On Friday, SEIU Florida Healthcare nurse Patricia Diaz joined U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and a team of Spanish-speaking Administration officials from DHS and the CDC for a White House Town Hall to listen to the Hispanic community's concerns and discuss the government's safety and prevention plans to control the impact of the H1N1 virus.

"Today was a transformative day for me. I got to attend the White House's first townhall meeting entirely in Spanish. It shows how much our President wants to reach out to everyone and make sure information reaches all communities about the H1N1 virus," said Diaz. Hosted by Univision Anchor Edna Schmidt, parts of the town hall aired to more than 13 million viewers on Univision's national news show.

» Read more about the town hall and SEIU nurse Patricia Diaz's participation here.
» Watch the full video, read the full transcript in Spanish or the President's remarks in English.

Working to Stop Pandemic Threat: Get Resources for Rront-line Workers and Families at Risk

To answer key questions about H1N1 and the swine flu, the SEIU Nurse Alliance Health & Safety Committee prepared facts sheets and an "employer check list" to allow healthcare workers a quick way to assess their worksite's readiness. Read about the differences and similarities between swine flu and seasonal flu, using infection control to prevent spreading the flu in healthcare settings, and get the response plan checklist at SEIU.org.

SEIU members in Florida have helped beat an anti-union ballot initiative designed to undermine Employee Free Choice and deny workers their rights. Through a grassroots campaign, Florida members defeated the so-called "Save Our Secret Ballot" initiative, part of a national campaign led by big business and right-wing think tanks. This amendment (House Joint Resolution 1013) hides behind the false pretense of protecting democracy for workers by 'protecting the secret ballot,' while the real goal is to restrict workers' ability to have a voice in the workplace.

SEIU Florida members weren't fooled by this misleadingly-named amendment and were able to keep this initiative off the ballot--an initiative that was not only unconstitutional but would have also have had a particularly negative effect on Florida public sector workers. SEIU Florida members made over 2,600 calls and delivered more than 1,000 postcards to key legislators. Nearly 30 SEIU members lobbied in Tallahassee and 50 members held a march in front of Hasner's office in Delray Beach. Bravo!