Health Care Workers Put Strength and Unity at the Center of Biennial Conference

Members from across the United States and Canada gathered in Providence on Oct. 4-7 for the USW Health Care Workers Conference, bringing together the frontline workers who care for patients, families, and communities while fighting for stronger workplaces and a better health care system.

"As a union, we owe you care," USW International President Roxanne Brown told members, setting the tone for a week focused on the challenges health care workers face and the power they have when they stand together.

"You are all frontline caregivers and represent the very best of our union," said District 11 Director and Health Care Workers Council Chair Cathy Drummond as she opened the conference. "We should all aspire to your level of commitment."

Since the last conference, Drummond noted, USW members have organized thousands of new workers, negotiated strong contracts and won groundbreaking contract language to protect workers from the potential harms of artificial intelligence.

Health care workers are also facing enormous challenges. Trillions of dollars in proposed cuts threaten U.S. health care, putting both jobs and patients' health at risk, while Canadian workers continue to confront growing threats of privatization.

"But together we are a force to be reckoned with," Drummond said.

District 4 Director Dave Wasiura reminded the room that health care workers' contributions touch everyone.

"There isn't a person in this room who isn't a hero," he said. "You keep us safe, you keep us healthy, you take care of our kids and our parents."

'Who Takes Care of the Caretakers?'

Brown shared the story of her mother, a nurse who worked 70-hour weeks in the South Bronx, caring for patients before coming home to care for her own two children. She then walked among conference attendees and asked members what kept them up at night.

For Renee Johnson, president of Local 9600, the answer was staffing ratios that leave one certified nursing assistant responsible for as many as 40 patients at her facility. Maggie Gamboa of Local 7600 raised concerns about health care cuts under the Trump administration.

For Gianna Campbell, a paramedic with 45 years of experience, the crisis is also deeply personal. She spoke about the mental health challenges facing emergency medical workers, as well as racism and transphobia on the job.

"EMS workers lead in five categories: divorce, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illness, and suicide," Campbell said. "I've lived through all of these."

Brown assured members that the union takes mental health seriously and is working to ensure they have the tools and support they need.

"A lot of us are not okay," she said.

The conference also looked to the history of health care organizing. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond, who previously served as USW International Vice President of Human Affairs, shared the history of the union's health care sector in the United States, including the merger with PACE that brought pharmaceutical workers into the USW.

"It was an industry that we really took on and built some strong activists," Redmond said. "We've proven that we can rise to the challenge."

On the second day of the conference, members put their commitment to their communities into action by volunteering to clean up India Point Park. They also gained valuable skills and knowledge through four workshops focused on communications, AI in health care, developing new activists, and mental health.

USW International Secretary-Treasurer Myles Sullivan addressed the conference on the history of Canada's health care sector. He noted that four out of five health care workers north of the U.S. border are women.

"Women are keeping our health care sector going here and doing a great job at it," Sullivan said.

Building Power Through Solidarity

The third day brought more workshops and multiple panels focused on health and safety and building power at the bargaining table.

Local 4-200 President Jennifer Kwock spoke about how she and her fellow members at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital went on strike in 2023 and won safe staffing ratios.

"What kept us going was each other," Kwock said. "Like always, we became our own support system. We also had the support of the community and the union, and we realized our worth."

Brown urged members to harness that solidarity and remember their role in protecting the labor movement's future.

"We are the vanguard," she said. "In this moment, we are the ones holding the line. Without us fighting, there will be no future. Don't ever forget your power."

Click here to view photos from the conference.