From the Miami Herald:

Ninety-seven percent of the 16,000 nurses and other healthcare workers of SEIU Healthcare Florida have voted to merge with the 350,000 members of Local 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the union announced. Local 1199 represents healthcare workers throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

“The voices of Florida’s healthcare workers to advocate for their patients and professions just grew 30 times more powerful,” said Monica Russo, president of the Florida union.  The merger goes into effect July 1. It does not effect the SEIU local for Jackson Health System employees.

To Ms. Russo’s point, she may feel 30 times more powerful, but I am pretty sure that their voices are now 30 times more diluted. They are a drop in the very large bucket known as the SEIU.

Image courtesy of J. Weissmahr.