By MIKE LEE

Union leaders and reps met with members across the five boroughs this summer to share information and answer questions about the targeting of public services by the Trump administration and a tentative new health plan for city workers. The effort was aimed at educating members about the impact of the “Big Beautiful Bill” to their bottom line and informing them about the upcoming improvements to their health care.

Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP are expected to cause more than 1.2 million job losses nationwide, including nearly 115,000 jobs in New York. The cuts to Medicaid alone will have a devastating impact on low-income communities and the public workers who serve them. Many public and private sector members represented by DC 37 are already experiencing the fallout.

At the Harlem Hospital Town Hall, DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido spoke of the crisis.

“There is a lot in this budget bill that directly impacts us,” Garrido said. “The cuts to Head Start, Home Energy Assistance, and other programs will hurt services and cause layoffs for many of the workers providing them.”

Ebony McIntosh, a Patient Care Associate and member of Local 420 at Harlem Hospital, said the Town Hall was informative.

“We were given information addressing the security, stability, and safety of our jobs, considering what all is happening in the economy right now, especially in the health care industry,” she said.

There was also good news to share. The City and its unions reached a deal with EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare to improve health care for DC 37 members, active retirees, and their families. If approved, the plan will take effect Jan. 1.

“You won’t have to pay more out-of-pocket expenses,” Garrido said a the Staten Island town hall. “From now on, members won’t have to navigate between different parts of the system. Unlike the previous plan, this will provide you with one single card for prescriptions and all your providers, including primary care, hospital, and mental health. This plan is centralized, saving us time to access care.”

Rose M. Ortiz, a Local 372 School Lunch Helper, said she believes the union has its members’ backs.

“I like how the information was broken down in a way to understand so it’s not all sugarcoating regarding federal laws and how policy and procedures are,” Ortiz said. “We are with people who listen and care when you think no one does.”