Brian Ler on WNYC, the country's largest health care union, 1199 SEIU, is in the middle of an internal

fight that could shape not only the future of its members, but also its role in national labor politics.

Maya Kaufman's recent Politico story lays out the stakes.

The first contested leadership election at 1199 SCIU in decades,

and I know we have 1199 members in our audience,

and we're going to open up the phones for you in a minute.

But how the union should adapt in a second Trump presidency is one of the issues.

This is happening as organized labor is trying to flex its muscles across industries,

from the Teamsters' recent moves to high-profile strikes in Hollywood that you know about and beyond. Maybe you saw the

news from Philadelphia just today that for the first time an Amazon subsidiary, Whole Foods,

has a successful unionization process that has culminated at Philadelphia Whole Foods.

So what does this mean for 1199's members, this leadership battle, hundreds of thousands of

health care workers, and for the labor movement at large, Maya Kaufman, health care reporter

for Politico, New York, does join us now to explain.

Hey, Maya, welcome back to WNYC. Do we have Maya? Hello. I think we can hear you. Ah, now we got you. Can you hear me, Maya? I can hear you. Can you hear me? Now I can hear you. Sorry about that. And listeners, we want to hear from you. You can help Maya Kaufman from Politico report this story. Are you a member of 1199? What are your thoughts on your union's leadership, battle, and direction?

How do internal union dynamics impact your work and your representation, as well as what other

larger implications for the country you think are at stake here?

212-433. WNICC, we're opening up the phones for

1199 members who work in health care. 212-433-9-692 call or text. And my, for listeners,

unfamiliar with 1199, what makes this union so important in health care and general labor politics?

Sure.

1199 is truly a force to be reckoned with, both in health care and in politics and labor.

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