More than 300 activists from 15 states converged on Capitol Hill on Thursday to tell their elected leaders that workers need and deserve meaningful labor law reform. The diverse group of small business owners, veterans, farmers, students, faith leaders, civil rights activists, women's advocates, and environmentalists are uniting in one voice to remind lawmakers why the Employee Free Choice Act is vital to rebuilding our economy.

New Chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, Senator Tom Harkin, kicked off the lobby day at a morning press conference with a speech to the state delegations. Senator Harkin shared a personal story of his brother fighting for union rights and confirmed his commitment to passing the Employee Free Choice Act, saying saying "When I tell you in unequivocal terms that the Employee Free Choice Act is a priority, you can take that to the bank!"

Watch highlights from Sen. Harkin's speech here:

The advocates from states including AK, ND, NE, MT, MO, WI, ME, PA, CO and CA also shared some reasons why they came to Washington--and why all progressives should support the Employee Free Choice Act.

"I am a small business owner here to help bring our message to Capitol Hill. We want justice for rural workers in North Dakota--they deserve proper pay for what they do. We want change in our working environment."

"I'm proud to be here with [all these] major activists from four major Pennsylvania cities...We want to stand for Free Choice. We are so financially strapped with workers in PA we had to have a paper flag here today--we couldn't afford to buy a cloth flag. We are here to fight for Employee Free Choice today."

"Everyone acknowledges the system is broken and justice delayed or justice deferred, is always in the end result, justice denied. We are here to provide justice for workers. All of those workers see very simply that as an issue of justice, the faith community really has to step up make it very clear the moral imperatives of this legislation."

Call the Senate now for Employee Free Choice.

PHOTOS:
« September 9th Training &
« September 10th Lobbying Day

The following message was sent to our email list today. Please copy and paste the text and send the text to your friends, family, and coworkers to ask them to join our campaign.

-----------------------------------

Hi Friend,

Did you see what President Obama said on Labor Day?

It's why I support the Employee Free Choice Act-to level the playing field so it's easier for employees who want a union to form a union. Because when labor is strong, America is strong. When we all stand together, we all rise together.

And according to news reports, Vice President Biden expressed his support for the Employee Free Choice Act, too, saying it will pass this year.

For that to happen, we need your help. Click here to join our campaign:

http://action.seiu.org/page/s/joinforefca

This week hundreds of people will meet with their Members of Congress, and we'll make thousands of calls to their offices to show the broad public support for the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Employee Free Choice Act will level the playing field against corporate greed by giving working people a free and fair chance to get ahead in this rough economy. We can pass the Employee Free Choice Act, but we need your help to do it.

Can you join our campaign to fight corporate greed? Click here to join:

http://action.seiu.org/page/s/joinforefca

President Obama said it best yesterday: When we all stand together, we all rise together.

Together we can get our economy back on track with the Employee Free Choice Act. Thanks for your help.

In Solidarity,

Michael Whitney
SEIU.org

As members of the U.S. House and Senate turn their sights from committee hearings and floor votes in D.C., to barbecues and luncheons back home, SEIU's Change That Works team is ready to ensure they don't forget the promises they made on the campaign trail to fix our broken healthcare system and support hardworking families.

At more than 400 events, from nurse and doctor town halls to large rallies, canvasses and phone banks--wherever members of Congress are, SEIU members will be there as well. From an ambulance tour in Miles City, Mont., to bake sales in North Dakota, we are letting them know that working families need affordable, quality healthcare this year and the Employee Free Choice Act, a check on corporate greed that would allow workers to bargain with their employers for better job security, wages and benefits.

Our message this recess is clear: there are consequences to not changing the status quo -- consequences for families, consequences for our economy and consequences for members of Congress.

Here are just a few highlights from the more than 400 events taking place during the congressional recess:

• Colorado's "Rolling Rallies for Reform" will bring out activists and leaders across the state to highlight the need for healthcare reform in their communities, from Grand Junction to Durango to Glenwood Springs. Each rally will feature local leaders, small business owners, front-line caregivers and hardworking Americans sharing their personal healthcare stories.
  
• Healthcare rally in Indianapolis Aug. 29.
  
• Grassroots activists will participate in each of Senator Grassley's town hall forums in Iowa.
  
• Emails will be sent to Louisiana's congressional delegation with a new personal story each day that underscores the need for quality, affordable healthcare reform.
  
• Montana's Emergency Drive for Healthcare will highlight the need to pass healthcare reform with an ambulance tour across the state that will cover 21 sites in 15 days. The tour will rack up the miles in Miles City; attend a barbecue in Lame Deer; put on street theater in Missoula; and participate in the Relay for Life event in Libby--just to name a few stops.
  
• Rally for change at the state capitol in Lincoln, Neb., on Aug. 19.
  
• Bake Sales for Healthcare across North Dakota will take place July 29-31. During the first week of September, look out for "Losing Sleep Over Healthcare," where leaders and activists hold an evening rally followed by an all-night vigil for the reform needed by the millions of Americans who lose sleep every night over healthcare bills.

Since January 12, 2009, SEIU's Change That Works campaign has generated:

• 14,021 one-on-one meetings
  
• 3,827 letters to the editor
  
• 122,145 petition signatures
  
• 93,136 phone calls
  
• 99,814 letters to Members of Congress

With a staff of more than 400 on the ground in an ongoing 35-state campaign, these numbers continue to grow every day. Visit SEIU's Change That Works for ongoing updates.

While many will be enjoying BBQs and beach time this weekend, SEIU advocates of healthcare reform will be pushing their Members of Congress and neighbors to support measures like a public health insurance option that increases choice and reduces costs.

Preview some of the Memorial Day activities, including storybook deliveries in Minnesota, "Kids for Healthcare" letters on display in Tennessee and the unveiling of a new report, "The Value of Reform: Why Reforming Health Care is Worth the Cost."

Yesterday, 43 Members of Congress issued a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, asking him to weigh in on Wells Fargo's attempt to liquidate nearly 4,000 jobs at Hartmarx, a unionized suit manufacturer, whose customers include President Obama. The situation between Wells Fargo and Hartmarx mirrors the struggle of 250 Republic Windows and Doors workers who succeeded at saving their jobs last December.

Here's an excerpt of the letter:

"Given the fact that American taxpayers have provided Wells Fargo/Wachovia with $25 billion, we find it incomprehensible that it would continue to push for the loss of jobs in a viable company," the letter reads. "This is not the reason why we supported emergency measures to capitalize the banks with taxpayer dollars. The case of HartMarx must not become an unfortunate example of financial institutions failing to provide the credit envisioned by Congress to help maintain corporate operations and preserve jobs in this trying economic climate.

"As you review the results of the bank "stress" tests and decide which banks need additional funds from the Treasury, we urge you to ensure that institutions provide credit to sustain American companies and the workers they employ."

Hartmarx, the largest and oldest menswear manufacturing company in the nation, filed for bankruptcy protection in January after U.S. banks curtailed its lines of credit.

Hartmarx workers, members of the union Workers United, an SEIU affiliate, are receiving steadily growing support from state and national leaders who are slamming Wells Fargo--a $25 billion taxpayer bailout recipient--for shortsightedly refusing to invest in U.S. companies and workers.Read the letter here.

Today, Workers United is urging the liquidated company's chief creditor, Wells Fargo, to support London-based private equity firm Emerisque (and SKNL North America) as the firm to help the retail company emerge from bankruptcy. Next Thursday, May 28, SEIU and Workers United members will protest outside a Target Store as part of the campaign spreading nationwide to preserve Hartmarx .

Please stand with Hartmarx workers today by co-signing the letter to Wells Fargo right now.

On Tuesday, March 31, Hollywood "West Wing" stars Martin Sheen and Bradley Whitford descended upon the nation's Capitol to join workers, union leaders and members of Congress for the unveiling of a new ad and grassroots campaign, "Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act."

The campaign features 50-foot-high banners displayed on buildings throughout Washington, DC, and billboard trucks in states across the country. A different union member is pictured on each banner, accompanied by a quote about why the Employee Free Choice Act is imperative for all workers to restore their freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life.

One worker who told her story at today's star-studded event on the Hill was SEIU Local 105 member Roberta Ayala, the "face" adorning the banner splashed across SEIU's building on Massachusetts Ave. Roberta is a teacher's aide at a private organization in Denver, CO and works with teenagers with severe emotional problems, as well as non-verbal autistic children.

"I had always believed a union was the fairest way to work," says Roberta, whose father and grandfather were in unions. "I believed that if we had a union, this unfair treatment wouldn't be happening. I wanted my coworkers to be treated fairly so we could be better advocates for our students," said Roberta, detailing how she and the other employees in her school repeatedly went to management with their concerns on understaffing and increasing safety and training procedures to create a better learning environment for the kids--but were ignored. So they decided to form a union:

Eighty percent us signed cards supporting the union. But the school wouldn't recognize our decision. We filed for an election and that's when management began harassing and intimidating us. They even fired several teachers' assistants--making our staffing problems even worse.

[...] Management continued their intimidation tactics even after we won our election. The facility experienced a 70 percent turnover in staff because of the campaign waged by management...Imagine what it does to developmentally disabled children when they lose 70 percent of their caregivers.

The current system to form a union in the workplace is slanted in favor of employers who too often use harassment and intimidation to stop unions and keep workers from getting a fair deal. "Eighteen months after our election, we finally won our first contract," says Roberta. "We finally won a voice in classroom decisions. But it shouldn't have been this hard to win improvements for our students." Read Roberta's entire story here.

The experiences of workers like Roberta show the necessity of the Employee Free Choice Act. "Without the protections provided by the Employee Free Choice Act, workers looking to join unions are subject to harassment, disinformation, and dismissal, because of a system that is exploited by, and stacked in favor of management," said actor Bradley Whitford, stressing that we must not allow lawmakers to put their own job protection ahead of the protection of their working constituents.

Around the country, activists are gearing up for the April 6-17 congressional recess by planning stepped-up mobilization actions in cities around the country to build support for the Employee Free Choice Act--so stayed turned for details on upcoming actions in the coming week.

To learn more about the "Faces" campaign and see the workers' billboards, visit www.americanrightsatwork.org

An important step toward restoring balance and fairness to our economy was taken today--the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Now that the fight has moved to the halls of Congress, we need to take our campaign to the next level--and give more workers a shot at the American Dream.

Congress will debate and vote on this important bill soon. Your senators and representative need to hear from people back home immediately--they're already hearing from corporate interests.

SEIU President Andy Stern and SEIU member Regina Schwartz recorded a video message for you about the Employee Free Choice Act. Please click here to watch the video and ask your Members of Congress to actively support the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Employee Free Choice Act is essential to our economic recovery - more than $49 billion could be pumped into the economy every year from workers negotiating for better wages, benefits and working conditions. It's the kind of stimulus working people so desperately need.

With the most pro-working family Congress in years, and President Obama committed to the cause, this is our best chance yet to pass this bill. But it's not yet a done deal.

Corporate special interests are twisting arms, spending millions on misleading ads and spreading lies and propaganda to block the bill. We've got to put pressure on members of Congress who haven't signed on--and make sure those who support the bill stay strong.

There's not a moment to lose--watch our short video and email your Members of Congress right now!

The stakes couldn't be higher--giving more workers a fair chance to bargain for better pay, benefits and job security will help restore the struggling middle class and make the economy work for everyone.

Now that the bill has been introduced, it's time for your Members of Congress to hear directly from you.

Pictured, from left to right: Theo Jackson, Mike Kingsbury, Dana Graham, Thurman Johnson, Toni Piechowski, Cheryl Moon, Jerry Thompson, Rebia Mixon.

Nine SEIU members and workers from key states across the country have relocated to Washington, DC for a three-month long stint as a grassroots lobbyist on Capitol Hill.

This week, members are heading to Congressional offices to represent the working people in their state, and impress upon staff the importance of the economic stimulus bill (which is currently in conference). They also praised legislators for passing SCHIP and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act with cards and personal face-to-face thank you's.

The current cohort of SEIU member lobbyists will be followed by a second wave this summer, continuing through August. Each member will be speaking to lawmakers about creating change that works for their families and communities--affordable healthcare for all, the freedom to form a union, and an economy that works for everyone--not just those at the top.

Each of these people have traveled far from their homes and their families to tell their story. Whether they were fired for trying to form a union, have recently retired, or struggle to afford healthcare for themselves or their families, these workers are sharing their stories so that Members of Congress understand what it's like to be a worker today. We'd like to introduce you to a few of these wonderful people each week, starting with Theo Jackson and Mike Kingsbury.

Mike Kingsbury is an RN hailing from Denver, Colorado and will be one of our regular guest bloggers. He's been an active member of the Nurse Alliance of Colorado for many years and also worked with SEIU on the Obama campaign.

Theo Jackson was a dedicated case manager--and a two-time Employee of the Month--at a substance abuse recovery center in Scotts Valley, CA before being fired for trying to form a union with SEIU Local 521. Theo's wrongful firing case is currently pending before the NLRB, and he is helping his colleagues continue to fight for a first contract. He was one of five workers to share his story last week at the Employee Free Choice Act rally on the Hill to urge Congress to support the legislation.

As our member lobbyists head inside the gilded halls of Congress each day and meet with key legislative staff and attend Hill briefings, hearings and demonstrations, they'll be capturing their experiences on video and in blog posts.

Stay tuned for updates, as our members report to us on what they're hearing about health care, the Employee Free Choice Act and restoring economic strength to Main Street.