The most precious resource the US health-care system has in the struggle against COVID-19 isn’t some miracle drug. It’s the expertise of its health-care workers—and they are exhausted. The Atlantic, 11/13/20 THE HEALTHCARE HEROES who fell victim to the pandemic in 2020 leave us a legacy which we must embrace by placing our grief into […]
Tim Foley
Tim Foley is the executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and a member of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.
Posted inOpinion
Anti-union actions reflect racist attitudes
THE CIVIL RIGHTS movement did not end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.  We are still in the midst of it. The work continues as we grapple with the legacy of our nation’s original sin of slavery. The Black Lives Matter movement is only the latest embodiment of our collective and […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health care heroes deserve support
THEY’VE BEEN RIGHTFULLY hailed as heroes on homemade signs and honored with Blue Angel flyovers, but the same health care workers who are saving untold lives during the COVID crisis – and risking their own – are now being eyed for layoffs, furloughs, and pay cuts or freezes. Is this how we treat heroes? There […]
Posted inOpinion
Heroes don’t deserve layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts
THEY’VE BEEN RIGHTFULLY hailed as heroes on homemade signs and honored with Blue Angel flyovers, but the same health care workers who are saving untold lives during the COVID crisis – and risking their own – are now being eyed for layoffs, furloughs, and pay cuts or freezes. Is this how we treat heroes? There […]
Posted inOpinion
Reward home care firms that pay living wage
WHILE MASSACHUSETTS LEADS the nation in a number of vital healthcare markers, the state is facing a crisis in one crucial area – its home care industry. The population is rapidly aging, and the number of home care workers is not keeping pace with increased demand for services. When combined with inconsistent state oversight and […]
Posted inOpinion
A missed healthcare opportunity
MASSACHUSETTS MISSED AN opportunity to address some of the most crucial healthcare challenges facing the state when the Legislature failed to reach agreement on a sweeping reform bill this session. It’s disappointing, particularly because the reforms thoughtfully formulated over the past several months are vital to many of our local communities, hospitals, workers, and patients. […]