Healthcare Workers Sound the Alarm on Funding Cuts to Critical Research

Over the past week, healthcare workers and allies have held rallies in Atlanta, Ga., and Washington, D.C., calling for an end to funding cuts for critical healthcare infrastructure. CWA’s Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook and CWA staff helped coordinate both protests.

In Atlanta, members of United Campus Workers-CWA, Cook, elected officials, allies, and campus researchers rallied to protest funding disruptions initiated by the Trump administration. Funding cuts and freezes led to layoffs that have interrupted or halted lifesaving research on cancer, viral pandemics, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and more.

Organizers delivered letters to the offices of Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock detailing their concerns and calling for an end to funding freezes.

In Washington, D.C., standing alongside a coalition of union members, Cook continued the rallying cry. “The Trump administration and the unelected, extremist billionaire Elon Musk,” said Cook, “have perpetrated illegal, immoral, unethical, and unacceptable attacks on our members, workers across this country, and on millions of people who depend on us for delivering healthcare, conducting critical research into urgent problems, and the services that we provide every single day, in every single state, in every single congressional district in this country.”

Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton, AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson, and AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson also took part in the D.C. protest.

Click here to watch the Washington, D.C., rally.

 
CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook (center in red) led AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson (in blue), AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson (left), and allied union members and leaders in Washington, D.C., in a protest against cuts to federal funding of healthcare research.

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CWA Telecommunications and Technologies (T&T) Vice President Lisa Bolton rallied with CWA members and allies in Washington, D.C., to support healthcare researchers. Pictured left to right: T&T Assistant to the Vice President Tony Shaffer, T&T Secretary III Wendy Connolly, Legislative and Political Senior Campaign Lead Charlie Ramos, Bolton, and Human Rights Senior Campaign Lead Joseph McCue.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.