Turquesa Metts loves her job as a medical assistant, taking care of the unhoused people in the nation’s capital.
But the pay was low and she knew organizing was the best way for her and her co-workers to have a voice on the job.
Metts and her fellow employees at Unity Health Care overcame management’s scare tactics and fears of retaliation and voted overwhelmingly in favor of their union.
Now the members of Metropolitan District NUHHCE 1199 DC are starting to see improvements at work.
“When we did the initial vote, it was almost unanimous. Everybody minus two people voted yes, that they wanted a union. That’s when I started seeing things start to change. Everyone feels like they have a voice now. This has definitely been an amazing thing for Unity staff,” Metts said. “I think Unity realized we’re all working together as one … but we just wanted to be respected as well.”
