In 2002, Senator Ted Kennedy walked the picket lines, held a press conference, and rallied public support for 10,000 Massachusetts janitors fighting for their first contract. His dedication and continued presence throughout the long negotiations helped some of Massachusetts hardest-working and most underpaid workers win a livable wage and access to healthcare----even for part-time janitors.

The year before that, Kennedy stood with several hundred students, activists and SEIU Local 254 (now Local 615) protesting Harvard's failure to provide a ''living wage'' of $10.25 to all its employees, including property service workers. He wrote these words in a letter he sent to activists and workers before their sit-in began:

I have always believed that workers in this great country of ours deserve a living wage.

The issue of whether employers should pay a living wage is a question of the dignity of workers. Are we as a community going to respect individuals that work long and hard, who care for their families, who are our neighbors and friends, who take great pride in their work? I firmly believe that no one who works for a living should have to live in poverty, and I think most Americans understand that, too.

Whether you are employed directly by Harvard or by subcontractors, whether you are full-time or part-time, you perform difficult work with pride and dignity and you deserve to be treated fairly.

Then again in 2006, Kennedy was there for over 250 Harvard security officers who were fighting for a contract. He used whatever connections he had to get the employers to do the right thing. In 2007, he stood in support of janitors trying to get a renewed contract and sent letters of support--they ended up getting a wage that was close to $13.

"From the fight for decent wages and benefits to his pioneering work on healthcare and immigration reform, Kennedy was there, always championing the little guy," recalled Rocio Saenz, President of SEIU Local 615 in Boston and Vice President of SEIU International. "With all of the fights to improve the lives of our workers, he was there. When we won the contract, he was on top of it. He would call and say "this is just so great--such great news for workers..."

Learn more about Senator Kennedy's legacy on SEIU.org, and help us honor him by sharing your memories. Sign our online card to Senator Kennedy's family.