One day before we celebrate the birth of our nation, Nebraskans gathered at a scheduled healthcare roundtable to call on Senator Johanns to support an American solution to our healthcare crisis.

Instead of greeting the teachers from NSEA, veterans, and SEIU workers Senator Johanns' staff called the police, ordering the Nebraskans to leave the Medical Center grounds.

"Johanns' voters-- teachers, members of the armed forces, and SEIU members-- set up a table with apple pie and signs welcoming the Senator and urging him to support a uniquely American solution to healthcare reform," explained Jane Kleeb, SEIU State Director. "Instead of coming by and saying hello, the Senator walked right by us as we were surrounded by police, and the Senator said 'good luck with that.'"

SEIU received advanced permission from the Nebraska Medical Center to greet the Senator as he started his day of roundtables on healthcare reform. Instead of greeting the healthcare reform advocates at the table, the Senator's staff called the police.

Just as our founders realized the time for hard decisions was upon them, SEIU and our partners know we can not afford to wait any longer to reform our broken healthcare system.

Nebraskans need policies that will make healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone. With our families and businesses struggling, the future of our nation depends on the solutions being debated in DC. It is not a time to slowdown, it is a time to act.
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For more pictures of today's event, visit Nebraska's Change that Works Facebook album. To learn more about what we do, visit our website.

Update: Here at TPM, Jane Hamsher confirms that the police told her Johanns' staff were the ones who called.
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Crossposted on MyDD, OpenLeft and Daily Kos.

In response to new ads from out-of-state corporate lobbyists spreading lies about the Employee Free Choice Act, Nebraska Change that Works issued this statement from North Platte cafeteria worker Trish Meuhlenkamp:

"The ads by this outside group are a slap in the face to Nebraska workers. This is yet another example of the dishonest politics coming from weak outsiders. My job is more than just a paycheck. It's about people and it's about respect. These groups represent exactly the kind of greed that we need to rein in to protect our economy. They need to stop speaking for Nebraskans and start telling the truth."

The Employee Freedom Action Committee is spreading lies about the Employee Free Choice Act, claiming that unionization means that workers do not have a say in their wages and benefits and that higher unionization hurts companies. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The fact is that union workers have higher wages and benefits than non-union workers. That is why more than half of all U.S. workers would join a union if they could. And research shows that unionization does not lead companies to fail. Higher unionization would actually put more money into workers' pockets, which would provide a much needed boost to businesses and our economy overall.

Below is a fact check on the many falsehoods in the ads.

In the current debate over health care reform, an awful lot of attention has been paid towards Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson.  And it's certainly understandable that it should.  After all, Nelson has proven to be a critical swing vote in a divided Senate, and as we documented earlier this week with our "24/7 Project", Nebraskans themselves have a whole lot at stake in this debate.

But in the fights that are still ahead on this issue, it's important to remember who the real obstacles are.  And while Senator Ben Nelson has consistently shown a willingness to listen to his constituents and vote for the real reform that they need, his colleague, Senator Mike Johanns, has not.

This week a DC group launched a direct mail campaign attacking Ben Nelson for his stance on the public option.  But, as has now been documented in the Huffington Post, Nelson has kept his mind open to supporting just such a plan. 

Nelson made these statements while meeting directly with community leaders from across the state, including our organization and many other progressive partners.  By contrast, Mike Johanns has never extended invitations to hold similar meetings, and has been steadfast in his opposition to any public option. 

So why aren't more groups holding Senator Johanns accountable for his record, too? 

After all, the votes really speak for themselves.

Senator Nelson voted to continue and expand SCHIP, a program he actually created as Governor, so that our kids in Nebraska whose families cant afford health insurance can be covered.

Senator Johanns voted against SCHIP, which would have left thousands of Nebraskan kids uncovered and unprotected.

Senator Nelson voted to extend unemployment benefits and COBRA, the health insurance safety net for those who lose their job and lose their health insurance.

Senator Johanns voted against unemployment benefits and COBRA, leaving Nebraskans with not only lost hope but filled with fear of what happens if they get sick in between jobs.

Senator Nelson voted to fund health clinics which are the backbone of our communities.

Senator Johanns voted against our health clinics which would have left a huge hole in coverage for communities across our state.

Groups focusing on Senator Nelson and ignoring Senator Johanns are kinda like the parents who punish their kid who got a B instead of an A, and ignore their kid that got a D because that is what they expect out of him.  We think the D student could use some coaching and focus.

Jane Fleming Kleeb lives in Hastings, Nebraska with her husband Scott Kleeb and their two daughters.  Jane heads up SEIU's Change That Works project focusing on reforming healthcare and labor laws.

In Washington, politicians make a business out of saying one thing and then doing another. Well, that's not how we do things in Nebraska. Out here, our word is our bond.

When he was running for national office, Senator Johanns gave Nebraska's working families his word. He said that he would fight for working families, he told us that he would honor the support that we give to our communities every day. And even now, whenever he's back in state, he's still bound to talk a good game. Most recently, he was praising the union training programs that have done so much to grow our local economy.

So why is it that whenever he's back in Washington, Senator Johanns marches in lockstep with big business CEOs that try to demonize Nebraska workers and the unions they form?

Johanns has been steadfast in opposing workers' rights to determine how to best form a union for themselves. In opposing the Employee Free Choice Act, he has grossly misrepresented both its content and intent - suggesting that it will take away worker's rights to a secret ballot, when in fact it will do nothing of the sort. Rather, the Employee Free Choice Act will give workers the freedom to choose how to form a union, including whether to pursue a ballot election, without fear of losing their job.

Worse yet, Johanns has carried water for groups that are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking the very organizations who's efforts he's praised - the Nebraska workers and their unions who are fighting to gain a voice in their workplace and providing the very training programs Johanns praised last week.

Well, Senator, this is one group that's going to make their voices heard. Join us today, as workers from all over the state call on Mike Johanns to stop the lies and the double-talk. Join us in telling Johanns that our working families deserve more than just words: they deserve a real voice in their workplace. They deserve the Employee Free Choice Act.

For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.changethatworks.net/ne, and while you are there, sign-up for our Union Freedom Ride on May 31st.

In solidarity,

Jim Sheard
President, Change to Win Nebraska