CWA Officers Join Trek to Save New York Hospitals

Joined by CWA President Larry Cohen and District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton for the final leg, about 40 members of Local 1168 are set to complete a 320-mile walk from Buffalo to Albany tomorrow morning to save hospitals and jobs in Western New York.

When they arrive, they hope to meet with Gov. Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders in an attempt to reverse the projected closings of at least nine hospitals that receive state funds, including DeGraff, Millard Fillmore and St. Joseph's in Buffalo, affecting some 4,000 CWA jobs.

Two Local 1168 nurses, Dawn Mele and Pat Sullivan, have walked the entire distance, joined at times by members of their local and other CWA locals. The marchers have braved temperatures as low as 10 degrees, along with rain and driving winds.

"The dedication of these members to maintaining quality, accessible health care in upstate New York and to preserving jobs in the community is incredible," Cohen said.

On arriving at the state capital, the marchers will be joined by other Local 1168 members who are being bused in for a large rally at the Statehouse including supporters from other unions and groups in the community.

Local President John Klein said today that he is in touch with Gov. Spitzer's office and is hoping to schedule a meeting Friday morning. "One way or the other, we are going to get our message across to our political leaders that these hospitals are needed, and closing them would be a hardship for many thousands of people," he said.