LEOMINSTER — Senator Ed Markey attended a stand out in support of the nurses of the UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Clinton Hospital – Leominster Campus yesterday, who are in the middle of protracted contract negotiations with hospital administration. The Senator spoke about the importance of union advocacy, which will achieve the goal of the nurses to provide quality care to their patients and will enable medical professionals to do their jobs safely.

“Health care should be about the patients and those professionals that care for them. I admire your commitment to making your voices heard. You have stood out, spoken out, and demanded a change,” Senator Markey said. “My father was a union leader. He taught us that we cannot ask for our rights, we must take them. And that is exactly what you all are doing here today. I am listening, I am with you, and I will continue to stand with you in your fight.”

Throughout his Congressional career, Ed Markey has been fighting to level the playing field for working families, protect workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain, invest in infrastructure, improve workplace safety, and maintain project labor agreements. In the Senate, Ed has consistently backed legislation to grow the middle class, raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, stop wage theft, provide equal pay for equal work, deliver earned sick time for workers, and protect hard-earned pensions.

Senator Ed Markey has been endorsed by Local 26 UNITE Here, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), SEIU 888, SEIU 32BJ, Communications Workers of America 1400 (CWA), Association of Flight Attendance (AFA), and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

The nurses of the UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Clinton Hospital – Leominster Campus have held a candlelight vigil and have also been holding community stand outs at busy intersections in Leominster and Fitchburg. They also have a petition they are gathering signatures for to be delivered to the hospital administrators.

Senator Markey has served in the United States Senate for the last six years and is widely regarded as the leading member of Congress on environmental issues. He has also led legislation to protect consumers and address the opioid epidemic, internet privacy concerns, and net neutrality.

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