A few days of social media mayhem ensued, with pro-Sanders critics accusing Local 226 — which represents roughly 60,000 hospitality workers, mostly women and people of color — of sowing division with a reactionary stance on the left-most health care reform proposal in Washington. Then came another twist: On caucus day, many union members broke with their leaders and voted for the candidate who would supposedly end their union health plans.

On Monday afternoon, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, Ambassador Deborah Birx, members of Congress, and other key officials in the administration, demanding a quick and meaningful response to the outbreak of novel coronavirus across the nation. National Nurses United, which represents more than 150,000 registered nurses across the country, called on the federal government to ensure that all health care workers receive the highest level of protection, and to act immediately to pass an emergency spending package to fully fund the response to the outbreak.