Hundreds of Workers Head to Washington Monday to Press Lawmakers, Lobbyists and CEOs on Need for Workers' Voices in Rebuilding Economy

Next week, 350 SEIU members from across the country will come to Washington, DC to tell lawmakers, lobbyists, and corporate CEOs to stand with them and take immediate steps to create an economy that works for everyone--not just those at the top.

Corporate CEOs and lobbyists are spending millions of dollars to stop President Obama from creating the change we voted for in November. Even worse, they are using our tax dollars to oppose laws that will help working families. They want to continue down the same failed economic path of the past eight years--lower wages, higher healthcare costs, and an uncertain future for our families.

On Monday, workers, religious leaders, and community allies will join SEIU member lobbyists for a 3 p.m. rally on the northwest corner of Lafayette Park to tell corporate CEOs to stop standing in the way of an economy that works for everyone. On Tuesday, workers will sit down with their Senators and Members of Congress to share their stories about being fired, intimidated, and harassed by their employers for trying to form a union and discuss the importance of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Workers will also visit the offices of eight major corporate industry associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to ask for a meeting with the groups' top officers and call on them to stop spending millions of dollars lobbying against common-sense legislative solutions to our economic crisis.

The actions are part of SEIU's Change That Works campaign--a campaign in more than 30 states to bring economic solutions to Main Street by ensuring passage of comprehensive healthcare reform and the Employee Free Choice Act. Stayed tuned for more details about next week's member mobilization kick-off events, leading up to nationwide "Take Action Against Corporate Excess" demonstrations in 50+ cities March 19th.

Read more about SEIU's Grassroots Lobbyists program through our Change That Works campaign here and check out blog posts written by two of our member lobbyists:

• "My First Week in Washington DC with SEIU," by Mike Kingsbury, an RN from Colorado who has been an active member of the Nurse Alliance of CO for many years and also worked with SEIU on the Obama campaign.
  
• "Standing Up for Homecare Workers in Washington," by Theo Jackson, from Scotts Valley, CA, who was one of five workers to share his story at the Feb. 4 Employee Free Choice Act rally on the Hill to urge Congress to support the legislation.