My name is Lou Berry. I’ve worked in housekeeping at UPMC Montefiore for nine years. Working at UPMC—a multi- billion dollar institution — means that I can’t reach for the American Dream.  That’s why for the past three years, I’ve been fighting for union rights at UPMC. Some people don’t totally understand the fear that has been grown inside the hospitals. They know that multiple people were fired and they know that they we won in court. But for a lot of the people who I work with, who already are living paycheck to paycheck, you fear that if you lose your job at UPMC, you will basically be blacklisted from any healthcare job in Pittsburgh.
I don’t think it’s only workers who are sometimes scared by giants like UPMC. I know that if workers and elected officials and community members here in Pittsburgh move past our fears and do what’s right, we will rebuild these jobs.