Honoring CWA Healthcare Heroes

CWA healthcare workers have spent the past two years fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Western New York, 2,000 of our members even went on strike last year to fight for better staffing and resources to protect their patients and themselves.

On Wednesday, CWA District 1 unveiled an inspiring new project put together in collaboration with Buffalo-based artists Brendan Bannon and Ariel Aberg-Riger highlighting the heroic efforts by our healthcare workers – check it out at buffalocovidheroes.com.

“I hope New Yorkers, and everyone from across the nation, will listen to the voices of these healthcare workers,” said Dennis Trainor, CWA District 1 Vice President. “Their incredible determination and sacrifice have saved lives and kept our healthcare system afloat during an unprecedented global pandemic. Yet our hospitals are still in crisis as this pandemic continues to rage on, and we must remain steadfast in our support of these heroes as they selflessly fight for our health and safety.”

The project includes dozens of Mercy Hospital workers, from environmental services and dietary workers to lab technicians and registered nurses.

“I am a caregiver. My biggest fear during this pandemic was knowing it could come from anywhere,” said Jamie Banks, CWA Local 1133 Executive Board Member and a CT Technologist at Mercy Hospital. “The chance of possibly hurting my husband, my kids or my family, not to mention anyone else is an awful burden to carry each day you report to work.”