Members of SEIU Local 26 teamed up with the artists collective Rogue Citizen, who are members of SEIU Local 26, to organize an art, music and fundraising event in Minneapolis last Saturday.

Rogue Citizen has been working together with the janitors and security officers of the Minnesota local, who are negotiating a new contract that will improve 6,000 jobs in the city. The subcontracted workers protect and clean buildings downtown - at wealthy and powerful corporations such as Wells Fargo, Target and US Bank. At the moment employers are demanding deep cuts in pay, healthcare, sick days, and vacation days.

Growing Support Proves the Time Is Now for a Path to Citizenship

The daily headlines in major newspapers and broadcast networks tell the story of why commonsense immigration reform has gained momentum on Capitol Hill.

"Immigration's latest ally: Christian Right," is the headline in today's Politico. "Odd Fellows' Work Together On Overhauling Immigration," National Public Radio said in its recent joint interview with "odd fellows," SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior V.P. Randall Johnson. "How the Politics of Immigration Reform Have Changed," writes the Brookings Institution's governmental studies scholar Darrell West in the Huffington Post.

The 2012 election solidified what was becoming clear in 2008 -- the American electorate is changing rapidly, and it's a topic worth talking about. Political and social activists came together during the Inauguration to talk about the shifts in the American electorate to the "New Majority" now made up largely of communities of color, women and youth.

During a small panel discussion, the group talked about effective online organizing and social media uses in communities of color, and the need to hold corporations and politicians accountable to enact the change we need in the country. Though the larger event that was scheduled to be open to the public was postponed, the small group discussion of this rising "New Majority" was recorded and can be viewed below.

Panelists included Aisha Tyler, comedian and author; Brandon Davis, National Political Director at SEIU; Julie Klausner, author; Zerlina Maxwell, Democratic political analyst; Arturo Carmona, Executive Director, presente.org, and Rashad Robinson, Executive Director, Color of Change. The discussion was moderated by Ana Kasparian, co-host of The Young Turks. Click on the videos below to hear the panels thoughts, and stay tuned for a more in-depth discussion at a future date.

TODAY, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), I believe we should take this opportunity to reflect on the incredible impact this legislation has had on millions of working families across our country. From the janitor in Houston taking care of an ailing parent to the Seattle teacher spending time with his newborn son or the nurse in Baltimore making sure her husband recovers quickly following major surgery - this is about strengthening our families and our communities through smart legislation.

I am proud of the SEIU member-leaders who stepped up some twenty years ago and fought for FMLA protections in their contracts, not just on behalf of our union's 2.1 million members, but for every hardworking person in this country. Their efforts speak to our broader commitment to dignity and justice for every worker. And their work, along with the work of allies and elected champions for working people, guarantee job-protected, unpaid leave for 12 weeks, which workers can use to care for a new baby, a seriously ill child, parent or spouse, or to recover from an illness.

In the twenty years since its passage, FMLA has been used more than 100 million times. Furthermore, the act has ensured that 35 million were able to keep their jobs and their health insurance while they cared for a new baby or a family member facing a health crisis. To be protected by FMLA, a worker must be employed by a company with 50 or more employees, work at least 1250 hours per year and have been on the job at the company for at least a year.

The House Judiciary Committee is holding hearings on immigration reform today. The hearings will include nativist groups who advocate limited immigration and greater enforcement. Today they will try to convince Congress that a clear and timely road to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is a bad idea.

Will you take this moment to call your member of Congress?

We support reform that provides a clear, direct roadmap to citizenship for the hardworking undocumented immigrations contributing to our nation. We believe that living in second class status for decades is not in line with our American values.

As a family child care provider in Greenfield, Massachusetts, parents from all walks of life depend on me to provide care for their young children. Among them is a mother studying to be a pastor, a Spanish translator, a home health care provider, a fire fighter, a CPR training leader, a tile setter, two college students, a CPA, and a scrap metal recycler. In other words a cross section of working people in my town -- and their children -- comes through my doors five days a week. But all too often Congress forgets about these families.

On Thursday February 7th, we are going to make sure that our elected officials hear directly from us how cuts to federal education funding would hurt our children and communities.

Can you pledge to call your Members of Congress on Thursday, February 7th and tell them to stop the automatic cuts to education, early learning and child care that kick in on March 1st?

Yes. I pledge to call. Please send me an email on Thursday with details.

SEIU President Mary Kay Henry today spoke at a forum co-sponsored by SEIU and PolicyLink called "Equity and the Future of the American Economy." The event, which was held at the Newseum in Washington, DC, brought together some of the top minds in the progressive community to discuss how to make our economy work for everyone.

"One thing is crystal clear, we need a new model for economic growth and we need to replace the old trickle-down ideas with policies that put more money into the hands of workers at the bottom, not the wealthy at the top," said Mary Kay Henry.

President Henry also talked about the importance of immigration reform to helping our economy recover. She said, "We have the opportunity to build a movement of millions of immigrant workers to help win an immigration system that benefits our economy, reflects our values and makes sense."

Read PolicyLink's paper, Equity and the Future of the American Economy, here.

Also, read Yale Professor Jacob Hacker's Prosperity Economics here.

Follow today's discussion on Twitter via hashtag #EquitableEconomy.

Pittsburgh residents can't go far without seeing some evidence of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). The healthcare goliath's million dollar sign tops the U.S. Steel tower, and UPMC hospitals and medical facilities dot the city. The company's billboards and bus ads are a reminder of just how real - and how very big - UPMC is.

And, just in case you had any doubts, the company's website boasts that it is Pennsylvania's largest employer with 55,000 employees. It's fair to say that Pittsburgh, once a booming steel city, is still a company town. But instead of steel, it's UPMC, a "$10 billion global healthcare enterprise."

Yet, in spite of its omnipresence, an article in this week's (Pittsburgh) City Paper reports the shocking news that UPMC doesn't actually exist, at least according it's lawyers.

Earlier this week, Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray announced the launch of MyBudget, the committee's latest effort to involve the public in the federal budget process as impending sequester cuts to vital public services are set to take place on March 1st.

Murray stated "the federal budget is where we lay out our values, our priorities, and our vision for what our government should look like now and in the future. So I believe that it is absolutely critical that the ideas and perspectives of families across America are heard loud and clear in a budget process that belongs to them, but is too often limited to politicians and bureaucrats."

We couldn't agree more.