A total of 275 employees at Mercy Philadelphia Hospital voted overwhelmingly recently to join the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE)/AFSCME District Council 1199C (Philadelphia).

The employees, including patient care assistants, cooks, transporters, mental health techs, anesthesia aides and others, will now be able to speak up together as a union for better services, conditions and procedures that benefit patients and hospital staff alike. 

The vote came amid unprecedented attacks in the Pennsylvania legislature and nationwide on working people and their right to organize together in a union. It’s further evidence that working people view unions as a vehicle to the middle class. 

“This is great news not only for our new members who will now have a stronger voice on the job to help Mercy Philadelphia Hospital deliver better patient care and services for everyone, but also for the surrounding community,” said District 1199C Pres. Henry Nicholas. “We know that communities where there are more union members show increased social and economic mobility for everyone, union members and non-union members alike.”