CWA D1 Healthcare Workers

CWA D1 Healthcare Workers CWA District 1 represents approximately 15,000 healthcare workers in New York State.

As we close out National Nurses Week, CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor recognizes the dedication, compassion...
05/13/2026

As we close out National Nurses Week, CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor recognizes the dedication, compassion, and strength that CWA nurses bring to the job every single day.

"Today, and every day, thank you for everything you do. CWA is stronger because of you, and I am proud to stand alongside you in this fight."

“My mom worked her whole life as a nurse and gave up everything she could so I could have opportunities she never had. W...
05/12/2026

“My mom worked her whole life as a nurse and gave up everything she could so I could have opportunities she never had. When she had a serious fall in her 70s, the systems she depended on started disappearing around her. The clinic helping her recover was shut down, not because people didn’t need it, but because healthcare decisions are too often made based on budgets and bottom lines instead of what communities actually need. After decades spent caring for patients herself, she suddenly found herself fighting just to access the care she needed to recover. I was lucky– I had a union behind me. We fought back alongside patients and our community, pushed the Department of Health to pay attention, and won more transparency and accountability than we would have if we stayed quiet. That’s why I do this work”

Sarah Buckley, RN of 20 years
CWA Local 1168

Outside of work, Sarah loves to walk in creeks and jump on trampolines with her children.
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This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our healthcare facilities.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

“People talk about burnout like it’s just being tired, but it’s heavier than that. We have to make decisions on the spot...
05/11/2026

“People talk about burnout like it’s just being tired, but it’s heavier than that. We have to make decisions on the spot, and the weight of those decisions stays with you long after the shift ends. We are the true frontline of the healthcare system. It all goes through us. And when it does, not only do we have to be responsible for the safety of our patients, but we also have to protect our own licenses– every decision we make may have to be defended in a court of law, so that’s always in the back of our minds. It’s unrelenting, and it weighs on you. That’s why staffing, enough time off, and resources to protect new nurses matters so much.”

Vanessa Quinn, RN of 41 years
CWA Local 1133
Clinical Staffing Committee Co-Chair

Outside of the hospital, Vanessa loves to read, go for walks, and spend time with her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
__________________________________________

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our healthcare facilities.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

“As a telemetry nurse, I was on the front lines alongside so many other healthcare workers. I experienced the pressures,...
05/10/2026

“As a telemetry nurse, I was on the front lines alongside so many other healthcare workers. I experienced the pressures, challenges, and realities of patient care first hand. Stepping away from the bedside didn’t mean that I left nursing behind. I’m taking that experience and using it to fight for the nurses and healthcare workers still there every day. Having leaders who have worked at the bedside matters. The experience brings an understanding to the bargaining table that can’t be taught. I’m fighting for many of the same issues I once fought for myself.”

Sammie Schopf, RN of 8 years and CWA Staff Representative

When she’s not at the bargaining table, Sammie loves spending time with her pets and children.

__________________________________________

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our union.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

“Burnout is not fixed by pizza, slogans, or calling nurses heroes. Nurses do not need to be called heroes while being st...
05/09/2026

“Burnout is not fixed by pizza, slogans, or calling nurses heroes. Nurses do not need to be called heroes while being staffed like afterthoughts. We need safe staffing, real support, and systems that match the reality of the work. More nurses are refusing to stay silent. For a long time, nurses were expected to just absorb unsafe conditions and keep going. Now, more frontline nurses are speaking up about staffing, burnout, workplace violence, patient safety, and the real conditions inside hospitals. Healthcare can be better, but it will not become better by accident. It will improve when the people closest to the patients have a real voice in the decisions. That is what gives me hope.”

Tim Smeja, ED RN of 8 years
CWA Local 1104

Outside of work, Tim may be skydiving, relaxing at a spa, or finding his next favorite rollercoaster. However, his perfect day involves watching movies while being cuddled up with his two dachshunds, Chip and Cooper.
__________________________________________

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our healthcare facilities.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

“Med-surg requires so much prioritizing because your day is never the same as before, even if you have the same patients...
05/08/2026

“Med-surg requires so much prioritizing because your day is never the same as before, even if you have the same patients. There’s always a chance we’re the first one to catch a change in a patient, or we hold a family member's hand during a time of need. During the shift when it gets busy I still try to give each of my patients the time they deserve. Whether that be listening to a story or letting a patient learn more about my life. Then I am not just a nurse, I am a person in their eyes.”

Jena Mattina-Chmiel, RN of 4 years
CWA Local 1168

Outside of the hospital, you can find Jena at Sabres or Bills games or with her one-eyed toothless cat, Moody. “One eye, no teeth, huge dreams”
__________________________________________

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our healthcare facilities.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

“As a home care nurse, I care for patients where they’re most comfortable — in their homes. Being part of a union has sh...
05/07/2026

“As a home care nurse, I care for patients where they’re most comfortable — in their homes. Being part of a union has shown me how connected patient care and worker advocacy really are. I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, our patients, and our communities to help facilitate the change that is always needed in healthcare. When I lobby in Albany, I talk to legislators about what healthcare looks like outside hospital walls. Home care keeps patients healthier, prevents hospital readmissions, and allows people to heal with dignity at home.”

Tori Henley, LPN of 6 years
CWA Local 1122

When she’s not caring for her patients, Tori loves caring for rescue kitties and spending time with her daughter and son.
__________________________________________

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our healthcare facilities.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our health...
05/06/2026

This Nurses Week, we recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication, skill, and heart of CWA nurses across our healthcare facilities.

Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a CWA nurse whose story highlights the compassion and resilience that define our union and the care they provide to our communities.

“In the last few years we’ve stepped into the role of Clinical Staffing Committee Directors for our hospital in Buffalo. It’s opened our eyes to the reality of what goes on behind closed doors and it’s mind boggling how much pushback we receive from upper management when we try to improve staffing. We’ve realized the system is broken– the way it’s designed means that there is a price tag on a patient's life. But through our work we’ve been able to address staffing issues like units being short, needing more agency staff, improving our ratios, getting positions posted, scheduling problems– just to name a few, We didn’t have that option before we started working as Directors. There’s a new generation stepping into the healthcare system and into politics and we know that things can change for the better.”

Jen Williams, RN of 18 years
Shelby Marmor, RN of 9 years
CWA Local 1133
Clinical Staffing Committee Co-Chairs

When they’re not fighting for their patients and coworkers, you can find Jen and Shelby at Buffalo Bill’s games as season ticket holders– GO BILLS!

05/02/2026

On this May Day, Sarah Buckley, RN and CWA Local 1168 Legislative & Political Director, tells the story of her mom and the fight to keep her therapy clinic open in the face of budget cuts.

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821 Elk Street, Suite B
Buffalo, NY
14210

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