"We are lucky to have health care that does not discriminate on income - public health care matters" - Leona, Phlebotomist at Canadian Blood Services.

As a Phlebotomist, Leona’s duties vary by the day. Often, she looks after donors as they donate their life-saving blood; Leona also ships units of blood and checks hemoglobin regularly.

Leona is particularly fond of her ability to meet her fellow SEIU-West members as they arrive to donate blood – she values the shared priority and concern for quality care amongst her brothers and sisters.

An outstanding memory that she has over her many years of working and achieving fairness as an SEIU-West member, is centered around an educational. SEIU was holding their International Convention in Pittsburgh roughly 20 years ago and she got to hear Hilary Clinton, Al Gore and the Reverend Jessie Jackson speak. The Convention was mainly comprised of Americans – this made Leona appreciate how valuable our public health care system is, here in Canada. She is proud that she can provide such a treasured service for all Canadians.