Eduardo Santiago

Presbyterian Hospital pharmacy tech Eduardo Santiago comes from a long tradition of skilled 1199 Delegates at the giant northern Manhattan institution. He is one of many Delegates working hard to meet the Union’s goal of mobilizing 1,500 members from Presby to the March 15 demonstration to protest Governor Elliot Spitzer’s proposed Medicaid cuts.

“I’m from the old school,” Eduardo says. “Delegates are the spinal cord of an institution. When they are activated, they move the entire membership body.”

Eduardo has been at Presby for 20 years, and he’s been a Delegate for three months less than that. “EVP Steve Kramer, who was my Organizer at the time, warned me to take it easy during my probation period. One day after probation ended, I became a Delegate.”

Soon after, Eduardo helped defeat management’s attempt to lay off 300 members.   He was among the Delegates who organized more than half of the members in a militant march outside the institution.

“At the beginning of each campaign, we Delegates meet to determine everyone’s responsibility,” he says. “When you have a strong Delegate structure, much of your work is already done. Each Delegate takes care of their department, but depending on the situation, other Delegates can pitch in and help in areas outside their jurisdiction.”

Eduardo says that the March 15 mobilization should be easier than some others because the Union has the full support of the Greater New York Hospital Association and management at the affected institutions.

“In addition to meetings in each department, we will set up tables in each of the buildings to help educate members, management and families of the patients about the cuts,” Eduardo says. “Presbyterian is a very large institution with thousands of workers, but we can prevail if we organize at the base.”