NUHW stewards attend virtual Leadership Conference
More than 200 NUHW stewards gathered Saturday, September 26, for NUHW’s first-ever all-virtual Leadership Conference.
While stewards participated from their homes, there were still many opportunities for them to sharpen their skills with optional continuing education courses on Friday and become better leaders through training sessions on Saturday.
The conference, which was themed, “The Fight of our Lives,” kicked off with addresses from Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, California State Senate President Toni Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. All three of the elected leaders praised NUHW members for their hard work during the pandemic, commitment to mental health parity and the fight to reform a healthcare system that still cares more about protecting windfall profits than protecting the health of its employees and patients.
NUHW President Sal Rosselli and Secretary-Treasurer Sophia Mendoza then delivered a State of the Union address that laid out our accomplishments over this very difficult year and the many challenges we will face over the next 12 months.
Following the State of the Union, stewards had the opportunity to pose questions to a roundtable of scholars and activists discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately impacting people of color and the racial disparities that exist in providing and accessing health care. The panelists delved into how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these disparities and how we — as healthcare workers and a health care union — can seize this moment to help build a more just healthcare system.
Stewards then had two workshop sessions where they could choose between several trainings geared toward making them better leaders in their workplaces. Classes included Bargaining a Better Deal: Turning the Tables on Healthcare and Race, and Labor: Let’s talk about it!.
At night, there was a social hour that included several activities, including yoga, dancing, and trivia. The conference was a success, but we’re still hoping that we can all meet in person again next year in Los Angeles.