In May I found myself traveling quite a bit. I represent our membership on SEIU’s International Executive Board and also on the SEIU Quality Advisory Committee, which is a network of mostly public sector locals working hard to raise the standards in public healthcare delivery.

Why are quality standards so important? Simply put, once the Affordable Care Act is full implemented next year, our members who work in healthcare—about 25,000 total, more than a quarter of our membership—will find themselves going toe to toe with private-sector healthcare workers.

Now I know for certain that each of our members is as dedicated to providing quality healthcare to patients as any private sector worker. But healthcare reform means more than just providing the best care. It also means changing the mission of public healthcare organizations like Ventura County Medical Center and LAC+USC Medical Center. In the past, we’ve provided excellent care largely to the uninsured. But starting in 2014, while we’re still going to have to maintain the healthcare safety net, we’re also going to have to attract and retain paying customers in order to remain sustainable. These new customers will be those who finally have insurance, thanks to the ACA.

Of course, the responsibility for redefining our mission doesn’t rest only with our members. We also need adequate state funding for healthcare delivered at the County level. Governor Brown has proposed cutting $300 million of that funding, which we strongly oppose. Over the last month, thousands of SEIU 721 members have not only traveled to Sacramento to urge the Governor not to implement those cuts in his budget, but have also participated in activities to send a strong message to restore all monies back to L.A. County.

Once we’re funded, we also need to market ourselves to the public and upgrade our electronic records systems, so we’re operating in state of-the-art facilities.

As I told the people I met while on the road last month, these are the biggest challenges our members face at this time. For them and for our communities, we must do everything we can to implement the ACA successfully

In Solidarity,
Bob Schoonover
SEIU 721 President and LA City
Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic