This time last year, the union didn't mean much to Karen Weller. It was a few dollars off her pay cheque. It was the occasional newsletter or notice.
These days, she clings to that membership with all of her energy.
Weller, an east-end personal support worker, is in recovery. She's still reeling from a fatal head-on collision in New York State in February that killed one of her dearest friends and cost thousands in medical bills for her and her baby.
Her union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare, has stepped in to help. It's set up a trust fund to help pay for some of Weller's medical bills.
Now when Weller thinks of her union, she feels only gratitude.
"If it's even a dollar I receive, I'm grateful," said the Jamaican-born mother of four. "I've depleted all the funds that I have. I'm going into money I'm supposed to be using to take care of the baby.
"When (the union) called me, it was like a light."
Weller works part-time jobs at two Hamilton nursing homes — Grace Villa and Extendicare Hamilton — so she doesn't have health benefits. She used to pay for hospital insurance but cancelled it after years of not using it. She switched the coverage to life insurance instead.
Head-on crash killed her friend
Her nightmare began on Feb. 22. She packed her four-month-old son, Tajaye, into her friend Carol Dion's minivan and the two women set off for New York City. Dion had family there.
They were scheduled to leave Thursday and return Sunday. At about 1 a.m. on Friday, they were traveling down Interstate 87. They'd been on the road for about three and a half hours. Weller was driving.
Suddenly, another vehicle veered into Weller's lane. "Carol, that's a headlight," she told Dion. Those were the last words they would ever speak.
The vehicle smashed into theirs. Dion's minivan rolled several times, came to a stop and caught fire. Dion's head was bent, and "it was just like she was sleeping," Weller said. The collision threw Tajaye from the vehicle, and Weller could see him face down in his Dalmation-patterned snowsuit on the ground nearby. The driver of the other vehicle died in the crash.
Paramedics took Weller and her son to Albany Medical Centre, where Tajaye was treated for two broken legs, multiple skull fractures and near-fatal bleeding in the brain. The crash also broke Weller's foot, shattered her knee and injured her chest and back.
Thousands in medical bills
The nurses in Albany were outstanding, Weller said. Unfortunately, so were the bills.
Each night Tajaye stayed in the hospital, it cost about $10,000, Weller said. She's already gotten a bill for his first night in the emergency room. It's more than $9,000.
The ambulance cost thousands. Weller needed a cast for her broken foot but received a cheaper alternative because she didn't have insurance.
The expenses still mount. She requires physiotherapy, and Tajaye regularly visits McMaster Children's Hospital. Every trip requires cab fare.
SEIU Healthcare held an emergency meeting when it learned of Dion and Weller's collision, said Eulalee Robinson, a chief steward and member of the human rights committee. It's fundraising to help with Weller's medical costs. It also contributed to a fund to send Dion's remains back to her native Jamaica.
An injury to all
The notion of pulling together for a fellow member — even when it's outside of contracts and negotiations — is a union in its truest sense, Robinson said.
"An injury to one member is an injury to all," she said.
"We have to stand together in solidarity, and that's what a union is all about."
Members have heeded the call, Robinson said. The union posted news of the trust fund for Weller on its website, and members have come forward, particularly staff who work in nursing homes.
"It's made the SEIU members feel good to see their union doing something like this," she said.
'Changed my perspective'
For Weller, the struggle has just begun. She hobbles slowly around her home, unsure when she'll be able to return to her physically strenuous job where she lifts, turns and cares for other people. She's still on maternity leave with Tajaye and focusing on being mobile again.
Tajaye's progress is delayed because of the collision, Weller said. At six months, he's still on formula and only now able to sit up with help. And she misses her friend Carol Dion, a wife and mother who was "a godmother to everyone," Weller said. "She spread herself so thinly. She was there for everybody."
Weller is a union supporter now.
"You pay your small amount of union dues," she said. "Half the time you don't even see it disappear from your pay cheque."
The incident "has just refreshed whatever confidence I had that they are truly there for you when you need them," she said.
"In the past, I thought 'oh, it's union dues. It's something you do.' But this has changed my perspective."
About the fund
The public can donate to the fund by visiting any TD Bank, or by sending a cheque or giving online.
To donate in person at a TD Bank branch:
- Account name: Sarah Lee Marie Correia and Eulalee Robinson in trust of Karen (Panton) Weller Family
- Account #: 6335325
- Branch #: 1482
- Institution No: 004
- Transit No: 14822
By cheque:
- Made out to: Sarah Lee Marie Correia and Eulalee Robinson in trust of Karen (Panton) Weller Family
- Mailing address: SEIU Healthcare, 125 Mural Street, Richmond Hill, Ont., L4B 1M4
- Attn: Secretary/Treasurer
- Online: seiuhealthcare.ca
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