Rally part of national campaign to restore middle class, fix broken health care system
As a part of a nationwide campaign to restore the American middle class, more than 400 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) gathered yesterday at the University of Colorado-Aurora campus for a march to highlight the need for health care reform and legislation that will protect workers' rights to have a voice on the job. Participants also marched to support janitors fired from Carnation Building Services (a nonunion Aurora janitorial contractor) for participating in organizing drives and seeking union membership.
Leading the march was SEIU President Andy Stern. "We want change that works. That's why we're here today," Stern told the The Denver Post.
Speakers at the rally called for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers like those at Carnation to gain a voice at work without fear of intimidation or retaliation by their employers. According to a report by American Rights at Work, 51 percent of employers threaten to close down a work site when employees try to join together to form a union and an additional 30 percent unlawfully fire workers who support forming a union.
"My coworkers and I know that uniting our voices and winning a union is our best shot at providing a better life for our families," said Emma Cerna, a janitor who worked at the Denver International Airport with Carnation Building Services. "Unfortunately, Carnation is attempting to block our efforts at every turn." After standing up with her coworkers for a voice on the job, Ms. Cerna found her workload increased four-fold, forcing her to leave her job.
"In America today, people are working harder than ever yet finding that a secure and stable middle class life is falling further and further out of reach," said Mitch Ackerman, President of SEIU Colorado. "We need the Employee Free Choice Act now to ensure that workers, not just CEOs, can have the chance for a better life."
Yesterday's march and rally are a local part of a national, state-by-state effort by SEIU's Change That Works campaign to help President-elect Obama enact change that builds a secure economic future for families, supports good-paying jobs and allows access to quality, affordable health care for all. Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act--legislation supported by President-elect Obama during the Campaign--is critical to reversing the growing gap between the rich and poor and building a fairer, stronger economy for America's future.
Following today's rally, thousands of SEIU members nationwide will hold similar rallies, make phone calls, and hold meetings with community and elected leaders to advocate for Change that Works--change that builds an economy and a health care system that works for everyone, not just those at the top.
