Open letter to Danbury and New Milford Hospital Healthcare Workers

My sisters and brothers of Danbury and New Milford Hospitals, This Friday is a historic day at your hospitals.  You will decide if you want to join your nurses and techs in gaining a voice in your workplace.  Think about that. YOU will decide.  Has that ever been given that chance before? Well, you have not been "given" it now either..........you have TAKEN it. You have taken it by standing together and being strong.  You have shown courage and solidarity against hospitals willing to use healthcare dollars on  union busters to spread lies and fear but that has not worked.  It didn't work when we organized 4 years ago at Backus Hospital in Norwich either.  We stood together and now we negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions.  They can no longer make changes or take away without negotiating.  Are things perfect today at Backus? No. But today, we speak freely and advocate for ourselves, our coworkers, our patients, our  community, and our hospital without fear. If you decide to join us on Friday, you will join 10,000 AFT healthcare workers in Connecticut,  29,000 AFT Connecticut members, and 1.6 million AFT national members in having a voice. You may ask, why do I care? I care because I have worked in a non union hospital and seen the changes after we  unionized. I care because have seen how "not for profit" hospitals have changed. I remember when "not for profit" didn't need quotations. I have seen how they have become corporations, not hospitals, who who treat their patients  like a product and their employees like an expense. I have seen the executives receive bonuses larger than some worker's annual income.  I have seen them spend hundreds of thousands of healthcare dollars on thugs and  embezzlers to work against their own employees.  It is your decision, for maybe the first time in your working lives, YOUR decision. Better than hope, I promise that never again will you stand alone. In Solidarity, John John Brady Backus Federation of Nurses, Retired President Executive Vice President Elect  AFT Connecticut

Danbury

God created the Saboth. 

Unions created the weekend. 

The reason for both is simple. 

We are called to fight for social justice and it is hard work. 

Those who stand against us seem to have unlimited resources and perhaps they do. When a hospital or other corporation fights itheir own workers the money they spend does not come from their own pockets nor the time from their own leisure. 

We are asked to do more with less. To take on more patients, more students, more productivity, while they line their pockets. 

Currently they are crying poverty and asking for tax breaks while they give themselves raises and bonuses. 

It must end and it must end now. 

It is time to put patients, students, taxpayers and workers before profits. 

That is why 900 healthcare workers at Dandury and New Milford Hospitals in Connecticut are fighting for their voice and why they are joined by their nurses and techs and the members of AFT Connecticut, AFT national and the AFL~CIO. 

My president, Jan, has ordered me on a few days of R+R with my wife Michelle. 

Michelle is extremely understanding of my union time but both she and Jan understand better than I that we are stronger if we occasionally rest. 

Jan and the rest of our leadership and staff are working on the campaign and I will be in Danbury this week. 

Our courageous brothers and sisters fight for a voice and we fight with them. 

Solidarity. 

Letter to my hospital coworkers

My Backus colleagues,

It has been an honor to work with you for the past 21 years, those whom I currently work with and those whom I have work with over all these years.

I take a part of you with me.

Our interactions have shaped me. 

We have laughed and cried and argued and made up. We have become brothers and sisters.

Perhaps those not in healthcare will not understand, I don't know.

I do know that what you do every day makes the world a better place. 

Whatever your role, your mission is to heal body and soul and the need to do so is a part of your body and soul. 

This is not limited to direct caregivers. It applies equally to those to keep our hospital clean and running and fed. 

It applies to all who arrive day after day and put patients first.

I leave you because I am called to something else. The lessons I have learned from you about advocating for others will be critical to the work I am called to do.  In fact, they have been vital to leading me to this new calling.

I'll miss not seeing you daily, but I will carry you in my heart.

In service and brotherhood,

John

A letter to my members on my retirement

Backus Nurses,

As you know, I have been elected Executive Vice President of AFT Connecticut.

I start that position on July 1.

I considered staying per diem, but I know only one way to commit myself to my new position, and that is to be available 24/7.

As a result, I will be retiring from Backus after 21 years in the emergency department.  

My last shift is this Thursday.

I will also need to retire as president of the Backus Federation of Nurses, I will do so this Wednesday night at our executive board meeting. At that time, Michelle Hayes will assume the duties of president per our constitution and bylaws, for the remainder of my term.

Michelle will be an excellent president.

We are blessed that Melissa Hunter has served as Vice President in the past and will be there to assist once again.

They are both great leaders and will be guided by an incredible executive board.

I will remain as a full dues paying member of the local.

This is an very exciting time for me.

I join a team of officers in President Jan Hochadel, First VP Jean Morningstar, and Secretary-Treasurer Ed Leavey, whom I admire and work well with.  We hope to do great things with the help and guidance of the AFT Connecticut Executive Committee and Council and the Local Presidents and members.

However, I also leave behind a large part of my life.  It has been both difficult and fulfilling to work at the bedside for these 21 years. I salute you for your commitment to this work.

When I agreed to run for Backus Federation president, I did so because I believed we could make a difference in the lives of our patients, our families, and our community.   

When Jan asked me to run and serve as her VP, I accepted the challenge because I believe in her and I believe our team can accomplish much for all our 29,000 members.

It has been an honor to serve on the organizing committee and as your president. I hope I have helped some of you find your voice.  I understand there is still so much work for us to do.  At times it seems like more than we could ever accomplish.  I ask you to look at what we have done in the past 4 years and recommit yourselves to your patients, your profession, and each other.

I hold you out to the other members of AFT Connecticut as an example of a group that has stood up for themselves and the people they serve. A group that has overcome many obstacles. 

The Backus nurses are as much a part of AFT as any of our 1.6 million members.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of that.

In solidarity and service,

John

If this is Wednesday, this must be DC

So...

Rearranged the work schedule, awoke at 3:00 am, and travelled to the AFT Executive Council and Program & Policy Council meeting.

If this is Wednesday, this must be DC.

I don't "officially" start the new gig till July 1 but there already seams to be a lot to do and a lot of people to meet with.

Jan, Jean, Ed and I will meet with a lot of the people we need to coordinate with both from Washington and across the nation, in order to best serve our members and the pupils, patients and public they care for.

We're lucky. We belong to a union of dedicated members and leaders and we have dedicated staff. We are united in our belief that this can be a nation that treats all with dignity and respect, a nation where we take care of one another.

After all, that's what educators, healers, and public servants do.

And that's why we're in DC again.