. We are only effective as advocates for our profession and our families when we unite. Our union was established in the first place because the healthcare industry never did listen to frontline caregivers until we came together to make sure quality care and good jobs were on the agenda.

Being part of a union requires tough conversations. A vote on organizing, or whether or not to settle a contract or to go on strike – talking about these things can understandably make us feel stressed. But after a choice is made, we always come together again in our union for the simple reason that we need each other.

Today, in every union chapter and in our communities, so much is at stake. Let’s get to work and make sure we deal with every challenge, together.

In Solidarity,

Matthew Yarnell
President, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania