PressWith Over 750,000 Jobs Lost To Date This Year, Latest Jobs Report Fuels Economic Anxiety, Desire For Change
Washington, D.C.--As
today's latest jobs report showing nine straight months of job loss
hits the headlines, SEIU members knocking on doors and making calls
across the country report growing frustration and fear from voters
about an economy that shows no signs of improving.
"I
meet families who are losing their jobs, they're losing their
homes--some of them have been out of work for months," said Philadelphia
janitor and SEIU member Audra Traynham. "I've never seen so much fear
out there."
"People understand how important this election is. We can't afford more of the same," added Traynham.
Traynham
is taking time off work to make sure that everyone in her community is
registered to vote and turns out for Barack Obama on Election Day.
"Working
families know we didn't get here by accident," said SEIU
Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "And we're not going to solve this
economic crisis until we have a president who understands that we need
to put working families ahead of the big corporations on Wall Street.
On November 4th, we begin the long road back to recovery by electing Barack Obama and a pro-working majority in Congress."
Just
yesterday, with the national unemployment rate at a seven-year high,
Senate Republicans blocked efforts to extend unemployment insurance.
In less than three months, over one million jobless workers will
exhaust their unemployment benefits - benefits which are helping many
families put food on the table, gas in the car, and keep up with
mortgage payments to prevent foreclosures.
SEIU
members are committing record amounts of time, money, and energy this
election to educate voters about John McCain's anti-worker agenda and
elect Barack Obama and a pro-worker majority in Congress. More than
1,000 members are taking time off to work on the election, and 100,000
nurses, child care providers, janitors, and other workers are
volunteering after work and on weekends. SEIU members have committed to
spending $85 million on election efforts.
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