United Workers

04/28/2026

Last month I was diagnosed with stage 1 lymphoma in my brain. Despite having a job with health benefits and accumulated sick leave, the healthcare system continually places hurdles in front of the care I need.

When I first had some nerve symptoms months ago, I was able to get a referral to a neurologist but couldn’t schedule an appointment for months. That appointment is still two months away. When my symptoms were getting worse, a short-notice visit to my primary doctor was impossible, so I went to a local urgent care center. They diagnosed me with a sinus infection. They didn’t have the capacity to run the scans needed to find the cancer, and they charge more than a visit to my primary. Less services, higher cost.

I need physical therapy, and while my doctors directed it, the insurance company took so long for prior authorization that I was discharged from the hospital before receiving it and referred to a separate agency. It’s been a month and I still haven’t received physical therapy.

Despite having insurance, I receive regular bills. Individually they may not be large amounts, but they add up. Almost daily I receive Explanation of Benefits packets from the insurance company, with “THIS IS NOT A BILL” prominently displayed. Most of the information is inscrutable, but it’s clear that SOMEONE is getting a bill and SOMEONE is getting paid.

I know the insurance company isn’t in business to lose money, and that thousands and thousands of claims are denied every year. In order for UnitedHealth to pay for my care and still make a profit, they must be denying other people needed care.

Supposedly, this system is ‘working’ for me. But the injustice and inhumanity is clear. The insurance companies provide nothing but hurdles and rations to care. We need now.
- Lesley, New York

04/24/2026

04/15/2026

Leaders from the United Workers in Maryland and NVMA will be attending the DAG 1000 White Coats on the Hill action during Genocide Prevention Month.

Here, Ashley shares why she's going.

MLK Jr said “The bombs we drop overseas explode at home.” The fight for our basic rights unites survival struggles of the poor and dispossessed in the US with the survival struggles of those threatened by war, genocide, and sanctions abroad.

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/one-thousand-white-coats-on-the-hill-doctors-against-genocide

04/15/2026

Earlier today, Annette Blake, a leader from United Workers in Maryland and the NVMA attended the DAG 1000 White Coats on the Hill action during Genocide Prevention Month to speak out against the war on the poor both here and abroad.
She shared her healthcare story, “I became homeless trying to take care of my mother. She had three types of cancer.” Her mom couldn’t get Medicaid because her pension was $1 over the limit. SHAME!
MLK Jr said, “The bombs we drop overseas explode at home.” The same system denying care here is funding violence across the world.
The fight for our basic rights unites survival struggles of the poor and dispossessed in the US with the survival struggles of those threatened by war, genocide, and sanctions abroad.

04/13/2026

Today’s is from Melissa P, a United Workers’ member from Cumberland, MD. “ Therapy is Essential.”

04/06/2026

Today’s is from Kelley, a United Workers’ member from Westminster, MD. “50% of CF Patients Rely on Medicaid to Survive!”

04/05/2026

Today’s highlights Hope Garden’s Annual Spring Revival that took place yesterday 🌱✊🏽
Yesterday, members from Cumberland and Westminster traveled to Baltimore to show statewide solidarity, lending their hands and hearts as we prepare for the growing season. We were also grateful to have folks from Housing Our Neighbors and come through in support, reminding us what it looks like when we show up for one another.
The Hope Garden is one of United Workers’ oldest Projects of Survival, growing fresh food, creating a peaceful space to gather, and standing as a visible act of protest against the hypocrisy of a system that produces extreme need in the midst of extreme abundance.
As Nadiyah, a United Workers member and Hope Garden lead, said so powerfully:
“This is what unity of the poor looks like!… we must continue to unite our class by organizing, organizing, organizing!”
As we move through the seasons of Easter and Passover, we are reminded that our struggles and our survival are not new. These traditions teach us that even in the face of oppression, people come together to care for one another, to tell our stories, and to fight for liberation.
Our Projects of Survival carry that same spirit forward today. Inspired by the Black Panther Party, they meet immediate needs, but they also challenge the false narrative of scarcity Through collective care and storytelling, we are making the invisible visible, breaking isolation, and building the power needed to transform a system that denies us of our basic human needs.
This is more than survival. This is resistance. This is resurrection. This is revolution in motion

03/23/2026

This Saturday,join us in Westminster for our monthly Project of Survival Food Distribution from 11am-1pm.
We'll have fresh food and hygiene products, and also a chance to learn more about our work with United Workers and how we're building power together