Last week, IAM Healthcare, along with the AFL-CIO and a coalition of labor and community allies, hosted a virtual rally for safe staffing standards to encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish strong staffing standards for nursing homes in the United States.

Missy Zirups, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and member of IAM Local W33 (District 5) in International Falls, MN, spoke out about her first-hand experience in nursing homes. Zirups, who also serves as an IAM Union Steward, highlighted the necessity of establishing staffing levels for safe resident care.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) successfully filed a representation petition at the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) in Columbus, Ohio, for 980 Patient Care Associates (PCAs) and Psychiatric Care Technicians (PCTs) at the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

“The extreme violence, harassment, and fear that healthcare professionals face just to go to work and care for their patients is unacceptable,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “IAM Healthcare members support this critical legislation, not only for their own safety but for the millions of Americans whose quality of care is impacted because healthcare corporations fail to implement effective violence prevention measures.”