Cleaning chemicals can be toxic. They are also a daily fact of life for SEIU members who work in building services and healthcare--which is why Rep. Steve Israel's bill, The Household Product Labeling Act of 2009, is such a good thing. Anna Burger said this today in support for H.R. 3057:

"If we have the right to know about the potential side effects of our prescription drugs, we have the right to know what's in our chemical cleaning supplies."

Current law mandates that product labels list immediately hazardous ingredients--but there is no labeling requirement for ingredients that may cause harm over time. H.R. 3057 will change this by requiring companies to list ingredients in cleaning products, air fresheners and paints visibly on the product or its packaging. Read SEIU's statement in support of the bill here.

More info on green cleaning products at SEIU.org here.

In a Huffington Post piece today, SEIU's Anna Burger rails on Republicans for what appears to be a "single-minded campaign to destroy women's health."

"They've voted against protecting domestic violence victims from being denied health insurance. They've voted to allow insurance companies to deny us coverage for life-saving mammograms. They've voted to deny our children basic health coverage. They've voted against giving women needed time off after having a child."

"If you've been in Washington, D.C. long enough, you start to expect this kind of behavior from a party whose caucus is 90% male," writes Burger. "But when one Party's caucus can't stop screaming at women long enough to hear what we have to say, one has to wonder if that's a Party with room for us." Read the full blog here.

Take your ticket for gender equality here.

According to a new study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, women will be the majority of unionized workers by 2020.

How's an abundance of estrogen changing things? "Because of women, we don't just talk about raising wages, but about creating family friendly workplaces with sick leave, child care, and family and medical leave," said Change to Win Chair and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "We don't just talk about out-of-control insurance costs, but about the fact that women pay more than men strictly because of their gender."

Some of the report's other findings:

Education:

• Nearly 40 percent percent of all union workers have college degrees. Almost half (49.4 percent) of union women had at least a four-year college degree.
  
• More educated workers were more likely to be unionized than less-educated workers, a reversal from 25 years ago.

Public Sector & Growth

• Just under half of all union members come from the public sector, up from just over one-third in 1983.
  
• Union ranks have increased slightly over the past two years, and members now represent 12.4 percent of the nation's work force.

Diversity:

• Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in the labor movement.
  
• About one-in-eight (12.6 percent) of union workers is an immigrant, up from one-in-twelve in 1994
  
• In 1983, the majority (51.7 percent) of all union workers was white men; by 2008, white men were only 38.1 percent of the unionized workforce.
  
• The typical union worker was 45 years old, or about 7 years older than in 1983. The most heavily unionized age group was in the age range of 55-64.

"The view that the typical union worker is a white male manufacturing worker may have been correct a quarter of a century ago, but it's not an accurate description of those in today's labor movement," said John Schmitt, a CEPR Senior Economist and an author of the report. Read the study.

Last week, we learned that the swift action by the President and Congress to pass an economic recovery package earlier this year helped stave off a global economic recession, put our economy back on the path of growth, and helped save hundreds of thousands of jobs.

SEIU was a major proponent of the economic recovery package and we believe we need to continue to make progress on a number of other economic initiatives to build long-term sustainable economic growth--these include passing meaningful financial reform, investing in green jobs, using public pension funds to build a 21st century infrastructure, and creating a new retirement system to protect our future.

Passing Meaningful Financial Reform
Anna Burger writes on New Deal 2.0 about the need to fundamentally change the way we value wealth and work in our country and act now on meaningful reforms to protect our families from future economic crises.

To build long-term economic progress we must:

• Create a strong Consumer Financial Protection Agency to serve as a watchdog against predatory and reckless banking products;
• Crackdown on out of control executive pay that rewards short term risks over long term results;
• End too big to fail once and for all by separating commercial banking from investment banking and raising capital requirements back to levels that promote safe and sound banks;
• Empower shareholders to act on executive pay and break the excessive power of executive-controlled boards;
• Force banks to expand lending to small businesses and state and local governments to create jobs and save critical services;
• Demand banks stop foreclosures and help families keep their homes;
• Reregulate the shadow financial markets--including derivatives, hedge funds and private equity; and
• Investigate, and if necessary prosecute, the big banks and Wall Street for crashing our economy.

In case you missed it--more than 5,000 Americans from 20 states--converged on the American Bankers Association convention in Chicago to demand banks stop fighting reforms that would help protect our families from future crises. It was the beginning of a national movement to hold banks and Wall Street accountable for their reckless behavior.

Investing in Green Jobs
During the first meeting of the President's Economic Recovery Board, Anna Burger shared her perspective on how business, labor and government can work together towards creating a low-carbon, green economy and a movement into sustainable good, green jobs--citing the work SEIU and other Change to Win unions are already doing on the community and national level to lead the way on green initiatives.

Next week, the members of the American Bankers Association (ABA) are congregating at the Sheraton in downtown Chicago for their annual conference, with appearances by conservative Republican commentators Newt Gingrich and George Will. During the three-day conference, SEIU, Action Now, National People's Action, and dozens of other activist organizations will hold a series of events highlighting the growing discontent with big banks and their over-reliance on greed and profits at taxpayers' expense.

On the Huffington Post, SEIU's Anna Burger discusses why progressives won't be letting the banksters party in peace this Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Chicago:

The financial section of the newspaper is starting to read like the script for a far-fetched crime movie. A group of villains hatch a plot to steal trillions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans. They drive the country into economic chaos, funnel money from families and small businesses into their own pockets, then leave all of us to clean up their mess. And not only do they get away with it, they pay themselves billion dollar bonuses and throw lavish parties to celebrate their conquest.

But this isn't a movie, it's really happening. Wall Street bankers have taken $17.8 trillion of our tax dollars through bailouts and turned them into massive pay and bonuses for themselves. Goldman Sachs alone is expected to pay more than $23 billion just in bonuses this year; that's more than $43,000 a minute, every minute.

So, my question to you is: if you could get all the architects of this scam together in one place, what would you say to them?

Hurry up and decide, because they're all getting together in Chicago this weekend -- and we're headed there to meet them.

The big bank execs are gathering in the Windy City for the American Bankers Association conference. It's a four day celebration of wealth and opulence; some of the items on the agenda include a roaring 1920s swing dancing party, a luxurious riverboat cruise, and celebrity appearances from Newt Gingrich and George Will. And it's all funded with our tax dollars.

Read the rest of Anna's piece on Huffington Post here.

Full report on ABA's actions to lobby against financial reform here. Check out the schedule of the three days of actions in Chicago here, as well as after the break.

SEIU member Willie Lucas has been an electrician at Howard University for three decades. He was planning to retire in two years but the economic crisis wiped out nearly $50,000 from his 401(k) and he's had to put his retirement off another 10 years.
The outrageous thing is that Willie is one of the lucky ones. Half of all workers have nothing but Social Security to rely on when they retire--and the average payment is $1,160 a month.

SEIU's Anna Burger shared Willie's story and outlined what needs to be done to fix our broken retirement system at the Retirement USA conference today. "We know what a 21st century retirement system needs to look like," said Burger. "It needs to cover everyone, it needs to provide adequate benefits to all workers, and it needs to be secure and not linked to the volatility of the market."

More about the Retirement USA initiative here.

We've waited long enough.

Right now, everyone is paying for the cost of our broken health care system. People with "pre-existing conditions" are being denied coverage by insurers. Women are being charged 30-51% more than men for the same health insurance policies. Newborn babies are being denied coverage because they're "too fat" or "too small." And a jaw-dropping 44,000 people a year are dying because they lack health insurance. How much longer will Americans need to wait before Congress acts?

Today, we're sending our message loud and clear - that it's time to deliver on health care. Call 1-800-603-SEIU and use this form to report back on your call.

SEIU members are joining with voters across the country in calling Congress today, October 20th. Our union has a vibrant presence in Washington, and we've been hard at work lobbying for this legislation, but we're powerless without the participation of our membership. We've set a goal of making 3,000 calls from members online, but we need your help to get there. Make three calls (two Senators, one Representative), and tell your members of Congress you expect reform that:

• Ends insurance company abuse;
• Makes health care affordable for everyone;
• Includes a strong public health insurance option;
• Requires employers to pay their fair share;
• Does not contain taxes or more costs to working families who are already paying more than their fair share into the system.

I hope you'll call each of your members of Congress today at 1-800-603-SEIU and share this email with other SEIU members. We can't let insurance companies dictate what happens in Congress, because when they win, we lose.

We may have replaced George Bush last November, but Puerto Rico's version continues to wreak havoc on the island.

Despite campaign promises to the contrary, Puerto Rico's Republican Governor Luis Fortuño announced plans to eliminate the jobs of 30,000 public employees early next month.

On October 15, over 200,000 people are preparing to take to the streets in a general strike, and Fortuño is threatening to charge the protesters with terrorism.

Not even Karl Rove and George Bush tried that.

Ask Congress to hold hearings on Fortuño's anti-American behavior, and we'll be sure to send you a button designed by popular artist Antonio Mortorel. 

In recent days, thousands of university students have demonstrated and marched in support of the working women and men who provide critical public services to the people of Puerto Rico.

Those young demonstrators were threatened, physically attacked, tear gassed and falsely arrested in some instances.

Violating the civil rights of your own citizens is unacceptable...wherever you are.

Stand up for the civil rights of Puerto Rico's citizens by contacting your member of Congress to ask them to hold hearings on Fortuño's anti-American actions.

(For updates on Puerto Rico, stay tuned to SEIU's Blog here.)

Ken Lewis is on his way out at Bank of America. But not without one more parting gift from all of us.

Despite helping to drive us into one of the worst financial meltdowns in history, it's been revealed that Bank of America plans to send Ken Lewis out the door with a $53.3 million pension on top of the hundreds of millions he's already made during his failed tenure as CEO.

We're the ones paying billions in tax dollars to bail out Bank of America for the mistakes Ken Lewis made. We shouldn't let him take one more penny of our hard-earned money.

The Obama administration has appointed a 'pay czar,' Kenneth Feinberg, to make sure our tax dollars aren't being used to pay outrageous earnings to bank CEOs.

Will you tell the pay czar to stop payment on the Ken Lewis bailout? http://seiu.org/stoppayment

SEIU Secretary Treasurer Anna Burger will be delivering a letter to Mr. Feinberg, asking him to withhold Lewis' absurd compensation until Bank of America agrees to stop hurting our communities with reckless financial practices. But we want you, as a taxpayer, to sign on to the letter before we deliver it to Mr. Feinberg: http://seiu.org/stoppayment

The changes we're asking for are simple - and they're necessary to stop greedy banks from driving us toward another financial meltdown. Help make sure Ken Lewis doesn't get another dime of our money until Bank of America cleans up its act.

Sign on to Anna Burger's letter at http://seiu.org/stoppayment

P.S. It's not just Ken Lewis. CEOs at all the major banks are continuing to rake in millions, but they've done nothing to fix the problems that got us into this mess. Help us put them all on notice by signing the letter to pay czar Kenneth Feinberg.

Yesterday, Americans were given one more reason to look forward to ringing in the New Year: Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis announced he will be be stepping down from the bank, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

As a part of the Take Back the Economy coalition, SEIU and partners have been calling (loudly and persistently) for Lewis' ouster for several months. Throughout the economic crisis, Lewis has been a virtual poster boy for a financial industry fueled by reckless and self-serving lending practices, platinum bonuses, and a disregard for workers and our economy.

BofA received access for up to $195 billion in taxpayer bailout funds--and the workers, consumers and taxpayers footing the bill for Ken Lewis' failed gamble finally decided to stand up and demand change, with SEIU leading the charge. "Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis just doesn't get it," we wrote in an e-mailto supporters at the time. "The era of greed and irresponsibility is over...Enough is enough. Bank of America must fire CEO Ken Lewis."

Through a grassroots and online-driven campaign, over 100 events were held across the nation against Bank of America and more than 90,000 taxpayer proxy cards were collected & delivered at BofA's annual shareholder meeting, calling for the firing of Lewis for his corporate greed, corruption and anti-worker company policies. In addition to the ouster, SEIU demanded that two new BofA board seats be created. We called for all bonuses for execs be eliminated until taxpayers were paid back the money the bank received under TARP and demanded stronger whistleblower protections for any workers who report abusive lending or banking practices. Finally, we called for Bank of America to provide healthcare coverage to all of its 247,000 workers-- which it currently does not.

As a result of the organized campaign from union members and thousands of supportive activists, Lewis was ousted as chairman following the April 2009 annual BofA shareholders meeting (re-live that celebratory moment here). Even though Lewis stayed on as BofA CEO until his announcement yesterday, his ousting as chairman sent a message calling for CEO accountability loud and clear.

Even as the end of Lewis's profit-driven rein as CEO of BofA is finally in sight, we're not planning on letting up on our efforts to bring change to the banking industry--not even close. As SEIU's Anna Burger points out, "The Ken Lewis banking model continues drive up big bank profits while causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs, their homes, and their retirement savings." We've had enough of an economy that works only for greedy CEOs like Ken Lewis--and on that note, we thought we'd celebrate Lewis's ousting by taking a detailed record of his failed leadership. Like the saying goes, those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

UPDATE, 1:00 p.m.: Anna has given her testimony before the Committee -- stay tuned for video of that testimony.

SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger will testify before the House Financial Services Committee this morning at a hearing on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. You can watch the hearing "Perspectives on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency" online now here.

Others giving testimony today along with Anna include:

• Mr. Hilary O. Shelton, President of the Center for Responsible Lending
  
• Mr. Michael Calhoun, President and Chief Operating Officer, Center for Responsible Lending 
  
• Mr. David C. John, Senior Research Fellow, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation
  
• Ms. Janis Bowdler, Senior Policy Analyst, National Council of La Raza
  
• Mr. R. Michael S. Menzies, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Easton Bank and Trust Co. on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America
  
• Mr. Andrew J. Pincus, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  
• Mr. Edward L. Yingling, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Bankers Association
  
• Mr. Bill Himpler, Executive Vice President, American Financial Services Association

Anna's remarks to the Committee after the break. Watch here--Anna should be speaking shortly before 11:00 a.m.

On the eve of the first G-20 summit since the global financial collapse, SEIU has a new report measuring the severe impact the economic crisis has had on working families. The report breaks down not just the cost of the bailouts, but also the (much, much bigger) associated costs that came along with them.

Here are some of the astounding highlights:

• Taxpayers have committed $4.7 trillion to the financial sector over the last year--only $700 billion of that $4.7 trillion was through TARP.
• The bank-induced economic crisis has cost American families $11 trillion in wealth in 2008, nearly 18% of their net worth.
• Americans have lost $6.1 trillion in homeowner wealth since June 2006.

Even banks like Goldman Sachs that returned their TARP funds earlier this year continue to benefit from other bailout programs, such as the $12.9 billion that Goldman received as an AIG counterparty that it will never have to pay back.

Meanwhile, banks continue to...

• Pay themselves millions in bonuses: the nation's top six banks paid out $31.2 billion in bonuses this past winter.
  
• Set aside $$ for future bonuses. In the first half of 2009 alone, banks set aside another $74.4 billion for bonuses and compensation--an amount alone that would solve the budget shortfalls in 15 states, including California.
  
• Make excessive profits on the backs of consumers: banks continue behaviors such as refusing to modify mortgages to prevent foreclosures and reducing their small business lending--they actually now give out less money than they did before their TARP infusion.
  
• Gouge us on overdraft fees. Americans will pay more than $38 billion in overdraft fees alone in 2009, more than $125 for every man, woman, and child in the United States.

The worst part? Big banks and other financial institutions aren't merely back to their old tricks and the same practices that caused the crisis in the first place--they're actually standing in the way of real reform that would protect consumers and prevent a future crisis.

Companies in the financial, insurance, and real estate sector spent $321 million lobbying against federal reforms such as:

• The creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency
  
• Limits on bonuses
  
• Loan modification proposals that could help keep millions of Americans in their homes,
  
• And the Employee Free Choice Act--which would provide a much-needed check on corporate power by giving workers a real voice in the workplace.

Read and download the report here:

Trillion Dollar Bank Job -

"We now understand that the actions of a small group of greedy CEOs and Wall Street investors can wreak havoc on the global economy, yet we still haven't taken the necessary steps to prevent a future crisis," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger at a briefing to release the report. At noon tomorrow, outside a secret meeting of the Financial Services Roundtable at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C., workers and community groups will kick off a month of actions in more than two dozen cities across the country.

Download the report here: The Trillion Dollar Bank Job: How Wall Street and the Big Banks Are Holding Up America's Economic Recovery.

On Air America's "The Ron Reagan Show" last night, host Reagan and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger discussed the outrageous practice of insurance companies denying healthcare coverage to victims of domestic violence. "This is outrageous that women who are victims of domestic violence can't have health coverage," Burger said. Listen to the interview here.

If you're shaking your head at disbelief at the discovery that insurance companies can deny coverage to victims of spousal abuse by citing the injuries sustained through abuse as a "pre-existing condition," you're not alone. This takes "protecting their profits" to a whole new inhumane level. How can this heartless profit-mongering by some of this country's biggest insurance companies even be legal, you may be wondering. We believe in giving credit where credit is due, so we're going to tell you.

Back in 2006, a group of ten Republican Senators voted against an amendmentthat would have stopped health insurance companies' despicable practice of denying coverage to women because of domestic abuse. Another scary thought to add to the docket: all these GOP lawmakers (Alexander, Burr, Ensign, Enzi, Ensign, Gregg, Hatch, Isakson, Roberts and Sessions) still serve in the Senate today, with the exception of Bill Frist, who retired in 2007.

"These are some of the same people who say on we should just take more time [on passing health reform], have a debate," said Anna Burger. "Well, they could have stopped this practice years ago. They could stop it today. They could step up and do the right thing for people in America." Tell members of Congress to step up and get this done--because no one should be denied health care coverage, least of all women who have already endured so much.

Today is Day Two of the House Subcommittee on Domestic Policy hearings, where Rep. Kucinich and the other committee Representatives will hear from insurance company executives beginning at 2 PM. We'll hear from execs from UnitedHealthOne, Wellpoint, Aetna, Humana and CIGNA Healthcare. We'll be live tweeting from the hearing, as well as reporting on what went down after it's over -- follow SEIU on Twitter here.

« Additional information and ways you can take action on the SEIU Blog here.

« Check out these videos of insurance industry whistleblowers testifying today on the denial of coverage by insurance companies to bolster their profits.

"When Lehman Brothers fell, they took not just the rest of Wall Street, but all of Main Street, down with them. Yet, one year later, the greedy CEOs who caused the collapse are unremorseful, unrepentant, and virtually unchanged," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, following President Obama's speech yesterday on the anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. While the economy continues to recover, President Obama warned, "normalcy cannot lead to complacency."

Watch President Obama's speech yesterday from Wall Street's Federal Hall:

'Business as Usual'?

"You'd think that the collapse of over 90 banks in one year alone would be a powerful 'lesson learned' for the titans at big financial houses, but on Wall Street, it's back to 'business as usual,' said Burger. After bailing out banks to the tune of $4.7 trillion following the financial collapse, American taxpayers were then hit with the hidden costs of our bank-induced recession: foreclosures, unemployment and bankruptcies.

Now the big banks and financial corporations are hitting us a third time, by lobbying against meaningful reforms that could prevent a repeat of the crisis in the future.The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Tom Donohue and his CEO allies might not think so, but America can't afford their reckless and selfish behavior any longer.

The current regulatory framework simply doesn't provide adequate protection to consumers--we need Congress to reform our financial system, fund strict enforcement of the rules, and give long term shareholders the power they need to reign in the out-of-control corporate elite. Let's stop this cycle before more jobs are lost, more homes are foreclosed, and more retirement accounts are wiped out. Don't let the U.S. Chamber and Big Banks delay consumer protection any longer.

For five decades, Senator Kennedy stood with working families to fight for our shared vision of America where every family has access to affordable healthcare, every worker has a paycheck that supports a family, and every child is guaranteed a brighter future. He spent his entire adult life, through tragedy and triumph, in pursuit of this America. From his first major speech in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to his last vote on President Obama's economic recovery plan, his vision of a more perfect nation never wavered.

From SEIU President Andy Stern:

Senator Kennedy stood with SEIU members on countless picket lines and contract negotiations. He stood with millions of hardworking immigrants and SEIU members to call for comprehensive immigration reform in 2005. He stood with workers fighting for a voice on the job by championing the Employee Free Choice Act. And until his final days he stood with SEIU healthcare workers and other workers to win access to affordable healthcare for all Americans.

Thirty-nine years ago, Senator Kennedy introduced his first bill to overhaul our nation's broken healthcare system and provide affordable coverage to all Americans. "Sen. Kennedy dreamed of a nation of progress where justice, fairness and opportunity for all laid at the heart," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "The most fitting tribute to honoring the life and legacy of this great statesman is for Congress to pass quality affordable health care for all this year."

"We stand closer now than ever before to achieving what Senator Kennedy called the cause of his life," said Stern. "Let us continue his cause...And let us continue to make Kennedy's vision for America a reality."

In the wake of Senator Kennedy's passing last night after a long battle with brain cancer, our deepest condolences and prayers go out to Senator's Kennedy's wife Vicki, his children and the rest of the Kennedy family. He will be missed.

Visit our tribute page honoring Ted Kennedy here. Sign an online card for Senator Kennedy's family here.

Today on MSNBC, reporter Andrea Mitchell spoke with SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger about health care reform--and why successful reform to contain health costs needs to include a public option.

Hear what Anna has to say about moving reform forward in this country, and why co-ops are not a viable substitute for a public health plan option.

Quick hits: Around the union this week...

• Tea-bagging conservatives continue blaming SEIU for perpetrating the violence surrounding a St. Louis health care town hall--but now you can finally hear both sides of the story. Listen to SEIU staffer Reverend McCowan's interview correcting the record on incidents surrounding a Missouri town hall.

• Spread the truth about the right-wing's fear campaign being funded by anti-healthcare forces: SEIU counters "death panel" noise with real facts about healthcare.

• SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger took the main stage at the Netroots Nation Convention this weekend to talk about building a 21st century economy that works for all Americans. More here about other SEIU panels at the annual gathering of progressive activists and political bloggers.

• Watch three short videos of Workers United members who are dealing with John Wilhelm, UNITE HERE's raids, and interference in their workplaces.

• "We spend more time at patients' bedsides than anyone else in the hospital, and have a better understanding of patient needs than hospital executives. Despite this, our executive officers essentially refuse to include us in discussions regarding patient care." In a Billings Gazette op-ed, registered nurse J. Curt Jensen makes the case for why nurses and all Montana workers need the Employee Free Choice Act.

• Will American children grow on "fat, salt, and corn-sweetener-laden government subsidized surplus"? Read Iowa City chef Kurt Michael Friese's commentary at Grist Magazine.

• Check out the story of a Detroit college freshman fighting to stay in the U.S. and find out how you can help defer her deportation.

• Major advertisers like Geico, Proctor and Gamble, and Lexis Nexis are pulling their ads from Glenn Beck's show in response to his disgraceful rhetoric...but not Wal-Mart! Tell Wal-Mart to end their financial support of Glenn Beck's televised hate.

• Be a part of SEIU's mobile alert list. Text SEIU to 787753 (PURPLE) right now, or click here to sign-up for our new mobile alerts program.

The fight for health care is hotter than ever. With myths and lies entering the public conversation, it's time to bring in the big guns. Enter Howard Dean.

In Aliquippa, PA this Saturday, Governor Howard Dean and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger joined with SEIU Healthcare PA to kick off a canvass for healthcare reform. "Everybody deserves to be able to get health[care]...Whether they make $10 an hour, or $150,000 an hour, everybody deserves to have their health," said canvasser and SEIU PA member Georgeanne Koehler.

Watch here:

Proving his Saturday was more productive than most people's entire weekends, Gov. Dean also gave an opening speech that same day at the "Health Insurance Reform, We Can't Wait" town hall at the Columbus, Ohio office of SEIU District 1199. Watch video coverage.

We cannot win this battle unless everyone knows the facts. Do you have a friend or family member who's skeptical of health reform? Or someone being bombarded with misleading emails from the far right? Take a minute to send them a note and set the record straight: http://action.seiu.org/page/invite/hcfacts

SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger took the main stage at Netroots Nation to talk about what it's going to take to build a 21st century economy that works for all Americans. Joined by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine and economist Dean Baker, the panel discussed the problems and opportunities we face as we find our place in a global, service-oriented economy.

Dean Baker opened the discussion with a clear message to the progressive community: we need a strong union movement to stabilize our economy and create a solid middle class. According to Baker, unions do more than just win better wages and benefits for their members; they improve the quality of services provided to communities, create a foundation of good jobs that can help local and state economies weather tough economic times, and provide the support needed to pass major legislation that benefits middle class Americans.

As governor of the most union dense state in the country, John Corzine spoke about unions' ability to promote wealth gains that are shared by all Americans - not just the wealthiest one percent. He stressed that, as we rebuild our economy, we need to do away with the laws on the books that have hurt working Americans and made it so difficult for workers to join unions.

Anna Burger's call for a national, long-term economic plan - something we've been without for decades - filled the room with applause. She said that, done correctly, we can build an economy that creates good jobs, lowers our carbon footprint, and gives us a lead role in the global marketplace. But, according to Burger, that kind of change takes real, grassroots energy around policy and not just politics. "Real change doesn't happen during elections every four years," she said. "It happens in the time before and after elections with smart policies that benefit all Americans."

The Netroots Nation convention kicks off today in Pittsburgh, PA, drawing together thousands of the country's best and brightest online organizers, political bloggers and progressive activists. There are some really great panels being put on throughout today, Friday and Saturday that focus on workers and the economy.

SEIU is sponsoring the live stream of convention coverage--watch keynotes here:

Live audio from the conference is also available from some of the panel, via the Head On Radio Network. They've got two streams you can check out: stream 1 and stream 2.

Here's a list of SEIU and Workers United staff who are participating in Netroots panels:

See the entire conference agenda here. You can also follow coverage of the convention on Twitter via the official Netroots Nation hashtag #nn09 or on Facebook.