Governor Hochul: "All you're asking for in return is not to be called somebody's hero but all you're saying is, 'just give me a little respect'... And 'respect' means we're going to pay you what you deserve and get a contract right now. It's that simple."
Hochul: "So let's get it done. Because at the time of the greatest need you did not abandon our fathers and our mothers and our grandparents. You did not abandon them and therefore your governor will never abandon you. That is my commitment."
Earlier this evening, Governor Kathy Hochul joined the health care workers at the 1199SEIU "Together We Stand" march and rally.
VIDEO of the Governor's remarks is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO is available here.
PHOTOS will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
1199, let me hear you roar! That's a beautiful sight. But you know what else I'm looking at right now, my friends? I'm looking at God's angels here on Earth. You are the ones who every single day, when people talked about the dangers of the pandemic from their basements in their pajamas, while they Zoomed in to work, you suited up and you went into the line of battle. You went into the fire. And at a time when it was dangerous and a lot of unknowns, when you were surrounded by death and misery, you still showed up every single day, and that is extraordinary.
And all you're asking for in return is not to be called somebody's hero but all you're saying is, "just give me a little respect." Aretha Franklin would want you to have some "respect," right? A little respect. And "respect" means we're going to pay you what you deserve and get a contract right now. It's that simple. It is that simple.
So let's get it done. Because at the time of the greatest need you did not abandon our fathers and our mothers and our grandparents. You did not abandon them and therefore your governor will never abandon you. That is my commitment. Let's get this contract. Let's get the wages you deserve. Let's get the benefits you deserve. Let's get you the security. And let's get it done now.