Corona Virus Update 5/27

I have exciting news today. 

AFT National executive board have gone to great lengths to secure PPE to keep our members safe. It has not been easy. There have been starts and stops. But today, surgical masks and face shields arrived at the AFT Connecticut!!!!!

Many presidents have responded with their needs and I’ll work on coordinating with you, but please let me know if you haven’t already.

I’ll share a couple of things today.

First, a letter from the daughter for Elva Graveline about her mom, one of our members who we lost to this horrible virus.  Pleasant help if you can.

Hey everyone.  My mom, Elva Graveline, was a wonderful woman. She was the best mother, grandmother, and wife I've ever known (I'm biased, of course). She cared for everyone over herself. She was a CNA at L&M Hospital for nearly 23 years and was loved by many. She will be sorely missed by her family and friends. We want to place an obituary in the newspaper for mom but the paper said it would be between $150-$250 to run the article with the picture we want. If anyone is willing to help out with the cost, it would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you. Sincerely,  Shelly

https://www.gofundme.com/f/mom039s-obituary?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet


The second thing is a letter to the per diems of my home local, 5149, the Backus federation of Nurses.
This is personal to me.  This is the Local I helped form.  These nurses have devoted their lives to the service of others, they deserve a voice.

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out to say congratulations on taking this brave, important step towards joining Backus Federation of Nurses and having a voice in the workplace with your union co-workers.

Some of you know me from my 21 years working at the bedside at Backus Hospital, but some may not. I left the hospital in 2015 when I was elected as Vice President of AFT Connecticut. The Backus Federation of Nurses 5149 is a vital part of AFT Connecticut. We stand with nurses and healthcare professionals at 11 of Connecticut’s hospitals. Today the National Labor Relations Board is mailing your ballots and you will shortly start receiving those ballots that will ask you to decide if you’d like to join your other 400 plus RN coworkers as part of 5149. I want to be clear that you will be part of the same Local as all the other nurses as Backus, not a separate unit. I have heard there is some misinformation around this topic.

I remember when I was approached by my coworker Mary Ann Bouthillier in 2011. She told me that a group of nurses were gathering and discussing how things had changed at the hospital and how they felt they had lost their voice at the table.

At its core, this is what being a union nurse means. It means having the ability to do what we were all taught in nursing school, to be an advocate for our patients, their families, and for each other. Standing together gives us the ability to do this.

I look forward to you joining me as a member of the Backus Federation of Nurses, Local 5149. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns, now or when you are a member after the election.

Thank you for all you do every day,

In solidarity,

John




We are 80 days since the first confirmed case of Covid in Connecticut. We are 7 days into our reopening. 
We lost another 34 Connecticut residents today. A total of 3803. 

Hospitalizations are down 10, to 684. 



Please be safe and be well,
John