Purple hats and gold thunder sticks carrying the message, "Enough is Enough", filled Albany's West Capitol Park on Thursday as some 5,000 1199SEIU caregivers rallied to protest another round of healthcare budget cuts proposed by New York's Governor David Paterson.

The Governor's proposed $278 million in Medicaid cuts would cause the state to lose a total of $746 million, when federal matching funds are figured in. For every dollar cut in state Medicaid funding, New York loses $2.60 from Washington.

In the past two years, healthcare funding has already been cut six times by the legislature, with a combined loss of over $2.2 billion, resulting in the loss of several hospitals and nursing homes in distressed areas.

Ros Hampton, an LPN and longtime 1199SEIU Delegate in Buffalo, rally inspired the crowd when she asked, "Governor Paterson, is this any way to treat the most vulnerable members of our society that have paid their dues? Our elderly need to be treated like the kings and queens they are, but how can we do that with these outrageous budget cuts?"

Paulette Abrams, an 1199SEIU homecare worker with the Social Concern Homecare Agency, told the rally, "I've been a homecare worker for 19 years and I'm here to tell Governor Paterson that our patients and all of our families cannot survive any more cuts to homecare. Our clients won't be able to get the care they need and we won't be able to pay our bills."

1199SEIU caregivers came to Albany from as far away as the tip of Long Island and up to the Canadian borders of Western and Northern New York. They were joined by hospital and nursing home executives, who understand the devastating impact of these cuts.

The protests at the American Bankers Association Conference in Chicago may have finished on Tuesday, but the campaign to demand that big banks stop using our tax dollars to lobby against financial reform is far from over. Big banks took $17.8 trillion in taxpayer bailouts and then turned around and spent $35 million of the taxpayers' money fighting reform and lobbying against the most basic measures to protect consumers.

Adding to the frustration of the situation is the complete lack of responsibility the delegates from the American Bankers' Association accept for the financial crisis their banks' harmful business practices perpetuated. "Bankers care," the ABA's chairman, Arthur Connelly, told more than 1,000 senior executives from banks across the nation gathered at their annual convention in Chicago. "We want to make life better in our communities...[and] traditional banks are the solution to getting this country back on track."

Newsflash, Mr. Connelly: Taxpayers (and their empty wallets, foreclosed homes, and drained pensions) beg to differ. The ABA's annual convention in Chicago was the scene for the series of major protests this week, as thousands demonstrated to show just how sick and tired they are of having big banks treat them like personal ATMs. We're still enjoying the amazing visuals that resulted from the five demonstrations held outside the ABA convention, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs in downtown Chicago. Check out the photos from the October 27th march and rally, which mobilized 5,000 taxpayers to take to the streets:

You can check out photos from the four other demonstrations protesting the ABA, Well Fargo and Goldman Sachs after the break.

To see our live updates and blog posts from the Showdown in Chicago, visit SEIU's Blog here.

For an inadvertent visitor, there were plenty of street festivals going on in Puerto Rico on Thursday. Very loud music played on enormous loudspeakers, people were chanting and dancing in the streets and a very joyful ambiance was felt everywhere.

It wasn't a carnival happening in Puerto Rico though--it was the General Strike that mobilized over 150,000 workers and citizens to protest Republican Governor Luis Fortuño's massive layoffs. "It was tremendous. I've been in the labor movement for 44 years and this was the most impressive event I've ever seen. It was up there with the immigrant mobilizations of 2006," said Executive VP Eliseo Medina of the assembly of Puerto Rican workers. "It was one of the most diverse events that I've ever seen in a society. Lawyers, workers, students, psychologists, priests and minsters and nuns and everyday people. It was truly an amazing sight. It was pretty clear, our rejection of Governor Fortuño's policies."

Thursday's one-day national strike and rally was a first for many Puerto Ricans who had never taken the streets to protest before. As 'firsts' go, this one was quite impressive! On the morning of the 15th, seven marches from various locations across the Island converged at the main rally site in Hato Ray: Plazas las Americas, the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean. The shopping center was transformed into an enormous rainbow of flags and colorful banners, calling for a revoke of the law that authorized the firing of over thirty thousand public servants. According to reports, all mass public transportation was stopped, except for the trains. The port, docks and ferries in San Juan came to a halt, as did practically all public services across the Island. The public school system closed after only 2 percent of all students showed up for class, and all public universities were also closed.

SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina addressed demonstrators on their way to Plaza Las Americas during Puerto Rico's national strike on October 15, 2009

SEIU Healthcare chair Dennis Rivera, Local 1966SPT President Robert Pagan and Eliseo Medina joined the historic protest alongside hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rican workers, SEIU members, faith leaders, students and citizens in what's being called 'the greatest public demonstration in Puerto Rico's history.' SEIU leaders have been in San Juan since Wednesday helping out the striking workers, as many of the laid-off workers are SEIU members. "It is critical. 7,500 members of SEIU are going to lose their jobs," SEIU Healthcare chair Dennis Rivera told The Hill. "If SEIU cannot help their members in their time of need, what good would this organization be?"

Even in the wake of largest demonstration in Puerto Rican history as the country's unemployment rate tops 17 percent, Governor Fortuño continues to parrot his plan to lay off 17,000 state employees made viable under Law 7 will not be repealed. While Governor Fortuño has made it clear that he's not going to listen to the citizens of Puerto Rico or the widespread opposition to his administration's policies, this fight is far from over. "The people have spoken, and they are not going to allow this administration to devastate the lives of working families, ruin the economy, and dismantle Puerto Rico's safety net," said Dennis Rivera. Members of SEIU Local 1996SPT, Local 1199 UGT and other unions and coalitions in Puerto Rico have pledged to continue protests against the job cuts in and outside of the Island.

As the impending date the massive layoffs go into effect creeps closer, thousands of civil servants are living in moments of despair and distress, wondering how they will pay their bills and feed their children after November 6th. Fortuño's draconian budget cuts and cancellation of workers' collective bargaining rights in response to the fiscal crisis is not an acceptable solution by the Government to the Island's already under-served citizens. It's up to us to turn up the heat on Congress and demand they hold hearings on Fortuño's anti-American actions: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/PRcivilrights

More on the strike and recent events in Puerto Rico on SEIU's Blog here. More photos from the October 15th strike here.

Fixing health care is too important to let those Americans get lost in all this back-and-forth.

In just a few days, members of Congress will be headed back to Washington. Help us send them back to Washington with a clear directive on health care reform. Join us at send-off rallies across the country: http://action.seiu.org/sendthemback

What a month.

We went into August excited to discuss health care reform at town halls across the country. Instead, we got a reminder that our opponents will say or do almost anything to shut down legitimate debate on this issue.

But, their scare tactics didn't work. In fact, they only energized us. And now, at hundreds of town halls across the country, supporters of health reform are outnumbering opponents by large margins; and we're helping to lead honest, civil conversations with members of Congress.

In just a few days, members of Congress will be headed back to Washington. Will you help send them off with one final, strong message? Tell Congress that fixing health care comes first: http://action.seiu.org/sendthemback

The teabag protesters make a lot of noise - but they don't speak for the majority of Americans. And they certainly don't speak for the 47 million Americans who can't afford health care; or the millions more who are one paycheck away from losing it.

Fixing health care is too important to let those Americans get lost in all this back-and-forth. Help us send congress back to Washington with a clear directive on health care reform. Join us at send-off rallies across the country: http://action.seiu.org/sendthemback

We proved in 2008 that when passionate, thoughtful people come together for something we believe in, we can do anything. That momentum from 2008 is back. You can feel it in communities across America. People are ready for change when it comes to health care.

Let's not waste the momentum. Let's keep the energy growing. And let's remind Congress why we sent them to Washington in the first place - to fix our broken health care system and create an America that works for everyone: http://action.seiu.org/sendthemback

SEIU members marched on the Massachusetts Republican Party this week, calling on the GOP to stop its campaign to kill healthcare reform. Their message was simple: stop putting insurance companies over working families.

As SEIU President Andy Stern said to AP this week, "It is clear that Republicans have decided 'no healthcare' is a victory for them. There is a point at which bipartisanship reaches a limit, and I would say it's reaching that limit."

AZ Healthcare Supporters Turnout to Greet Obama
Despite thermometer readings in the triple digits, SEIU along with the NEA, the Teamsters and the UFCW helped turn out thousands of supporters of healthcare reform to a welcome rally and march in advance of President Obama's speech to veterans yesterday in Phoenix. AZCentral.com has some great photos of the event - view them here.

TODAY: Health Care for America Now (HCAN) Rally & Lobby Day

Joined by SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, Actress Edie Falco, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and other leaders, more than 10,000 healthcare advocates from across the country kicked off the Health Care For America Now (HCAN)'s historic lobby day with a rally in upper Senate Park. See the photos and read about SEIU 1199 NW members attending today's rally and lobby day.

7:09pm: And the closing line from Rev. Forbes brings the crowd to their feet:

"When we pool our resources and pool together - black and white, rich and poor, Baptists and Catholics and Muslims and Buddhists. That's when the spirit gathers and we can make a difference."

Wow. What a program. People are energized going into the next event. I have chills.

7:02pm: Reverend James A. Forbes wraps up the faith event before we move onto the Health Equality Project event. He lost his health care when he went into retirement: "my problem is I can't pray for myself without praying for 46 million other people."

After numerous songs, slogans, speeches and a march across Portland's Hawthorne Bridge, the message came down to a simple chant rising from Terry D. Schrunk Plaza and echoing off the Portland skyscrapers around it: "What do we want? Fairness! When do we want it? Now!" With that, about 2,500 SEIU Local 503 members and allies concluded the United for Oregon rally against state budget cuts and layoffs last Sunday.

The event drove home the need to shield front-line workers and those they serve -- children, seniors, and families made vulnerable by the economic downturn -- from absorbing an unfair share of proposed state budget cuts. A proposed budget from the Oregon Legislature calls for as many as 1,700 state worker layoffs, and unions have been asked to accept a wage freeze and as many as 24 unpaid furlough days during the next two years.

Hartmarx employees voted unanimously today to occupy their workplace if chief lender Wells Fargo or and its subsidiary Wachovia Bank should try to shut the factory down. "The vote today says Hartmarx workers are going to hold banks accountable for how they spend taxpayers' money and how they contribute to the future of our economy," said Noel Beasley, Executive Vice President of Workers United, an SEIU affiliate, the union that represents the Hartmarx workers.

As Wells Fargo pushes for a bankruptcy closure of the facility, the plight of 3,500 workers employed nationwide at the Chicago-based Hartmarx retail company has captured the attention of state politicians and numerous labor leaders. The workers were joined by Rep. Phil Hare, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and SEIU Illinois State Council president Tom Balanoff at the rally held after the "sit in" vote at the Des Plaines, IL plant to rally support for the suit maker label, which made the custom-made dark-navy suit Obama wore on Election Night in Chicago.

"Wells Fargo has received $25 billion in taxpayer assistance through TARP. In other words, the workers Wells Fargo may throw out on the street have been subsidizing its operations during these tough economic times. So much for returning the favor," said Rep. Phil Hare, who worked at a Hartmarx factory as a fabric cutter for 13 years. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Wells Fargo has reportedly denied payment to Hartmarx's fabric suppliers since December 2008. The factory filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias also spoke to the workers, saying he will press Hartmarx factories located in other states to take the bank off its list of preferred vendors if it forces the menswear plant into liquidation.

At the rally, more than 500 Hartmarx workers packed the factory cafeteria to applaud the vote outcome, shouting their support and displaying signs that said "Bailout money, $25 billion; CEO bonuses, $30 million; Saving our jobs, priceless" and "Banks get bailed out, workers get sold out."

More details about the Hartmarx workers' fight to save their jobs at Huffington Post, New York Times and SEIU's blog, here and here.

Update: There is reportedly more action in the works in support of Hartmarx workers this week, including a hotline for workers at other companies in financial distress and a congressional letter to Treasury Secretary Geithner. Stay tuned!

Biddeford - Hundreds of Mainers are visiting Senator Snowe's and Collins' offices in Biddeford, Portland, Auburn, Lewiston, Augusta and Bangor today emphasize the urgent need for federal action to guarantee access to quality, affordable health care for all.

A "Health Care Caravan" of twenty-five volunteers is making six stops throughout the state, meeting up with groups of local residents in every city. A separate delegation is also visiting Senator Snowe's office in Presque Isle. At each office, activists are presenting the Senators with a lighthouse, sharing personal health care stories, and asking the senators to be guiding lights out of the health care crisis by supporting a public health insurance plan for everyone in America.

"The fact that so many people are taking time out of their days to get this message to the Senators shows how serious Mainers are about federal reform," said Billy DiGuilio of Bowdoin, who is taking a break from work to participate in the Portland rally. "I believe 2009 will be the year that we ensure everyone in America has access to quality, affordable health care. We just can't wait any longer."

Confirmed participants who pledged to show up at each office number over fifty, with the largest gathering in Portland expected to be more than a hundred strong.

Paulette Dingley will be visiting Senator Collins' office in Lewiston today and plans to share her story of struggling to survive breast cancer. The high cost of individual health insurance has kept her uninsured for more than three years.

"I really appreciate the leadership role that both Senators have taken on health care issues in the past," said Dingley. "What concerns me now is whether they will be there when we need them most. In the next few weeks, all eyes will be on Maine and our Senators. In this crucial moment, it would be outrageous to just say "no" to reform. This is a time to take bold action."

Maine People's Alliance Healthcare Organizer Ali Vander Zanden is helping to coordinate the events.

"Hundreds of Mainers are coming out today because we are hopeful that 2009 will be the year that Mainers' cries of distress about our health care crisis are finally heeded," said Vander Zanden. "Maine's Senators can be our guiding light out of this crisis. The question is, will federal health care reform just tinker around the edges of the health care crisis, or will it actually solve the problem?"

The overriding theme of the events all over the state was the necessity of a public option for health care at the federal level.

"To solve this problem, we are going to need, at the bare minimum, a strong public health insurance plan for everyone in America so that we're not at the mercy of profit-driven insurance companies," said Vander Zanden.

Wow, what a week for immigration reform!

Thursday, Senator Chuck Schumer chaired a Judiciary subcommittee hearing on immigration reform, "Can We Do It and How?" And his answer was 'Yes we can.' He knows it'll be hard work but he and the witnesses - including our own executive VP Eliseo Medina - agreed that there is great reason for hope. President Obama wants to get this job done, and even the freshman, newly-appointed senator from my home state of Colorado, Michael Bennet, has been traveling around our state talking about the need for comprehensive immigration reform now.

This Friday, May 1st, I joined SEIU Local 32BJ, SEIU members and thousands of immigration advocates from around the country to march from Malcolm X Park to the White House.

What a crowd! The immigration reform rallies I have been to in the past have usually been 'family' events marked by enthusiasm and passion--and this one was no different. What I saw was a group of workers standing up and standing together for better treatment. People who know that the labor they provide carries more value than they are receiving for it, and are raising their voices to call for real reforms now.

Why we as citizens don't do this more often, I don't know. I do know that putting a floor under the most vulnerable workers in this country will help maintain a standard of living for all of us. And this year's May Day theme emphasizing America's immigrant history - immigrant roots, immigrant rights -- couldn't have been more on target.

After getting fired up with a big crowd like the one in DC on Friday, I feel ready for the work it'll take to get this job done and finally pass smart, pragmatic immigration reform that supports all workers. !Si se puede!

* Read more about last week's Senate hearing on immigration reform.

In Washington, they may have questioned whether the Employee Free Choice Act battle was drawing to a close. Good thing no one told the rest of the country, where rallies and activities in favor of the bill are going strong. From Maine to North Dakota, activists gathered to tell their Senators, the time for the Employee Free Choice Act is now. Here are some highlights of our nationwide effort.

On Thursday, hundreds of Chicago janitors and supporters rallied at Fifth Third Bank in Schaumburg to call for good jobs and an economic recovery that works for everyone, not just the people at the top. Janitors marched from Woodfield Mall to the bank, chanting loudly and holding purple banners reading "Value Work."

Fifth Third Bank took $3.4 billion in taxpayer-funded bailout money, and CEO Kevin Kabat was paid over $200,000--more than seven times the average teller's annual pay--for perks like country club dues, parking and estate planning. Fifth Third Bank's CEO also received a base salary increase from the year before, as well as stock and option awards valued at about $1.9 million on the days they were granted.

The average salary for a downtown janitor is about $1,950 a month, with suburban janitors making even less than that.

Thursday's march builds on momentum from the rally held earlier in the week, when 3,300 janitors marched through downtown Chicago to call on Bank of America and other banks to use federal bailout money to create jobs that will strengthen the economy, instead of paying executives excessive salaries and bonuses. Both rallies are part of an effort by SEIU Local 1 janitors and community supporters to call attention to low-wage workers struggling to keep afloat in a time when corporate CEOs are still getting multimillion dollar compensation and bonuses.

With more hardworking Americans losing their jobs and their homes every day, janitors want to protect and create good jobs that will help get this country's financial system back on track. "We're here to show that we're important in this economy too," said Alexandra Figus, who's worked as a janitor for 29 years. "We have families and homes. Our homes are going into foreclosure. I'm a mother. I have a family. That's why I'm here. We need job security."

Thursday's rally occurs as nearly 15,000 SEIU Local 1 janitors begin contract negotiations with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Chicago, including 3,000 janitors who work in suburban office buildings. The current agreement expires April 5.

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota hospital workers are uniting and taking a stand for their future. More than 200 members who work at Regina Medical Center begin a 2-day strike today in the face of a proposed 50 percent cut to their pension and an increase in overall healthcare costs. "I'm sick to my stomach that our community hospital has joined the wave of employers breaking promises to loyal employees," said striking cook Jesse Nie. "Everyone I know is tired of the bailouts and broken promises. It's time we defend our future before it's taken away from all of us."

Despite these tough economic times, SEIU members are standing strong, and standing up for Minnesota's working families. "We want to retire with dignity and security," says SEIU Healthcare Minnesota steward Jan Salo in today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "Working people have earned retirement security," writes SEIU Healthcare MN member and dietary aide Sharon Braun in a letter to the editor on behalf of the caregivers at Regina Medical Center.

The efforts of the striking SEIU workers at Regina Hospital to protect their hard-earned pension have earned the support of the 20,000-member Minnesota Nurses Association, the leading organization for registered nurses in the Midwest. In a demonstration of solidarity, the nurses of MNA joined in a rally with the workers today. More details to come.