Tonight: Philadelphia Hotel Workers Hold Vigil for Boston’s “Hyatt 100”

As part of a wave of actions across North America, workers bring the 150-foot “Hope Quilt” to Philadelphia — spotlighting pain and mistreatment of Hyatt housekeepers

WHAT: Candlelight vigil with “Hope Quilt,” as part of a wave of actions in U.S. and Canada, calling for Hyatt to “Bring Back the Hyatt 100” housekeepers in Boston and end mistreatment of housekeepers in hotels across North America.

WHO: Philadelphia housekeepers and fellow members of UNITE HERE
Aracelly Arango, one of the “Hyatt 100” fired housekeepers from Boston

WHERE: Outside the Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing, Dock St & Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia

WHEN: 5:00 p.m. Tonight, Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Last week the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) announced the results of the election to represent the 2,300 cafeteria workers and noon time aides in the Philadelphia School District: members of UNITE HERE Local 634 voted by a 2:1 margin to stay with their union and rejected SEIU’s anti-union tactics.

After months of attacks directed by New York-based SEIU 32BJ, the PLRB counted 1121 votes for UNITE HERE Local 634 and only 551 votes for SEIU Philadelphia Joint Board. There were 10 votes for no union and 198 challenged ballots.

Over here at my new job at SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, health care workers across the state are locked in tight battles for healthcare for themselves and for every family in the Commonwealth. Last week, a major bill crossed the Governor's desk – banning mandatory overtime for nurses, certified nursing assistants, and the other bedrock health care professionals that keep us alive and thriving in hospitals or nursing homes. After a unanimous Senate vote and an overwhelming majority support vote in the House, the Governor signed it – forcing our health care institutions to hire enough workers to care for patients adequately, and keeping exhausted workers from making mistakes on the job.

And, while we're waiting until next term to continue the battle for the Governor's Prescription for Pennsylvania plan – bringing health care coverage to 800,000 Pennsylvanians, and fighting to prevent the hundreds of preventable deaths that happen to uninsured families every year in the state -- we can take action Thursday to hold Congress accountable to pass national health care reform! Hannah Miller has written eloquently on this Thursday's rally! See you there.

I'm working hard to support these campaigns, but my heart is especially invested in the struggle for home care workers, people with disabilities, and seniors across the state. I'm helping with a lot of efforts with the http://www.choosehomecare.org coalition – to establish a Consumer Workforce Council in Pennsylvania.

Image from the PhillyIMC.org website.

Public Authorities continue to be one of the best means for taking control out of the hands of voters and putting it in the hands of bureaucrats two or three or four steps removed from anyone elected. I've written about the Taxi Drivers in this space several times now, but now Philly Independent Media Center has a great new video coming out a week or so in advance of a two day taxi strike.

Check the video out here.