Friday, May 16, 2008
SEIU Members to Politicians: Live Up to Your Promises Or We Will Hold You Accountable
Tough Political Accountability A Major Part of Unprecedented ‘Justice for All’ Plan to Change America
Members and leaders of the nation’s strongest and fastest growing union say they will hold elected leaders strictly accountable if they say one thing before an election and then do something else.
As part of the union’s proposed “Justice for All” plan, SEIU members will continue the 2008 political campaign past the election and through the first 100 days of a new administration in order to win affordable healthcare and rebuild the middle class by restoring workers’ freedom to join unions. Under the plan, SEIU leaders are pledging to spend more than $150 million and put tens of thousands of members in motion to achieve those goals.
The “Justice for All” plan was unanimously adopted by the SEIU International Executive Board and will be debated by members at SEIU’s convention in early June.
SEIU leaders also pledged to continue the union’s unprecedented growth by creating a national plan to unite more than 500,000 new members in the union by 2012. That would make SEIU the largest union in American history that is not exclusively public sector, and ensure that it has the strength to continue winning high standards of pay and benefits for its members and all working people.
Read more here.
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OBAMA CLEARLY THE PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE:
SEIU Calls for Democrats to Unite Around Obama
“Senator Obama’s commanding win in North Carolina and close showing in Indiana means he is clearly the Democratic nominee for President,” said Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer. “We’ve had a long process and the outcome is now clear. The Democratic Party should come together to focus on winning in November.”
In addition to Obama’s victory, SEIU members celebrated the primary win of Rep. André Carson in Indiana’s 7th district and were instrumental in helping Jill Long Thompson secure the gubernatorial nomination with an impressive turnout in Lake County. Health care workers, janitors and child care workers and other SEIU members volunteered their time in Indiana for weeks to educating and turning out voters for the candidates for their commitment to standing with working families.
With the win for Rep. André Carson, SEIU members have now helped to elect five candidates for Congress of the last five congressional races in which they’ve participated with a ground and air campaign.
The other candidates are:
- Rep. Niki Tsongas, MA 05
- Donna Edwards, MD 04
- Rep. Bill Foster, IL 14
- Rep. Don Cazayoux, LA 06
“With the latest victories of pro-worker candidates, including those in districts where conservatives have dominated for many years, voters are clearly sending a message that they want change in Washington,” said Burger. “With Barack Obama as President, and a pro-worker majority in Congress, working families will finally have a chance to fix our broken health care system and create a new American Dream for all of us.”
Biggest Ever Victory in the South! North Carolina State Employees Join SEIU in Historic Vote!
On May 3, the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) voted to affiliate with the SEIU. The SEANC convention included 671 elected delegates representing SEANC’s 55,000 state employee members across the state. Nearly 80 percent, or 524 delegates, voted to affiliate with SEIU.
North Carolina currently lags far behind the rest of the country when it comes to public employee pay and benefits. North Carolina ranks 35th in public employee pay, 45th for family health care coverage (the 5th worst state) and 30th in pension benefits. As a result, many state employees can’t afford to remain in state government. Turnover costs climbed from $330 million in 2005 to $362 million in 2006.
By combining SEIU’s expertise with SEANC’s strength, state employees will be better able to partner with the state to improve retention. This will help ensure that more state resources are focused on improving roads and bridges, strengthening the higher education system, keeping communities safe and protecting children and the elderly.
SEANC, SEIU Local 2008, is the South’s leading state employee association with 55,000 members strong. With 1.9 million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America and includes over one million public employees who have united to improve their lives and the services they provide.
Read more here.
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Advocates Call for Congress to Stand Up to Nursing Homes and Protect Seniors
The nation’s largest healthcare workers’ union testified before the House today, calling for Congress to stand up to the profit-hungry nursing home industry and pass legislation to improve the quality of care by ensuring greater transparency as to how taxpayer funds are being used. Read more here.
SEIU SENDS “DEAR JOHN” LETTER TO SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN
SEIU today sent a third “Dear John” letter to Senator John McCain and will continue sending letters until he meets with SEIU members and presents proposals that put working families first. In the letter, Roselilly Story, a registered nurse and member of SEIU Healthcare Florida, suggests how McCain can address the high cost of health care. Read more here.
Politicians Be Warned!
“With the same resources, passion, and effort we are using to support and help elect pro-worker candidates, SEIU is going to keep up the fight to restore economic balance in America” after the 111th Congress takes office, writes SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger of the union’s proposed political accountability program on The Hill’s Congress blog.
Thousands of Security Officers Take to NYC Streets
Thousands of security officers, union members, labor, religious and community leaders and elected officials took to the streets of midtown Manhattan last week, calling for higher standards in the private security industry. SEIU President Andy Stern addressed those gathered to highlight Local 32BJ’s campaign to bring together union and non-union officers to raise standards in the private security industry.
Repairs to U.S. Infrastructure Will Cost Trillions.
“It would be a monumental mistake to turn the future of America's infrastructure over to the same crowd that brought us the subprime crisis, an economy loaded down with debt, and recession.” Read more from an op-ed by Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and SEIU President Andy Stern published in today’s Christian Science Monitor.
Calif. Security Officers Hold Strike Condemning Inter-Con’s Unfair Labor Practices
Last week, Inter-Con security officers who guard Kaiser facilities throughout California led protests calling for basic worker protections and a chance to join a union. The unfair labor practices strike will continue through May 8 as the 1500 security officers continue their struggle for a voice on the job. Watch television coverage of this unfolding strike from earlier this morning.
New “War on Greed” Film Exposes Buyout Firms’ Tax Loopholes.
Robert Greenwald and the team at Brave New Films have released another in their War on Greed film series. “The War on Greed: Starring Larry the Loophole,” asks why billionaire private equity firm executives are taxed at a lower rate than most Americans. You can view the video here.
Nursing Home Caregivers Unite to Hold Carlyle Group Accountable for Broken Promises
On May 29th, 60 members of SEIU Healthcare's Nursing Home Accountability Team protested a speech by Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein in Baltimore and picketed and leafleted at ten Manor Care homes across Maryland to raise awareness about inadequate staffing and training that can affect resident care. Learn more at carlylefixmanorcarenow.org.
Buyout King KKR Gets Tax Bill for "Untold Millions" Owed to NYC Taxpayers
The Working Families Party, union members, Council Member Letitia James and City taxpayers demanded that the highly profitable New York-based private equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts pay tax it has avoided for years under a loophole in the City's tax code. For more information, click here.
SEIU to "Negotiate Green"
Just in time for Earth Day, SEIU launched the "Negotiate Green" initiative, a program that will utilize the Union’s strong bargaining power to promote contracts that are good for members and good for the planet. The unprecedented initiative establishes a series of "green contract provisions" that will empower members to bring environmental degradation and related environmental health concerns to the bargaining table.
Washington Post: SEIU "Ambushing Private Equity"
SEIU "relying more on guile and theatrics than blunt force to attack the ascendancy of a new form of corporate ownership: private equity." Be sure to read the front page story in the Business Section of the Washington Post about SEIU's campaign to reign in the excesses of private equity firms. Read the story and view an online slide show here.
