In the early months of the pandemic, health care workers were lauded as heroes, especially those who worked with the most vulnerable – the elderly and people who couldn’t take care of themselves. From March to September 2020, nursing home residents made up 40% of COVID-19 deaths. Nursing home residents are at high risk because of their age, higher rates of pre-existing illness, and the close quarters they live in. However, a study published in the journal Health Affairs found that nursing homes in New York State where the workers belonged to a union experienced a 30% lower mortality rate, compared to facilities in the state where the workers were not unionized.

So why the difference? In this episode, journalist Kortni Smyers-Jones speaks with study co-author Adam Dean of George Washington University, healthcare workers, and union leadership to get answers.

South Coast Working is a project of the UMass Dartmouth Arnold M. Dubin Labor Education Center. Learn more at umass.edu/labored.

Voices heard in this episode:

Adam Dean, Assistant Professor of Political Science, George Washington University

Terri Jarry, UMass Dartmouth intern and surgical technician at Rhode Island Hospital

Herbert Jean Baptiste, Vice President, SEIU 1199

Contributors to this episode:

Host/Producer: Kortni Smyers-Jones, independent journalist

Executive Producer: Kim Wilson, Director, UMass Dartmouth Arnold M. Dubin Labor Education Center