"Commonsense reforms will protect our families from dangerous and deceptive financial products and prevent taxpayers from paying for Wall Street's future mistakes," says SEIU's Mary Kay Henry

Washington, D.C.--The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) released the following statement of President Mary Kay Henry following passage of the Senate's Wall Street reform bill:

"On Monday, I marched arm in arm through the streets of Washington with Al Marshall, a construction inspector from Oakland, California. After 12 years of mortgage payments, Al lost the home he bought and renovated for his family.  Why?  Because after Wall Street crashed the economy, his wife lost her job, his hours were cut--and for six months, the bank wouldn't return his calls.

"Al was one of thousands of Americans who traveled from all over the country to Washington, D.C. this week to give voice to what too many families are facing right now.  His message? It's time for our leaders to put the needs of America's families before the demands of Wall Street CEOs. Working families and those hit hardest by the economic collapse are counting on Washington to fix what's broken with our financial system now.

"Today Majority Leader Reid and the Democrats took historic action that shows that our message was received loud and clear. Senators stood up to Wall Street CEOs and their high-priced lobbyists and passed strong Wall Street reforms essential to rebuilding our economy. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Republican Senators chose to stand with the Wall Street CEOs locking our families into recession.

"The commonsense reforms passed today will protect our families from dangerous and deceptive financial products and prevent taxpayers from paying for Wall Street's future mistakes.

"Working families expect the House and Senate to continue to stand up to Wall Street CEOs and their lobbyists and work together to send a strong final Wall Street reform bill to the President's desk.

"Our work to put the pieces of our shattered economy back together is far from over. Al Marshall and working families will continue to challenge Congress to pass the simple yet bold solutions we need to put Americans back to work, stop foreclosures, and save our cities and states from bankruptcy."

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With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.