Many have heard of an arrest at the August 8, 2012 UUP, PEF & CSEA union rally to oppose cuts at Downstate Hospital. This is what happened and how you can help.

As Ira was leaving the rally at about 1:15pm and walking to the bus, several Downstate University police pounced on him from a patrol car, pushed him against the wall and cuffed him for no known reason. After being held for several hours, Ira was told he had trespassed at LICH some 2 and a half weeks earlier. Ira is an 1199 retiree. He had heard of an 1199 meeting announcing layoffs at L.I.C.H., so he attended it to find out more information. Nobody stopped or questioned him when he went in to the meeting. 

At that meeting, the 1199 rep blamed the severity of the layoffs at LICH on the no layoff clauses in the Downstate contract. These no layoff agreements end in the end of 2013.

Ira knew that wasn’t correct, since layoff notices went out for P.E.F. and U.U.P. workers. When he spoke at the meeting to correct the information, he was asked if he was an 1199 member at LICH. Ira said no, he was a recent retiree who had worked for 30 years at Woodhull and served as an 1199 delegate for 25 years.

The 1199 rep said Ira was not welcome at the meeting. When the rep went out to call LICH security, Ira left without incident. As he was leaving he stated that LICH and Downstate workers and unions must work together and not blame each other.

Ira needs support from the hospital workers and from our unions. He has to report to a court appearance on September 11th and answer a charge of criminal mischief in the 3rd degree. If the charges are not dropped, he will have some substantial legal expenses. It is a class B misdemeanor with a possible sentence of 90 days if convicted.

Ira has shown solidarity with Downstate workers and attended every rally since the March demonstration at the Marriott Hotel. He has posted information on the union bulletin board at Woodhull with pictures of the demonstrations. Now he needs help from the Downstate unions in his time of need. WE stand together or hang separately.

Find out how to support Ira here.

The three major labor unions representing workers at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, UUP, CSEA, and PEF, united to endorse the rally scheduled Wednesday, August 8, 2012 from noon – 2 p.m. at the University Hospital of Brooklyn 470 Clarkson Ave. entrance to the hospital.

Already, dozens of Downstate employees have received layoff notices in the first of several waves of job cuts that could leave thousands of health care professionals without jobs. It is expected that another round of layoff notices will go out on Friday, August 10.

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the negative economic impact of public-sector budget cuts:

Public-sector reductions at the local level have subtracted almost a quarter of a percentage point from annual GDP each of the past four years …. “There is a legitimate debate about the cost structure of state and local government,” says chief economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pa. “But people lose sight of the fact that economic competitiveness is not just the tax rate, but the skill of workers and the quality of our infrastructure from the roads and bridges to our telecommunications, airports, and electric grid. All those things matter a lot to business.”

The economic impact of massive downsizing or closure of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center would be devastating to the local community. Help keep Downstate open by joining us at our rally on Wednesday, August 8 and sign the petition to Governor Cuomo!

Firefighters were treated at Kings County Hospital and SUNY Downstate Medical Center for exhaustion, sprains, strains and smoke inhalation after a six alarm blaze at 665 New York Ave. in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

The plans to shutdown or massively downsize SUNY Downstate would make it harder for these heroic emergency workers to receive prompt treatment.

Even worse, the Daily News reports today that SUNY Downstate is one of hundreds of state-owned buildings in the city that don’t follow FDNY fire codes:

The state has its own fire code, but the two sets of rules differ on key points like how explosives are handled, how to report the presence of hazardous materials and how standpipes and water sources inside buildings are set up.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn) is pushing for all city buildings to be covered by the same rules. But cutbacks will make it harder to maintain safety standards within the facility.

Help keep Downstate open by joining us on Wednesday, August 8 for a rally to keep SUNY Downstate open and signing a petition to Governor Cuomo!

On Sunday, the Albany Times Union published an article (which is only available in the print version of the paper) about how:

For more than a year, top official in the New York State Department of Health refused to acknowledge or share the recommendations of a patient-safety advisory committee …. internal agengey records obtained by the Time Union raise questions about whether state official declined to act on a 2011 report that was submitted in December 2010 by a consortium of physicists and pharmacists who, for more than a decade, have made recommendations for improving patient safety.

Hiding patient safety issues while cutting back on medical staff in underserved areas may be a clever political solution – but it’s a recipe for a public health disaster.

Join us at 11am Wednesday, August 8 for a rally to keep SUNY Downstate open!

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that:

across the country, fewer than half of primary care clinicians were accepting new Medicaid patients as of 2008, making it hard for the poor to find care even when they are eligible for Medicaid. The expansion of Medicaid accounts for more than one-third of the overall growth in coverage in President Obama’s health care law.

Providers say they are bracing for the surge of the newly insured into an already strained system.

The solution? More doctors in underserved areas:

More doctors might be part of the answer …. The U.C. Riverside medical school is hoping to enroll its first students in August 2013, and is planning a number of policies to encourage its graduates to stay in the area and practice primary care.

Obviously downsizing in underserved areas, laying off medical workers who may then leave the area in search of new employment is not the solution.

Join us at 11am Wednesday, August 8 for a rally to keep SUNY Downstate open!

On Thursday June 7, Downstate President Dr. John C. LaRosa announced “that Downstate must take steps to reshape and transform its enterprises to achieve financial strength,” in an email sent to all faculty and staff.

Noting that “Downstate’s personnel costs comprise 75% of our expenses,” he referred to the need to “act prudently and preserve as many jobs as possible.”

The Downstate community – neighborhood residents, staff and faculty – are gravely concerned about the impact these staff reductions will have on healthcare services in Central Brooklyn.

Join us in the fight to save quality healthcare by joining us at our rally on Thursday, June 28 at the Downstate Medical Center at 470 Clarkson Avenue from 11:30am to 1:30 pm.

June 28 Rally flyer [PDF]