FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2023
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
STONY BROOK HOSPITAL VALET WORKERS RALLY AND CALL ON HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION TO REINSTATE JOBS AFTER SWITCH TO NON-UNION EMPLOYER AMID HOLIDAY SEASON
Dozens of Long Island Workers Lose Their Main Source of Income After Years of Loyalty to the Hospital
Entire Families Out in the Cold and Won’t Be Able to Celebrate Holidays with Their Children This Year
(NEW YORK, NY) – Today, dozens of union parking valets rallied outside Stony Brook University Medical Center demanding their jobs back. On December 1, 2023, without warning, the long-time hospital parking vendor was replaced by Hospital administration, and as a result hard-working union members were kicked to the curb. The new company, Parking Systems, Inc., is non-union, and despite the offer to interview RWDSU Local 1102 members for the new non-union jobs, the company didn’t hire a single one, which the Union believes is in a direct attempt to subvert the Union. As a result, the Union has filed unfair labor practice charges (ULPs) against the Hospital, which the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is investigating.
“The reason we’re out here today is because we lost our jobs. I have fifteen-years of experience and many others with ten-plus years of experience. There are families like mine who were relying on this work to provide for the holiday season. That’s all been destroyed and derailed because we suddenly have no income. We call on Stonybrook to reinstate us now!” said Ramon Perez, Parking Valet at Stony Brook University Medical Center.
Some of the workers have served the Hospital for years, and at least one family has multiple members working there who were tossed out of their jobs, right before the holidays. As a result of this move by the Stony Brook Hospital Administration, some families have lost their entire incomes. The Union has formally demanded workers get their jobs back, as dozens of families suffer at the hands of the Hospital Administration in fear they will go without this holiday season.
Workers were joined by fellow union members and union leadership to demand their jobs be reinstated so their families aren’t left out in the cold this December. RWDSU Local 1102 also represents about 300 workers across Stony Brook University campus in the dining halls.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
RWDSU Local 1102 members who served as valet workers at Stony Brook Medical Center are currently facing a crisis that demands immediate attention. Though often overlooked members of our local and medical community, these unionized workers are a critical part of the Hospital and many have come to rely on these positions for years to support their families.
On December 1, 2023, the valet parking contract at the Hospital transitioned to Parking Systems, Inc., a new non-union company. This has resulted in the termination of employment for all of the dedicated valet attendants, some of whom have faithfully served the community for decades. Although all of these workers were encouraged by Parking Systems to apply for jobs, remarkably none of them were hired. RWDSU Local 1102 believes that these workers were denied employment en masse just so the company could avoid the Union, an allegation which is currently being investigated by the National Labor Relations Board. Workers rallied today to shed light on the public about the plight of our members who suddenly have no income.
The decision by Parking Systems, Inc. not to hire these longtime, experienced workers has left numerous families in our community in dire straits and facing imminent financial ruin. These families, who worked through the entire COVID-19 pandemic and were once the backbone of support during crucial moments for countless individuals seeking medical treatment, find themselves without jobs and, more critically, without notice, just as the holiday season begins.
The impact on these families – many of whom all worked together as valet parkers – is profound, and we demand the Hospital work with the Union to explore possible solutions for the well-being of our community members who now find themselves in the midst of an unexpected crisis.
RWDSU Local 1102 members and labor allies rally outside the Stony Brook Medical Center demanding their Union jobs back!
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The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States, including 45,000 in New York State. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW Twitter:@RWDSU.