In Australia, nurses are facing disrespect, including people spitting at them.
In India, some nurses have a ratio of 60 patients to 1 nurse.
Worldwide, 40,000 healthcare workers have become infected, over 1000 have died.
In Europe, 14% of HCW have become infected.
Worldwide, the CDC estimates 20% of HCW have become infected.
This afternoon I was on a weekly call with the AFT Healthcare leaders from around the country.
I have some asks out of that call on data I’d like to collect so that we can all share nationally. If you could send to me.
1. Please share any OSHA complaints you file, and response from employers, and any response from OSHA
2. Please share any information you have on numbers of infected healthcare workers.
3. Please share any information you may have on employers using technology to track members.
4. Please share if you have seen any use of the Battelle decontamination system in your workplace, if you have received any masks or respirators back or not, etc.
5. Please share if your employer is using any other decontamination process, what that is, and how it seems to be working.
6. Please share any plans or actual restart of suspended procedures (like elective surgeries)
7. Please share if you have any furloughed members or members with decreased hours and whatever you have any agency or travel staff there.
I know it’s a lot. Thank you all.
I also have an update on Randi’s weekly Town Hall and the AFT national convention. Although it is disappointing that the convention will not be “in person,” perhaps some delegates who would not have been able to travel to Houston will now be able to attend virtually.
 |
John,
I want to give you a quick update on this week’s telephone town hall, what’s happening in Congress, and changes to plans for our national convention.
This week’s telephone town hall will have journalist John Nichols, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and United Food and Commercial Workers President Marc Perrone. Nichols will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on rural communities. Merkley will explain his efforts to expand access to broadband internet. And Perrone will talk about COVID-19’s effects on meatpacking plants and about the work the AFT is doing with UFCW to protect workers. If you’re not already signed up for our telephone town halls, you can sign up here. And, as always, please share this with members.
I also want you to know that the next coronavirus financial aid package is moving forward. We’ve been engaged with Democratic leadership to make sure there’s both funding for state and local governments as well as an Education Stabilization Fund. I heard last night that Congress is considering far less money for education stabilization than we need. That’s why today we’re mobilizing to tell Congress to include all the money that schools will need. During this pandemic, we’ve seen how vital schools are to the economy; after trying to work from home while helping with distance learning, no parent can deny the important role our schools play.
For the economy to recover, we must reopen and we must do it safely. If we don’t reopen safely, it puts not only the lives of educators and school staff at risk, but also the lives of students and their families. Reopening safely costs money, and now is not the time to cut back. That’s why we must call Congress immediately.You can help today by making a call yourself, and then asking your members to call too. We’ve also posted a CARES Act toolkit on AFT All In for you to use.
Finally, last week we had an executive council meeting where we passed several resolutions, including one on this year’s AFT convention. In the absence of a vaccine, and with adequate testing and tracing likely still months away, there are too many questions about whether it will be safe to gather in a large group in Houston. The executive council has chosen to move to a virtual convention for 2020. You can read the resolution here.
The convention will held online July 28-30. Delegates will consider constitutional and bylaw changes and resolutions at the convention, but the election of AFT officers and executive council, which normally happens at the convention, will be conducted among those delegates via U.S. mail.
The executive council also passed resolutions on protecting health, safety and economic well-being during and after the pandemic, securing free and fair elections and the right to vote in 2020, and supporting and protecting seniors and retirement security during the pandemic.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten AFT President |
The national leadership of the American Federation of Teachers has voted to hold the union’s biennial national convention virtually this year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks only the third time since the AFT’s founding in 1916 that the event will not been held in person. The convention, which typically draws thousands of educators, nurses and public employees from around the country, was scheduled to take place in Houston July 27-30, but will now be held online July 28-30.Delegates will consider constitutional and by-law changes and resolutions at the convention, but the election of AFT officers and executive council, which normally happens at the convention, will be conducted among those delegates via U.S. mail.
The AFT notes that at the time the decision was made, many of the localities in which its members serve, as well as the city of Houston and Harris County, Texas, were still abiding by physical distancing guidelines.
“Our No. 1 priority during this crisis is the health and safety of our members, their families and the people we serve,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We considered several options and did a lot of soul searching, but ultimately, in the absence of a vaccine, and with adequate testing and tracing likely still months away, we could not, in good conscience, put people at risk by asking them to gather in a large group in Houston.
“We also recognize that the economic toll of this pandemic represents a massive challenge for all of us, and we want to be prudent given the many months of recovery that lay ahead. While we’re disappointed we won’t see everyone in person in Houston, we look forward to exploring new ways to honor our members’ work, particularly on the frontlines of this crisis; chart our path forward; and welcome many special guests from a safe distance this year.”
A copy of the full resolution can be read here.
It has been 65 days since our first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Connecticut
1212 are currently hospitalized, down 30 from yesterday
3008 have died, 41 today
This is a link to a press article on one of 4 petitions from our healthcare locals, this one from our Manchester and Rockville members.
ow.ly/q54Y50zBfg5
Be well,
John
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