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May/June 2008OurLifeAndTimes

SHOPPING FORSOLUTIONS

1199ers look toObama to tackleeconomic crisis

Skyrocketing pricesfor groceries and other

essentials are among majorelection issues for 1199ers like

Manhattan’s St. Vincent’sHospital secretary Darlene

Scott, shown here withthree of her children.

Contents

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Our Life And Times,May/June 2008, Vol. 26, No. 3Published by 1199SEIU,United Healthcare Workers East310 West 43rd St.New York, NY 10036Telephone (212) 582-1890www.1199seiu.org

PRESIDENT:George GreshamSECRETARY TREASURER:Maria Castaneda

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS:Norma AmsterdamYvonne ArmstrongAngela DoyleMike FadelAida GarciaPatrick GaspardGeorge KennedySteve KramerPatrick LindsayJoyce NeilJohn ReidBruce RichardMike RifkinNeva ShillingfordEstela Vasquez

EDITOR:J.J. JohnsonSTAFF WRITER:Patricia KenneyPHOTOGRAPHER:Jim TynanPHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT:Belinda GallegosART DIRECTION & DESIGN:maiarelli studioCOVER PHOTO:Jim Tynan

Our Life And Times ispublished six times a year by1199SEIU, 310 West 43rd St.,New York, NY 10036.Subscriptions $15 per year.Periodicals postage paid atNew York, NY and additionalmailing offices.ISSN 1090-3089.USPS 000-392.Postmaster: Send addresschanges to Our Life AndTimes, 310 West 43rd St.,New York, NY 10036.

May/June • Our Life And Times

3 Welfare for Financiers Banks are saved while consumers suffer.

4 President’s Column Obama candidacy represents real change.

5 Workers Want Right To Choose We need the Employee Free Choice Act.

6 Bush’s Energy Policy “Next president has to do something about this.”

7 Obama’s The One Diverse teams of 1199ers join campaign.

8 No Red Carpet Battle continues for Iraq War vets.

10 “When I’m 65” Interview with economist Teresa Ghilarducci.

11 Retirement Becomes Less Secure Bosses have declared war on pensions.

12 Too Many Left Behind Quality, cost of education major roadblocks to success for many students.

13 City Is Not A Dirty Word Urban areas suffered under Bush’s neglect.

14 Is Universal Care On The Horizon? November election raises hope.

15 Around Our Union Dennis Rivera to lead Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Most voters are likely to taketheir wallets into the votingbooth with them on Nov. 4.For many, its contents willdecide which lever they pull.

The nation’s deepening economic woesare the primary issue our next presidentmust address, says Liz Richardson, a laborand delivery tech at Vassar BrothersHospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

“It’s a nightmare. They fix these bigcorporate banks, and regular people arelosing everything. I have a friend who losther home. There was no bailout for her,”says Richardson.

Food prices are at their highest in17 years and the average cost of agallon of gasoline is expected tosurpass $4 by the summer. To help

working families, George W. Bush offereda $600 tax rebate. To help banking giantJ.P Morgan Chase with its purchase of thefailing investment bank Bear, Stearns,the U.S. Federal Reserve provided up to$30 billion in financing to cover theportfolio of risky investments.

It’s clear that working people can’t lookto the current White House for leadership,says Marva Duhaney, a unit secretary atKingsbrook Jewish Medical Center inBrooklyn, N.Y.

“I took a 15-year mortgage when Ibought my house 14 years ago, and now I’mwondering if I’m going to lose my house,”says Duhaney,

“It was easier before. Lights, gas, oil,food—the price of everything is exorbitant.It’s gotten so much worse. It’s a struggle.And that rebate check isn’t a good thing.The government needs to see who needshelp like food stamps and other long-termprograms. But they aren’t, because theydon’t really care,” she says.

But government officials do care.It’s just who they care about thatis the problem for many. Bushand Republican presidentialcandidate John McCain have said

it is not the government’s responsibility toassist irresponsible borrowers strugglingwith sub-prime mortgages. Yet, they bothsupported the Fed’s decision to bail outBear, Stearns, which borrowed $30 forevery $1 of its own and bet heavily onfailed mortgage-backed securities.

“I’m really disappointed at the waythings are going. They don’t think aboutthe blue-collar worker. They need to take agood hard look at how people are trying tomake it. I’m not making it,” says PersonalCare Attendant Ruby Blake, from Randolph,Mass. “People are doing whatever they canto pay their rent. They’re cutting back. Weneed someone who will fight for us. Someof this money they’re putting into this warneeds to be put into our communities.”

Blake and her husband have eight adultdaughters. She says they all struggle withchild care or college tuition or finding a jobthat pays enough to cover the bills.

“Our friends and family know they cancome by and get a meal whenever they aretight. We have an open-door policy and I’llalways set an extra plate,” says Blake, whoworks seven days a week. “But my daugh-ters that are in school are working full time.There should be some kind of stipend formy daughters that have kids for child care.We’re not asking for a lot.”

3 May/June • Our Life And Times

Members say our next leader must endcorporate welfare amid growing economic instability.

“THEY FIX THESE BIG CORPORATE BANKSAND PEOPLE ARE LOSING EVERYTHING.”

ELECTION ISSUES

Sen. Obamawould close special taxloopholes for the wealthy andfor corporations, whileprotecting tax cuts that benefitthe poor and middle class.He would also end the abuseof tax havens and off shoretax shelters by the wealthy.Obama would expand consumerprotections against mortgagelenders and credit cardcompanies. He also supportscreating tax credits for childcare and helping businessexpand flexible workarrangements for workingfamilies.

Food prices areat their highest in17 years and theaverage cost ofa gallon of gasolineis expectedto surpass $4 bythe summer.

“We need to keep jobs inthis country. We can’t fixthis economy if thereisn’t any work to do,”says Liz Richardson, aperinatal technician atVassar Brothers Hospitalin Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Every four years, we are told that that particularelection year is absolutely crucial. And, truth betold, every presidential election is crucial.

But now, in 2008, so much of importance is riding on theoutcome that no Union member can afford to be a spectator.

John McCain represents nothing less than a third term forGeorge W. Bush. Nobody in the world is a bigger cheerleaderfor the continuing disaster in Iraq. What about his song “Bomb,Bomb, Bomb Iran”? McCain talks about a 100-year occupationof Iraq, which has already cost taxpayers an estimated twotrillion dollars. Meantime, our newspapers carry photos ofchildren in Haiti and Africa and south Asia rummaging throughgarbage dumps for scraps to eat. What is wrong with thispicture?

At a time when hundreds of thousands of families faceforeclosure on their homes, and corporations are laying offemployees by the tens of thousands, McCain thinks the solutionis making permanent Bush’s tax cuts for billionaires. He is asclueless and uncaring as the current occupant of the WhiteHouse. McCain is as fiercely anti-union as Bush, and as stronglyopposed to universal health care.

On the other hand, Sen. Barack Obama represents thepotential of real change. The Obama phenomenon is somethingnobody could have predicted. Who could imagine—as just oneexample—that 13,000 people in Boise, Idaho—perhaps the“reddest of the red states”—would turn out for an Obamacampaign appearance? But that experience is being repeated allacross the country, from Arizona to South Carolina.

And how many parents are being told by their grownchildren (many first-time voters) that Obama is the guy you“absolutely must vote for”? Obama has framed this election as achoice between the future and the past, and he is right. Morethan ever, this election is about safeguarding our planet for ourchildren and for our children’s children.

Imagine the possibilities: the end of the Iraq War; affordablehealth care for all; the Employee Free Choice Act giving card-check recognition to workers who want to join unions; a just taxstructure where the wealthy and the corporations pay their fairshare; rejoining the family of nations in international agreementsto protect the environment, reducing armaments andimplementing human rights; the end of torture and illegalspying on Americans; closing down Guantanamo and therestoration of the U.S. Constitution.

Our Union will have a real friend in the White House inPresident Obama. Last month, at a particularly difficult timeduring the strike of our nursing home workers at KingsbridgeHeights in the Bronx, Senator Obama took time out from hishectic campaign schedule during the Pennsylvania primaries toplace a phone call to our striking members. With some politicalfigures—even those whom we elect and consider allies—it couldtake weeks or even months of work to bring about such a phonecall. With Barack Obama, it took all of five minutes to explainthe situation and he was on the phone with our striking workerspledging his support.

This issue of Our Life and Times focuses on the most vitalissues facing 1199SEIU members and working families all acrossthe country. The differences between McCain and Obama onthese issues are stark. As we have seen in recent weeks, this isgoing to be a difficult election. McCain and Bush and theirfriends will fight desperately to hold on to power. We will haveto fight even harder. We have no choice. We have to win thisone. This is where we make our stand.

REMEMBERING DR. KING

Iwas proud to be among the1199ers who traveled toMemphis, Tennessee, totake part in the 40thanniversary observance of

the assassination of Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr.

It was the most meaningfulceremony that I have been hon-ored to attend with my Union. AsI marched it seemed that there wasno end to how many people weremarching behind me.

There were people from every-where, not only those of us in pur-ple. And we were marching alsofor those of our brothers and sis-ters who were not able to attendthe recommitment ceremony.

Dr. King’s dream was for manyof the benefits we in 1199SEIUnow receive. He dreamed of awage that would allow us all tokeep up with the cost of living,which we all have to fight fortogether as brothers and sisters inour Union.

His dream was for equality forall, no matter one’s race or creed.So when we fight, we keep thedream alive. the Rev. Al Sharpton,televangelist Paula White and Dr.King’s daughter, the Rev. BerniceKing, told us all to recommit tochange things that matter. Theysaid that equality is for all.

My experience in Memphisreinforced what I had learned in thepast. When I returned, I remindedmy co-workers, family and friendsnever to forget the dream.

MARGIE RODRIGUEZBrookdale Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y.

ART THERAPY FOR SENIORS

Art is one of the mostpowerful ways ofproducing many dif-ferent kinds of expe-riences, and it con-

tributes to mental developmentand social adjustment. Some of thetherapeutic benefits of art-makingare addressing conflicted feelings,and satisfying creative and expres-sive urges. It truly addresses ques-tions of aging.

While working at Daughters ofJacob (DOJ) Adult Day HealthCare Program in Bronx, N.Y. as anart therapist for about ten years,I witnessed the powerful healingconnections between art and theelderly clients. Art touched them—regardless of their education level,age, gender, race, or former occu-pation—and gave them access tojoy and excitement. It also gavethem the endurance and motivationto follow difficult learning process-es, which in turn led to intenseexperiences of accomplishment andmastery.

Especially, group arts experi-ences enable empathic connectionsamong elderly participants, creat-ing social support from the samefactors that outside the therapeuticenvironment expose individuals toisolation and pain. The creativeart-making in art therapy sessionsconnected the elderly not only totheir inner selves and self-worth,but also to other people, whoshared time and space together.

Various mental health disci-plines, including psychotherapy,are used to relieve their stress andimprove the quality of their lives.Better yet, creative arts, such asmusic, art, drama, and dance, canspan time and space therapeutical-ly, thereby targeting specific issuesand needs of the elderly for theirwell-being.

SUNHEE KIMDOJ Adult Day Health Care Program,Bronx, N.Y.

SUPPORT IRAQ WAR

Iknow that our Unionfavors withdrawal from Iraq.I don’t agree. As long asthe Iraqi people choose tolive in freedom and dignity

and want our help, and will fightside by side with us, we cannotabandon our friends. Many dependon us to finish what we started.

JOSEPH COLOMBOLong Island College Hospital,Brooklyn, N.Y.

HUNGER IN HAITI

The world food crisis isworsening every day.The situation has got-ten so bad in mynative Haiti that

Prime Minister Jacques EdouardAlexis has been forced to resign.But this is not a problem for Haitiand other developing countriesalone. Food lines right here in theU.S. will soon start to get longer.Our Union should immediatelytake steps to aid our Haitianbrothers and sisters and supportelected officials and progressiveorganizations and friends who areworking to solve the crisis.

HENRY FERDINANDColumbia Presbyterian Hospital,Manhattan

THEPRESIDENT’SCOLUMN

4May/June • Our Life And Times

Letters

Obama Represents Real ChangeNo member can afford to be a spectator in this campaign.

George Gresham

1199ers at Memphis’ Lorraine Motel forlast April’s observance of Dr. King’sassassination.

No federal legislation has greaterpriority for labor unions than the EmployeeFree Choice Act (EFCA), which would sim-plify the union organizing process and stiffenpenalties for employers who interfere with it.

After the House passed the EFCA duringthis session of Congress, the Republicanminority in the Senate prevented the measurefrom coming to a vote even thought a majori-ty of Senate members favor the Act. Big busi-ness opposes the EFCA.

Under the current NLRB system,employers, using legal and illegal tactics,intimidate, coerce and punish workers whoseek to join unions.

Some 60 million U.S. workers say theywould join a union if they could, yet only16 million today are union members, saysAmerican Rights at Work, a national non-profit that advocates for the rights of workersto join unions. The organization also sees alink between the conservative drift in thenation and the shrinkage of organized labor.

Today, fewer than one in eight workersis a union member. New York is the mostunionized state at 25.2%. Massachusetts is13.2%. Maryland is 12.9% and Washington,D.C. is 10.3%. States with higher levels ofunionization tend to provide higher wagesand benefits and to elect more progressivelegislators.

“We have been fighting for a contractfor two years,” says home health aide JeanDouglas, who lives and works in Elmont,Long Island. Douglas and her 250 co-workersare seeking a first contract at the PremierAgency. Douglas also was among the leadersof the organizing campaign who helped mem-bers overcome intimidation and threats tovote 1199SEIU.

Another Long Island home health aide,Lorie Reynolds, is one of 850 members fromAides at Home who have been fighting for afirst contract for more than a year. “I’m a sin-gle mom whose job is to take care of elderlypeople, but I have to pay for health care formy daughter, who has scoliosis, and myself,”she says.

“I’m on our negotiating committee and it’sshameful what management is offering us.”

She says she believes that the law should betoughened to prevent bosses from stonewallingwhile the workers fall deeper into debt.

The EFCA would do just that. Amongits major components are:• Card-check recognition. A union would be

certified if a majority of members signunion authorization cards.

• First contract mediation and arbitration. Ifa union and management fail to reach afirst contract agreement within 90 days ofthe union vote, either party may refer thedispute to a federal mediator. If the media-tor fails to reach an agreement within 30days, the dispute would be referred to anarbitrator whose decision would bebinding.

• Stronger penalties for employer violationsduring an organizing or first-contractcampaign.

Employee Free Choice Act would restore organizing rights.‘WE NEED OUR UNION RIGHTS’

What goodis a union ifmanagementwon’t signa contract?

Lorie Reynolds is one of850 members from Aidesat Home who have beenfighting for a first contractfor more than a year. She isshown above with a client,Dorothy Locopeta, andLocopeta’s husband,Joseph.

Sen.Obamaco-sponsored and isa strong advocate ofthe Employee FreeChoice Act. Hesupports raisingthe minimum wage.

ELECTION ISSUES

For the last seven years the environmental policies of George W. Bushhave continued to deplete the resources they are supposed to protect.

Bush’s air quality measures gave industry even more leeway inpumping hazardous waste into the atmosphere. His clean water

initiatives allowed more chemicals in thedrinking water supply. And his regulations toprotect our forests were designed by peopleformerly employed by the paper and timberindustries. Only recently did Bush acknowledgethe existence of global warming.

Bush has also been slack on developing anenergy policy that’s good for anyone but theenergy industry. In spite of oil prices toppingthe $100 mark and gasoline nearing $4 pergallon, only last year did Bush agree to raisefuel efficiency standards for cars and lighttrucks. And while touting the importance ofrenewable energy, Bush targeted theRenewable Energy Laboratory for fundingcutbacks.

“It’s just ridiculous. Gas prices have shot up to $3.93 per gallon.Airline, bus and train tickets are crazy. I used to travel to New York to seemy family three or four times a year. Now I can’t do it. I can’t afford it,”says Teresa Jones, a personal care attendant from Roxbury, Mass. Jones,the single mother of a 15-year old daughter, says energy costs areamong her biggest worries.

“I used to pay $30 a month, now it’s more than $70, so I try not touse as much. I do our laundry once a week—on Sundays—to save moneyand energy,” says Jones. “I fell behind on my bill, but I was able to usemy tax refund to catch up. I can’t keep up with that. Our next presidenthas got to do something about this.”

rom the Real ID Act toImmigration, Customs andEnforcement (ICE) raids onworkplaces employingimmigrants, the Bushadministration has regularlysupported anti-immigrantlegislation and regulations.

A closer look at many of those measuresreveals that they are also designed to limitworkers’ rights. The Real ID Act, claimed bythe Bush Administration to be a necessity ofthe War on Terror, mandates citizens andnon-citizens to present more documents toobtain official identification, such as a driverslicense. Birth certificates and passports mustbe verified by immigrants’ country of origin.Real ID takes away virtually all rights fromnon-citizens.

Well-publicized ICE raids in meat-packing plants and janitorial services weresupposed to show the need for strongerborder security, but were used by Bush assupport for his guestworker program.A guest workerprogram would allowcorporations to recruithundreds of thousandsof low paid workerswith virtually no rightswho live in the U.S.solely at the mercy oftheir employers.

Magdi Barakat, amaintenance mechanicat St. John’s QueensHospital in New YorkCity, hopes thatNovember’s presidential election will end thecurrent anti-immigrant sentiment so presentin the U.S. today.

“It’s terrible what is happening.Immigrants built this country. We all benefitfrom immigration,” says Barakat, who cameto the U.S. from Egypt 30 years ago. “We getall kinds of workers. We get engineers,doctors. They are like the ripe fruit of theirnations and they help us to make this countrywhat it is.”

6December • Our Life And Times 6May/June • Our Life And Times

BUSH’S ENERGY POLICY:Good for industry, bad for the rest of us

F

Sen.Obama’simmigration plan includesimproving the immigrationsystem bureaucracy for thoseseeking a legal path toresidency or citizenship inthe U.S. Obama would lowerapplication fees and improvespeed of background checksand other immigrationprocedures. The Obama planoffers undocumented immigrantsin good standing with the law achance to pay a fine and enterthe legal immigration systemwithout penalty.

“IMMIGRANTSBUILT THISCOUNTRY”

BarackObama’senergy policy invests $150billion over 10 years in cleanenergy sources. Obama’s planseeks to reduce our country’soil consumption by 35% or10 million barrels a day. Heseeks to double current fuelefficiency standards andwould provide support for thedevelopment of the nextgeneration of biofuels withtax incentives andgovernment contracts.

Teresa Jones, a Massachusetts personal care attendant.

Magdi Barakat, amaintenance mechanicat St. John’s QueensHospital in NYC

JENN

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OTO

Busloads of 1199SEIU volunteers headed toPennsylvania on April 22 to spend the dayworking for Barack Obama to help him in theDemocratic primary there. Though Hillary Clintonwon by 9%, the enthusiasm of the volunteers andmany voters again showed how Obama’scandidacy has energized a diverse movement ofpeople. They are ready to help change thenation’s direction.

“When we work together we can build amovement that can make change happen in ourcountry,” SEIU Secretary Treasurer Anna Burgertold hundreds of cheering volunteers at a rallybefore they headed out for door knocking. “BarackObama is just like us. He dreams big, he actsboldly and he makes a difference.”

The 1199ers joined members from SEIU localsfrom as far away as California and Michigan inPennsylvania along with members of the hoteland restaurant workers union, UNITE HERE!Many young people and political novices werecanvassing for the first time.

David Thomas went to Pennsylvania from thestrike line at Kingsbridge Heights RehabilitationCenter in the Bronx, N.Y. Thomas, an orderly, and220 of his co-workers have been striking overtheir health benefits since February.

“I see a lot of hope around Obama. I thinkpeople feel very positive about him,” says Thomas.“We need someone who will change this countryaround. We need a new face in the White House.Young people are really supporting Obama. Theyknow he is the man for the future.”

“I am not a person who is talkative but he hasmotivated me to come out and volunteer,” saysHema Rawal, a Kingsbridge CNA originally fromNepal. Door-knocking for Obama is her first politicalcampaign work. “In this country I’ve learned that tomake change you have to speak up.”

Shawn Legare, 26, a Philadelphia resident,told volunteers Obama motivated him to vote forthe very first time.

“He is moving voters past their reasons for notvoting by constantly giving them positivemotivation,” says Legare. “I’m showing my son anexample of how I want things to change becausemy wife and I have long conversations aboutwhat’s happening here in our neighborhood andhe hears how we’d like things to change.”

Volunteer Efrain Cruz, a multi-task workerfrom Aging in America in the Bronx, N.Y., saysObama’s candidacy can heal our divided nation.

“I just love the idea of unity that herepresents,” says Cruz. “He will not just bringpeople in America together, but also people acrossthe globe.”

From top, left to right: Kingsbridge Rehab membersget ready to board a bus back to NY after a day ofdoor knocking in Philadelphia; Beth Abraham NHspeech therapist Darlene Monda, a first timecampaign volunteer, with Aging In America multi-task worker Efrain Cruz; Kingsbridge NH CNAs HemaRawal, left, and Een Mannan, both first timecampaign volunteers, read canvassing map;Members cheer at rally as they prepare day of doorknocking; Obama volunteers arrive at Philadelphiacampaign headquarters; Philadelphia residentShawn Legare, right, talks with volunteers AlmaAmes, right, a CNA from Greater Southeast Hospitalin Washington, D.C., and Chris Sharp, a Maryland1199SEIU organizer.

“He is theMan for theFuture.”Scores of 1199ers volunteered forObama in Pennsylvania primary.

ELECTION ISSUES

Worse than my experience in Iraq wasmy treatment when I came home,” says JuanAlonzo, a paralegal in the Criminal AppealsBureau of Manhattan’s Legal Aid Society.Alonzo, 31, was a member of the ArmyReserve for almost 10 years and served inIraq from January to April in 2004, when hewas injured.

Alonzo has first-hand experience withsome of the major complaints frequentlycited by Iraq War vets. Among those are themilitary’s abuse of the stop-loss policy,inadequate equipment on the battlefieldand neglect at home.

While stateside, he was asked to extendhis eight-year term of service for another sixmonths. His patriotism and a sense of dutyinfluenced his decision to comply. “But at theclose of those six months, I was told thatunder stop-loss my tour was being extendedfor two years and that I would be shipped toIraq,” Alonzo says.

Stop-loss gives the military the option ofextending a service member’s tour beyondtheir contractual expiration date. Severalenlistees have unsuccessfully challenged thepolicy, and it is not unusual for some servicemembers to be stop-lossed for several tours.

While in Iraq with the 424 Quarter-master Company, Alonzo fell victim toanother abuse: faulty equipment. He wasfitted with an armored vest that was far toolarge. “When I complained, I was told to‘suck it up,’” he says.

The ill-fitting vest caused a tear ofAlonzo’s rotator cuff. The injury landed himin Bethesda’s Walter Reed Army MedicalCenter for six months. Until last year, when ateam of Washington Post reporters exposed

widespread neglect and abuses, the hospitalwas widely considered the crown jewel of themilitary medical system

When Alonzo arrived in April 2004, hesays that some areas of the hospital werefilthy and ill equipped to handle the increasein the number of injured service members.One step the hospital had taken to cut costswas to outsource its maintenance.

Paradoxically, technological and medicaladvances contribute to the dramatic increaseof injured veterans. Injuries that proved fatalin the past can be treated today. In WorldWar II, for example, there were 1.6 injuriesto each fatality and in Vietnam 2.8. The ratioin Iraq is more than 7 to 1.

Through March, 263,000 troops havebeen treated at veterans’ medical facilities,and 224,000 have applied for disabilitybenefits. Some 52,000 have been diagnosedwith post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Alonzo spent six months at Walter Reedbefore being transferred to the Bronx VAHospital.

Ivan Allende, an 1199SEIU delegate andan addictions counselor at St. Barnabas NHin the Bronx, also has spent time at WalterReed and the Bronx VA Hospital. He wasinjured in 1991 while serving in Iraq duringthe first Gulf War.

Allende, who was raised in Rio Piedras,Puerto Rico, by his grandparents, recalls hismeeting with a military recruiter at age 17.“I was young and had led a very sheltered life,”he says. He likens his experience to beingseduced and abandoned by the recruiter.“They promise you the world when they tryto get you to sign up, but once they get you,they don’t even want to know you,” he says.

8May/June • Our Life And Times

NOREDCARPET

‘’A central issue in the presidential debate is how best to bring an end to thewar in Iraq. 1199SEIU has opposed the war from the start and supports imme-diate withdrawal. More than four thousand of our service men and womenhave lost their lives in Iraq. Some estimates put Iraqi deaths at over one mil-lion. Conservative estimates put the cost of the war at $720 million a day. Partof that cost is devoted to caring for our military veterans, many of whom havereturned from the war with both physical and emotional injuries. And many ofthese veterans say that the home front can be as traumatic as Iraq’s frontlines.

Battles continue for Iraq War vets

Sen. Obamaintroduced the Dignity forWounded Warriors Act,which seeks to increasedisability benefits, providesmeasures to ease transitionto civilian life, assistsveterans in finding adequatehousing and improvestreatment of PTSD andtraumatic brain injuries.

ELECTION ISSUES

While taking part in Iraq Desert Stormfrom November 1990 to May 1991, Allendeinjured his back as a member of an Armycannon unit. After his honorable discharge,he sought medical treatment.

“I was told by VA representatives thatthey would agree to treat me if I came to thehospital every day for six months to provethat I had a serious injury,” he says. “I toldthem that I have a job and a family tosupport and that I couldn’t afford to take offsix months.

“They suggested heavy medication. Theyjust wanted to get rid of me and their attitudewas dismissive. If you fight for your country,you at least expect to be spoken to with somerespect.”

Allende has since had back surgery,which included the removal of threeherniated disks. “I can’t play basketball withmy kids,” he says, “but unlike many othervets, I can still earn a living.”

More difficult to treat are the psychicinjuries that Allende and other veteranshave suffered. A groundbreaking Rand

Corporation study, released in April, foundthat 19% of service members—nearly300,000—who have returned from Iraq andAfghanistan report symptoms of PTSD ormajor depression. Only about half of thesereceive treatment that researchers considerminimally adequate.

“After I returned, any loud noise justfreaked me out,” he says. “I didn’t thinkabout getting help until my mother suggestedthat maybe my jumpiness was related to myservice in Iraq.”

Unlike many veterans who are strugglingto find a safe space and a measure of peacein their lives, Allende was able to receivehelp and now devotes himself to helpingothers.

“My last assignment in Iraq was to helprelocate displaced Iraqis,” he says. “Idecided I wanted to continue to help. WhenI returned, I worked at a Bronx non-profitfor nine years helping people with HIV.”

Allende rose to the position of managerat the non-profit before leaving to become adrug rehab counselor at St. Barnabas, wherehe’s excelled for the past five years. He is aUnion activist and delegate. When he’s nothelping his clients or fellow 1199ers, he canbe found at home with this wife and fourchildren – ages 18 months to 18 years.

Alonzo, whose mother is from PuertoRico and whose father is from the DominicanRepublic, also talks about psychic scars. Herecently walked out of the Hollywood movie,“Stop-Loss” because he found it “too closeto home.”

“I find myself often looking up at roofsand my friends say that I don’t smile like Iused to” he says. “But I don’t want to bediagnosed as having PTSD because that canbe used against you.” Alonzo recently waspromoted at work and he has earned hisbachelor’s degree and looks forward to timewith his 3-year-old son.

At Legal Aid, he works with people whocan’t afford to hire their own lawyers. Alonzofrequently attends activities of the Union’sYoung Workers Program.

“I don’t want to be a poster boy for theanti-war movement, but I care deeply aboutthe treatment of vets and our lack ofopportunities,” he says. “We’re heroes untilwe come home.”

99 May/June • Our Life And Times

“If you fightfor yourcountry, youexpect to atleast bespoken towith somerespect.”

Ivan Allende, a substanceabuse counselor at St.Barnabas NH in the Bronx, N.Y.,still struggles with injuriessuffered helping relocate Iraqisdisplaced by Operation DesertStorm. Allende says he “wantedto continue to help” upon hisreturn from Iraq and took a jobworking with people with HIV.

Iraq War veteranJuan Alonzo withson, Jeremiah, 3.Alonzo works forthe Legal AidSociety in New YorkCity. “I caredeeply about thetreatment of vets,”he says.

Iraq War veteranJuan Alonzo withson, Jeremiah, 3.Alonzo works forthe Legal AidSociety in New YorkCity. “I caredeeply about thetreatment of vets,”he says.

10May/June • Our Life And Times

eresa Ghilarducci is the Irene andBernard L. Schwartz Professorof Economic Policy Analysis atthe New School for SocialResearch in New York City.Before that, she spent 25 years atthe University of Notre Dame asa professor of economics and 10years as director of the university’sHiggins Labor Research Center.

Her forthcoming book,“When I’m 65: The Plot AgainstPensions and the Plan to SaveThem,” Princeton UniversityPress, investigates the effectof pension losses on olderAmericans. Her book, “Labor’sCapital: The Economics andPolitics of Employer Pensions,”MIT Press, won an Association ofAmerican Publishers award in1992. She co-authored “PortablePension Plans for Casual LaborMarkets” in 1995. She was inter-viewed by Our Life And Times inApril.

Q: Workers who retired as late as the1980s did so with some measure ofsecurity. Why do today’s retiring work-ers feel so insecure?

A: Simple: the cost of retirementis going up and the funds to payfor retirement are going down.Healthcare costs for retirees are

thing future retirees can counton is Social Security because it isnot tied to the fluctuations ofthe financial markets.

Q: Since Social Security doesn’t providesufficient retirement income, why notreplace it with a defined contributionplan such as a 401K?

A: Social Security provides over70% of retirees with most oftheir retirement income. If itweren’t for Social Security, over50% of older Americans wouldbe poor, instead of the 8% wehave now. If everyone had anindividual private accountinstead of Social Security, everytime the market bumps downthat group of retirees would suf-fer. There is no justice or practi-cal goal served under that systemexcept to provide profits to thecommercial providers who run401(k)-type accounts.

Q: How would your plan for a guaran-teed retirement account (GRA) work?

A: My plan for a GRA wouldrequire every employee to save5% in an account guaranteed bythe federal government to earn asteady inflation-adjusted return—3% in addition to inflation. Ifinflation is 3% the return wouldbe 6%. The accumulation in theaccount would be used to sup-plement Social Security and paidout in retirement. The averageworker would have 70% of theirpre-retirement earnings replacedin retirement. A lower incomeworker would have much morereplaced. Every American wouldhave a low fee, professionalfinancial provider for their pen-sion savings. They would havethe same kind of financial insti-tution federal employees, mem-bers of Congress, state and localworkers have. I recommend mybook “When I’m 65” for moreinformation.

Q: How would federal tax reform andgovernment spending help to resolveour economic woes?

A: Federal government policydirected toward infrastructurespending and progressive taxreform would restore consistentconsumer spending and govern-ment investment. The private sec-tor depends on the federal gov-ernment to stabilize the economy.

soaring faster than inflation andpeople are living longer.

Retirement income has beenfalling for many reasons—peopleare spending their IRAs and401(k)s before retiring, employ-ers are cutting back on pensions,people are losing equity in theirhomes, and costs of Medicareinsurance are taking a bigger andbigger bite out of Social Securitybenefits.

Q: The title of your book suggests thatthere is a plot against pensions. How so?

A: The “plot” against pensionssounds sinister, doesn’t it? Well,the more I researched the grow-ing nonchalance among politicaland academic elites that workerswould have to work two or threeyears longer just to survive in oldage, the more I saw efforts tosave the government and corpo-rations money by eroding pen-sions. There are importantgroups that have pushed backand resisted the erosion.

First, the age eligible to firstcollect Social Security, age 62,has not changed, even thoughthe age to collect full SocialSecurity benefits has increasedto 67. Second, many unionizedemployees have experiencedincreases in pension security.The American economy isaddicted to cheap labor andsome policy makers can’t resistthe notion that older people area source of casual part-timelabor. That is not good policy.We all need the choice to workin old age—but we also deservethe choice to walk away from ajob in our late sixties andbeyond. A secure retirementincome is a hallmark of a civi-lized society.

Q: What role, if any, does the sub-primemortgage crisis play in the ability ofworkers to look forward to a comfort-able retirement?

A: The sub-prime mortgage crisisis the starting point for the cred-it squeeze that firms, house-holds, and federal and state gov-ernments are going to face. Theend of the “easy money era”means a prolonged recession.Immediately the return onassets—pensions, housing, etc.—will be much lower. The part-time jobs that retirees may havecounted on will dry up. The only

The Plot Against PensionsEconomist Teresa Ghilarduccidiscusses the realities ofretirement income in her book“When I’m 65.”

T

A SECURERETIREMENT INCOMEIS A HALLMARK OF ACIVILIZED SOCIETY.

Although she will be covered by the1199SEIU NBF, Broussard saysthat she is more concerned aboutthe cost of health care. “I’m in a

good position,” she says, “but I see patientsevery day who need two or three jobs just tomake ends meet. I’m sure they are concernedabout being able to retire.”

Those concerns are well founded. Pres.Bush in 2006 attempted to privatize SocialSecurity. Among the U.S. senators whosupported the move was Sen. John McCain,who also voted against several measures thatwould have assisted retirees, including one toprovide temporary health insurance assistanceto retirees of bankrupt steel companies.

McCain also has proposed raising theretirement age to 68 and reducing SocialSecurity cost-of-living adjustments.

“I’m working to make sure that Sen.McCain is not the next president,” saysYvonne Richardson, a West Lakewood,Florida, resident, who after 41 years ofservice retired from New York’s Beth IsraelMedical Center in 2002.

“Of course, I’m concerned about issueslike Social Security and health care forseniors, but I’m just as concerned about theoverall economy and issues that affect all thepeople in this country,” Richardson says.

Richardson talks fondly about thegains she made at Beth Israel,including the fight for $100-per-week wages in the late 1960s, after

earning about $39 per week in the early1960s. She says that she is proud that she wasthe first chair of Beth Israel’s labor-management committee. “Nothing came easy,we marched with Dr. King and we worked forthe election of the Kennedys,” she recalls.

“All three of my children graduated fromcollege with the help of our Union’s JosephTauber Scholarship Program,” she says. “Itseems that even though we had to organizeand fight for what we won, the world seemedsimpler then.

“I’m supporting Senator Obama becausewe need to change things just to keep whatwe have.”

Erica Broussard, an RN at OrangeRegional MedicalCenter in New York’smid-Hudson region.

Virtually all the baby boomers(Americans born between 1946and 1964) are expected to retirewithin the next two decades. Formany of these 75 million

Americans, there is danger on the horizon.Many workers are aware of our nation’s

healthcare catastrophe. Not so about thelooming retirement crisis. During the firstRonald Reagan presidency in the 1980s, abouttwo in five U.S. workers had defined pensionplans. Today, that number is just one in five.

1199ers in the National Pension plan cango to sleep each night confident that theirSocial Security benefits will be supplementedby monthly checks that will bring theirincome close to their monthly earnings asworkers. But many younger members andothers such as homecare members have fallenvictim to the nationwide trend againstdefined benefit plans.

“My union has been good to me,” says1199SEIU retiree Ruth Burton, a former Mt.Vernon, N.Y., hospital CNA and among thegrowing number of retirees who have settledin South Carolina. “I retired 20 years ago andwith my pension and healthcare coverage, I’vehad a good life, but I don’t know if it will beas good for those who are coming after me.”

“I’m fortunate that I’ll be able to dependon my pension and Social Security,” saysErica Broussard, an RN at Orange RegionalMedical Center in New York’s mid-Hudsonregion. “I’ve also managed to put moneyaside, so I will be drawing from threedifferent sources.”

RETIREMENTSECURITYBECOMING A THING OF THE PASTBosses have declared war on pensions.

Sen. Obamaproposes to strengthenretirement security byensuring the viability of theSocial Security system,reforming corporatebankruptcy laws, creatingautomatic workplace pensionsand eliminating income taxesfor seniors earning less than$50,000 per year.

“My Unionhas beengood to me.I retired 20years agowith mypension andhealthcarecoverage.”

ELECTION ISSUES

In spite of his promise to leave no childbehind, George W. Bush’s policies continueto put educational goals out of reach forstudents of all ages.

In his 2007 budget, Pres. Bushproposed the largest cuts in the history ofthe U.S. Department of Education—cutstotaling some $2.1 billion. Bush was unableto push through his entire package.Congress funded some of Bush’s cuts withmoney from the defense and foreign aidbudgets. Still, many vital programs fell tothe budget axe, including the FederalPerkins Loan, funding for math, science andreading programs and demonstrationprojects for students with disabilities.

“A working parent can’t get what theyneed in the public school system. There isno balance,” says Darlene Scott, a secretaryat St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City.“Our next president needs to look at whateducation really is. They need to step backand see what’s really going on.”

Scott speaks from experience. She is amother of six children, ages 26, 18, 15, 12,10 and two. She is also a member of the1199SEIU Employer/Child Care FundAdvisory Committee.

“I have children in different schools.They need more programs to help thempass tests,” she says. “Some schools areempowered and others don’t get resources.There aren’t enough counselors. They arejust making things harder.”

Resources are also becoming limited forthose pursuing higher education. Financingoptions for students and parents strugglingto meet soaring college tuition costs are

shrinking as colleges compete for limitedfinancial aid dollars. Last year students andparents borrowed $60 billion in federallyguaranteed loans alone. The federalstudent loan system is so overburdenedthat the U.S. Department of Educationrecently put in place a wide-ranging safetynet, which if necessary, would ensure thecontinued availability of funds forborrowers.

Danielle Gates is a patient financialrepresentative at Kaleida Health in Buffalo,N.Y., and is studying to be a social workerat Buffalo State College. Over the course ofher studies Gates says she’s seen classesget more crowded, limited and expensive,book prices soar, and financial aid becomescarce. Though Gates qualifies for tuitionassistance from 1199SEIU’s Training AndUpgrading Fund, she occasionally incursextra educational costs.

“My classes are $225 per credit hourand sometimes I have to sacrifice. They

have a tuition repayment plan and theyhave loans, but I don’t want to get tooinvolved with that because I know I’ll haveto repay them in the future,” she says.“Books are $150 each for one class. It’s nota good feeling. If I can’t take my classes itputs my educational goals at a standstill.”

Statistics show that there is a pay gap ofup to 70% between those with a high schooldiploma and those with a college degree.

“Where I work you need an Associate’sDegree. You may have experience, but youwon’t get a job without a degree. It can bedemoralizing,” says Gates.

Scott says young people facetremendous pressure and competition inthe job market today.

“My daughter may need a Master’sDegree to be a secretary,” says Scott. “Butit’s also hard on kids and a lot of themmight get discouraged, so they don’t do it.What are we going to do then?”

Sen. Obama’splans for education include theexpansion of Early Head Startand Head Start programs andreforming the No Child LeftBehind Act with proper fundingand support, not punishment, forfailing schools. He’ll also seek toaddress the dropout crisis withintervention programs and createa tax credit program to makecollege more affordable.

Bush education policies fail students at every levelTOO MANY LEFT BEHIND

The federal studentloan system is sooverburdened that theU.S. Department ofEducation recently putinto place a wide-ranging safety net.

Darlene Scott, a secretary at St.Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centerin New York City, with three of hersix kids. From left: Mandell, Jr.,12, Scott holding Josiah, 2 andShatera, 10. “A lot of parentscan’t even afford what their kidsneed for school,” says Scott.

ELECTION ISSUES

13 May/June • Our Life And Times

Presidential candidates may wrangle over small townvoters, but in the cities one thing is undeniable: Bushadministration policies have failed our nation’s urban areas.

The nation’s 100 largest cities are home to 65% of thenation’s population, yet under George W. Bush, the federalgovernment has grown increasingly hostile to urban needs.Equal access to education, public transportation, housing, healthcare and infrastructure continues to challenge these older andmostly poorer communities. As Bush has invoked the power ofcommunity uplift initiatives and faith based organizations, hehas privatized and limited many programs that foster urbandevelopment.

“I’ve watched Buffalo deteriorate. Wehad green grass and trees,” saysCharlene Redrick, a CNA at WaterfrontHealthcare in Buffalo, N.Y. “We didn’thave boarded up buildings anddilapidated buildings. In the past therewere more services and things werebetter taken care of.”

Manufacturing job losses and ashrinking population have hobbledBuffalo. The city’s difficulties have beencompounded by Bush’s cuts to fundingfor programs like Head Start, day careand home heating assistance for low-income families.

By abandoning cities, says EbonyHansen, a patient financial servicesrepresentative at Kaleida HealthServices in Buffalo, the administrationhas perpetuated their image asdisintegrating centers of poverty andcrime. In spite of their challenges, citiesand their surrounding communities arethe nation’s economic and cultural centers and produce 75% ofits gross domestic product.

“When [people from outside the city] hear about it they thinkghetto. They think drug addicts, crack addicts and alcoholics anduneducated people,” says Hansen. “That is not the case. We arevery educated people here and we want the same things for ourchildren as they want for their children.”

Over the last eight years U.S. cities and the people who livein them have suffered from the Bush administration’s laissezfaire attitude.

“They’ve cut the schools so badly they don’t even havebooks anymore,” says Redrick. “My granddaughter told me thereweren’t enough to go around.”

One result is that local officials like Mayors MichaelBloomberg of New York, Thomas Menino of Boston andBaltimore’s Sheila Dixon have been forced into jousting with theadministration on key issues such as gun violence, health careand education. As a result, they insist that the next presidentmust have a comprehensive urban policy and allocate resourcesto implement it. During February’s Ohio primaries, ClevelandMayor Frank Jackson went so far as to promise his endorsementto the candidate who agreed to fulfill his city’s $6.3 billion wishlist—which included money for sewage treatment, earlychildhood education, mortgage counseling and law enforcement.Barack Obama won the endorsement.

Top: “A lot of people need to know that it’s not too late for our cities,” saysEbony Hansen, a patient financial representative for Buffalo, N.Y., KaleidaHealth. “We need to see that they are willing to help us achieve our dreams.It’s not about making a move. It’s about taking care of each other.”Bottom: “We need places for our children to go. Our schools have been cut sobadly they don’t have books anymore,” says Charlene Redrick, a CNA atWaterfront Healthcare in Buffalo, N.Y.

CITY IS NOT A DIRTY WORDMembers from urban areas say a much-needed agenda is necessary to undo yearsof Bush administration neglect.

BarackObamawould create a White HouseOffice of Urban Policy tofocus on our cities. Obama’splan supports urban-centeredjob creation and workertraining. He also seeks tocreate more affordablehousing in our cities andexpand the Earned IncomeTax Credit program. Sen.Obama’s plan providesaccess to capital for smallbusinesses. It also fostershealthy urban communitiesthrough green initiatives andrequires polluters to pay forcleanup of the sites theypolluted.

ROBERT KIRKHAM PHOTOS

14May/June • Our Life And Times

be level and they wouldn’t be ableto take things away from us.”

A few states, such asMassachusetts with itsCommonwealthHealthcare Connector

Authority, have designed pro-grams to cover large portions oftheir populations. Others, such asMaryland, have generated fund-ing to increase healthcare cover-age by raising taxes on tobacco.The number of U.S. residentsrelying on public health insuranceprograms is increasing. A KaiserFamily Foundation report foundthat as of 2004, nearly 45% ofAmericans relied on some formof public insurance program fortheir health care. States and local-ities are struggling to find fundingto keep up skyrocketing health-care costs.

Lora Morrison works as apersonal care attendant inRoxbury, Mass. Though she’s eli-gible for low-cost health insur-ance from the state, Morrisonsays it’s a stretch on her income.

“Health care is so important.People are looking for wages, butwhen your health is messed up itcan really bend you over back-wards,” she says.

Santiago agrees.“Once you’ve worked for

your health benefits you can’t saythey’re not valuable, because youhaven’t lost what I’ve lost,” saysSantiago. “My wife is diabetic.When she needs her medicine,she needs it. My son is asthmatic.When he needs his medicine Ihave to go into my pocket.”

Alma Ames, a nursingassistant at GreaterSoutheast Hospital inWashington, D.C. says

the health care a society providesits citizens it is a measure of itsdecency.

“We need to address this forour young people and our elderlyespecially,” says Ames. “Our eld-erly are being robbed of the carethey’ve worked so hard for. Theyshouldn’t have to worry aboutwhat insurance will not cover.”

PCA Morrison says thereshould be a special interest inproviding healthcare workerswith coverage.

“You never know,” she says,laughing. “You may need me oneday. It pays to keep me healthy.”

For the last eightyears the BushAdministrationhas strong-armed stategovernmentsinto financinghealth care for

our nation’s 46 million unin-sured. At the same time theWhite House has fought off anydiscussion of a nationalizedhealthcare plan. With thisNovember’s presidential elec-tion, Americans may finally get aworkable plan for universalhealthcare coverage.

Health care tops the agendaof Pablo Santiago, a porter atKingsbridge Heights Center forNursing in the Bronx, N.Y.Santiago is among the 220Kingsbridge workers who havebeen striking over their healthbenefits since February 20. He’sbeen without healthcare coveragefor four months.

“If we had universal healthcare everybody would be even inthis fight,” says Santiago of thestruggle with Kingsbridge man-agement. “The playing field would

IS UNIVERSALHEALTH CARE

FINALLY ON THEHORIZON?

November’s election couldend eight years of Bush

stalling on health care for all.

Sen. Obamawould make available aportable, national health planwith easy enrollment,comprehensive benefits andguaranteed eligibility.Obama’s plan would create aNational Health InsuranceExchange, a watchdog groupthat would reform theinsurance market and ensurefairness for individuals whowish to purchase privateinsurance.

“IF WE HADUNIVERSALHEALTH CARE THEPLAYING FIELDWOULD BE LEVELAND THEYWOULDN’T BEABLE TO TAKETHINGS AWAYFROM US.”

Pablo Santiago, a porter atKingsbridge Heights Center forNursing and Rehabilitation inthe Bronx, N.Y. Santiago and220 of his co-workers havebeen on strike over their healthbenefits since February.

SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera hasbeen named grand marshal ofthis year’s National Puerto RicanDay Parade. It is the first time alabor leader has been so honoredsince the parade began in 1957.The parade up Fifth Avenue inManhattan will be on Sunday,June 8. Rivera, until last year thePresident of 1199SEIU, will beaccompanied by an 1199SEIU

float and a contingent of 1,000Union members.

The Puerto Rican Day Paradeis an annual tribute to PuertoRican culture and to thecontributions of Puerto Ricans toAmerican society. About threemillion people are expected toattend, with another two millionviewing it on live television.

Born in Aibonito, P.R., Riverawas educated on the island, wherehis family still lives. He came toNew York City in 1977, where hewas hired as an 1199 organizer of

hospital workers at MontefioreMedical Center and other Bronxfacilities.

As part of what was then an1199 national union, he returnedto the island to help organize 1199in Puerto Rico. He was electedPresident of 1199 in 1989 and re-elected through 2007, when he leftto take up the leadership of SEIUHealthcare, the 1.1 millionmember national healthcareworkers union. Rivera is thehighest ranking Puerto Ricanlabor leader in the United States.

On the Boston Red Sox home openeron April 8, 1199SEIU membersand non-union hospital workersfrom Boston teamed up to handout 15,000 free souvenir scorecardsto fans outside Fenway Park call-ing on Boston hospital executivesto allow free and fair secret ballotunion elections for hospital staff.

Thousands of non-unionMassachusetts hospital workersare struggling to make ends meetand thousands can’t afford healthinsurance for themselves or theirfamilies. The caregivers used afamiliar game-day tradition topromote their message.

Historically, Boston hospitaladministrators have spent scarcepatient care dollars on fear andintimidation campaigns againsttheir own staff in union votes.

The workers have asked theCEOs to guarantee that they willnot spend patient care dollars tocampaign against or intimidatetheir own workers if the care-givers choose to organize a unionfor better jobs and patient care.

At press time, thousands of 1199SEIUmembers were preparing to takepart in a massive May 3 marchand rally in solidarity with thestriking workers at KingsbridgeHeights Center for Nursing andRehabilitation in the Bronx, N.Y.The workers struck on Feb. 20after home owner Helen Siegercut off the members’ healthbenefits and refused to negotiate.

The strikers were joinedby about 3,000 members of1199SEIU, communitysupporters and elected officials ata March 15 rally near the facility.

The entire Bronx delegationin the New York StateLegislature has written to stateHealth Commissioner RichardDaines urging that he take thehome out of the hands of ownerSieger and put it intoreceivership in the interest ofpatient care. In appealing toCommissioner Daines, thelegislators cited variousinvestigations of possibleMedicaid fraud and misuse ofgovernment funding, as well aspatient care issues.

New York State AttorneyGeneral Andrew Cuomo, thestate Department of Labor, theMedicaid Inspector General, andthe state Department of Healthare investigating Sieger’smanagement of the home and herunfair labor practices.

May/June • Our Life And Times15

Around Our Union

Hundreds of Massachusetts healthcare workers and their supporters rallied inBoston last October for free and fair union elections at institutions in their state.This year they took the organizing message to opening day at Fenway Park and theBoston Marathon on April 21.

Members and supporters joined Kingsbridge strikersat April 5 candlelight vigil, below.

DENNIS RIVERA NAMEDGRAND MARSHAL OF 2008PUERTO RICAN DAY PARADE

BOSTON HEALTHCAREWORKERS SEEK FREE ANDFAIR ELECTIONS

THOUSANDS SET TO RALLYWITH KINGSBRIDGESTRIKERS

THE BACK PAGE

Hema Rawal, left, and Een Mannan,striking CNAs from Kingsbridge Centerfor Nursing and Rehabilitation in theBronx, N.Y., temporarily left the picketline at their facility to volunteer forBarack Obama in the April 22 Democraticprimary in Pennsylvania. See page 7.

—HEMA RAWAL

“We NeedSomething New”

“I am not a person who is talkative, but Obamahas motivated me to come out and volunteer.In this country I’ve learned that to makechange you have to speak up.”