NURSES AND OTHER EMPLOYEES OF CORNING HOSPITAL VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY TO CONTINUE STRIKE
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SPIRITED MEETINGS SUNDAY SHOW DETERMINATION, UNITY
(Corning)--Speaker after speaker expressed determination and unity of purpose at meetings held Sunday morning, afternoon, and evening by striking employees of Corning Hospital.
"We are united. We are strong. We are purple.*" said Peggy Clarkson, an emergency department registration clerk for 31 years at Corning Hospital. "We intend to continue our action until we achieve a fair and reasonable settlement."
[* Purple: a reference to the trademark 1199 SEIU purple shirtsand paraphernalia that many of the employees are wearing.]
Corning Hospital employees voted nearly unanimously to continue their walkout in a secret ballot vote conducted throughout the day. The strike enters its second week tomorrow.
"It is a shame that hospital management continues to insist on taking benefits away from us, like the 8 hour shift on Christmas and current rules on overtime." said Kelly Thresher, a registered nurse in
Corning Hospital's obstetrical unit for the past 12 years. "It is important for Corning Hospital to offer competitive wages and health care to keep a quality workforce for the future."
Many of the hospital workers expressed gratitude to community groups and union members who rallied with them yesterday in the rain. An estimated 700 people walked the picket line and attended in solidarity with the strikers.
