Statement by Sal Rosselli National Union of Healthcare Workers President on the Death of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
The following statement on the passing of U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein is from Sal Rosselli, a long-time friend of the senator, a San Francisco resident, and the president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), which represents 17,000 caregivers in California.
Dianne Feinstein will be remembered not only as a towering figure in the United States Senate, but as a courageous and trailblazing mayor of San Francisco who acted with grace and compassion during the worst years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. As president of San Francisco’s largest LGBTQ+ political club during several years of her tenure, I witnessed her fierce determination to address the crisis at a time when the President of the United States still refused to even acknowledge it. Dianne Feinstein was blunt; she was bold; and she backed the LGBTQ community during our darkest hour. Her response to the crisis helped healthcare workers better understand the nature of the virus and their duty to serve those suffering from it.
The healthcare unions I’ve led endorsed Senator Feinstein for decades because our members understood that the same traits that made her such a good leader for San Francisco during the AIDS Crisis also made her an incredibly effective senator.
California has lost a true icon today, and on behalf of all NUHW members, I offer my condolences to the senator’s family.