Last week, elected officials left Springfield without doing their job--again. So SEIU Healthcare Illinoismembers took their fight to protect home and childcare workers from budget cuts to the scene of the crime. Protesting in the statehouse, members demanded an end to budget cuts that would devastate home care, child care and countless other human service programs in Illinois. Governor Quinn agreed and vetoed the bill.

Recently, healthcare activists gathered at Rep. Kirk's campaign kickoff for his Senate bid--to fill the seat that was previously held by President Obama--to demand he support measures that will bring quality, affordable healthcare.

But it seems as though Rep. Kirk isn't trying nearly hard enough to emulate the former holder of the Senate seat he's bidding for, when it comes to stepping up the plate to tackle the biggest challenge facing our country: making sure every American has access to high quality, affordable health care. After the Monday event announcing his candidacy, Rep. Kirk told one of the activists, "We can't afford to insure everyone."

According to a report by HCAN, from 2000 to 2007, health insurance premiums for working Illinois families has risen by 73 percent. So the real question is, how can we afford not to support fixing America's broken healthcare system? SEIU members will continue pressuring their legislators to pass measures that put quality care in reach for everyone. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help.

SEIU Leader Shares First-hand Experiences Trying to Organize Detroit Fast Food Workers in the 1980s

In 1980, the United Labor Unions set out to organize employees at Detroit fast food chains in the hopes of sparking a nationwide movement to unionize the workforce in this fast-growing industry. As a rookie organizer working on the campaign, I learned firsthand what is at stake when workers stand up for better wages, healthcare, and a voice on the job.

We started with a Burger King franchise in Detroit's Greyhound station. While the drive was a challenge, the spark spread between employees as they encouraged each other to join the union and stand up to their managers. Greyhound Food Management ran a tough campaign to keep workers from organizing -- threatening some, making promises to others -- but didn't succeed. By a margin of just one vote, the Burger King employees opted to create a union.

Encouraged by our victory, we shifted our focus to three McDonald's franchises on Detroit's North Side. The employees were struggling with all kinds of issues -- minimum wage violations, sexual harassment, unfair scheduling, and health and safety issues ranging from grill burns to meat slicer injuries. Fed up and fired up, they decided to organize a union and won overwhelming support from their co-workers. Nothing could stop them.

Or so they thought.