UEREF will always stand with me and my fellow workers in our fight for good wages and safe working conditions. Can we count on you to stand with us, too?
Hi John,
My name is Charles Owens. I’m a lead healthcare technician at Cherry Hospital, a state-run psychiatric facility in Goldsboro, NC. I’m also Vice President of the Cherry chapter of UE Local 150, the North Carolina Public Service Workers’ Union.
I’ve always been a natural leader. I like to get involved and help out others who need it. That’s why I got active with UEREF’s Southern Worker Justice Campaign. I know UEREF will always stand with me and my fellow workers in our fight for good wages and safe working conditions. Can we count on you to stand with us, too?
I’m a political guy, but before I joined the Southern Worker Justice Campaign, I didn’t really know how local government works. I knew I was underpaid and my hospital was understaffed. But I didn’t think there was much I could do about it. When I got active with SWJC, I learned that ordinary workers like me can make our voices heard. We started out with a letter writing campaign, then met with our representatives. Finally after almost two years, in November 2024 the legislature passed a bill increasing nurses’ pay and did the same for healthcare techs soon after. I can’t tell you how powerful I felt! Now we need to keep fighting to win safe staffing levels.
John, the work we do here at Cherry Hospital is not easy. We care for folks who are mentally ill. Some are vulnerable. Others are dangerous. Many have been charged with violent crimes but are unfit to stand trial. They don’t belong in prison, and I’m glad they’re in our care. But the reality is that we don’t have the safety protocols in place that a prison does. When a patient gets abusive, I have to rely on my wits and hope another tech is nearby. But we’re chronically short-staffed, because people see the low pay and poor conditions and think, “It’s not worth it.” This isn’t just an institutional problem. If our staff keeps shrinking, we’ll have to close facilities and put patients back on the street, endangering public safety. As healthcare techs, we’re on the frontline of a national mental health crisis. We’re building our skills and leadership to demand what we need to hold that line, and Southern Worker Justice Campaign is building with us.
I can’t believe how much I didn't know before I joined the union. I didn’t know that state and municipal workers could fight together. I didn’t know we could make change by taking collective action. And like a lot of folks, I was afraid of retaliation. Now when I talk to folks about joining us, I tell them, “One person can be ignored. A couple can be dismissed. But you cannot dismiss 1,000 people. When we stand together, we can work miracles.”
John, the Constitution says, “We the people,” not “me, myself, and I.” With the help of SWJC, public sector workers across North Carolina are standing up for justice for all of us. With more resources, we could bring so many more workers into our movement. Will you invest in demanding that our state takes care of the people who take care of North Carolina?
Vice President, Cherry Hospital Chapter, UE Local 150
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