MEDIA CONTACTS:
Nat Bender, Communications Director
American Federation of Teachers NJ
(908) 377-0393
Cliff Freid, New Jersey Area Director
Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU
(917) 687-2635
Newark groups rally for continuation of healthcare and community services
Community, labor and faith groups are rallying to demand a voice in any changes to healthcare and education services in Newark. “These critical discussions regarding UMDNJ and University Hospital will affect those who live and work in Newark for years and generations to come,” said Rahaman Muhammad, president of the SEIU New Jersey State Council and head of Newark-based SEIU Local 617.
The SEIU New Jersey State Council represents 40,000 service workers in the private and public sectors around the state. “It is imperative that all voices are clearly and respectfully heard,” said Muhammad. “We join the Newark community in seeking that University Hospital’s mission and its services be protected and improved, that the Newark agreements be honored, and that decisions that impact the neediest among us not be made in an irrational manner for political expediency or other senseless reasons.”
The Higher Education and Healthcare Coalition of labor unions agree that the historic Newark Accords, which guarantee the presence of a healthcare provider and major medical school in the city, must be upheld and that University Hospital and UMDNJ’s vital services are preserved, according to Alex Bernstein, Executive Director of the American Association of University Professors at the University of Medicine and Dentistry.
“The coalition hopes the legislature understands the importance of funding University Hospital’s social mission of caring for the under and uninsured,” said Bernstein. “Legislation must incorporate appropriate safeguards that insure outside private third parties will not make decisions not in the best interests of Newark-based schools medical, research, and educational missions.”
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