March 8, 2023, Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake helped us celebrate International Women’s Day with a Zoom Town Hall attended by members. “The women of the SEIU have been a great force throughout the entire state of New Jersey,” said Timberlake, who represents district 34 in Essex County.
Timberlake was guest speaker at the event, which also featured remarks by member leaders. “We’re going to keep on fighting for good pay and safe staffing,” said Lia Devers, a postpartum nurse at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, where nurses recently voted to join 1199 United Healthcare Workers East. “We’re SEIU strong.”
Likewise, 1199 member Alma Moore, a Certified Nursing Assistant at AristaCare, said staff staffing levels remain challenging, despite state legislation that mandates them. Enforcement of those new mandates remains a priority for the union.
Pam Thomas, who works at a newly organized Starbucks store in Summit, said: “The union really is your best friend when you go up against the machine, which is your employer.”
Starbucks workers are represented by the LDFS Joint Board, Workers United, which also represents commercial laundry workers like Eblin Morrillo, who evoked the struggles of her grandmother and mother when she spoke of the solidarity found in the union. “It’s great to be here tonight with all these powerful women. We’re opening a path so we can walk on it together.”
Morrillo made her remarks in Spanish; Creole translation was also available to members at the evening event held in celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) and Women’s History Month. “This is about the incredible work you do,” said NJ SEIU State Council President Megan Chambers. “We stand with each other.”