Cleaners at Anheuser-Busch breweries in Newark and Rochester recently found themselves without jobs, despite years of loyal service to the "King of Beers." The brewing behemoth has brought in cleaning contractors who seem bent on cutting costs for the $23 billion dollar multinational on the backs of the working people who keep their plants running and profitable.

The new contracting companies, U.S. Metro Group Inc. and Dawn Brite, have refused to accept job applications from the laid-off custodians who have long worked for AB. These new contractors have slashed wages by a margin that's rumored to be around 40 percent.

As for benefits (like affordable quality healthcare)...there aren't any to speak of.

"Doesn't Anheuser-Busch get that we need to feed our families?" asked 32BJ member Luci Peralta, a cleaner who has worked at the Newark brewery for six years but was laid-off last week (pictured on the right next to Giovanny, another janitor that was laid off on Oct. 31). "With no income, I don't know how I'll put food on the table and make our house payments."

Since merging with Brazilian-Belgian brewing company InBev a year ago, American beer lovers have seen what was once a family-led company that spared little expense turn into "one that is focused intently on cost-cutting and profit margins." The company reported revenues of more than $23.5 billion in 2008.

However, in order to afford to buy Anheuser-Busch last year, InBev had to borrow very heavily from a syndicate of banks, including JP Morgan Chase. As a result, the combined group is now saddled with more than $50 billion in debt. Yet despite weaker sales in 2009, the company said in August that their net profit for the quarter rose 28 percent. What InBev is not saying is that they are trying to turn a huge profit in a downturn economy on the backs of their employees. And while AB's workers have already faced cuts and layoffs, it's a distinct possibility that InBev's attempts to balance their deficit asap will continue to threaten the jobs of current employees at the 11 other breweries and Anheuser-Busch facilities across the country.

The laid-off janitors at the Newark brewery had been making $13.30 an hour and receiving healthcare. Now, they're worrying how they're going to feed their children and pay their bills. "This is an awful time for Anheuser-Busch to watch these workers be put out on the street,"said Kevin Brown, New Jersey area director for SEIU. "The holidays are right around the corner, and in this economy, the workers may not find jobs that pay the same wages. They may only find minimum-wage jobs that don't even cover their basic bills."

Quick hits around the union from ULTCW, SEIU Massachusetts, SEIU District 1199, CSEA, Local 5-Virginia, SEANC, Local 721 and 32BJ.

Court Hearing to Stop Cuts to In-Home Care Services Results in Big Win for Seniors, People with Disabilities: SEIU homecare providers recently succeeded in preventing the California Department of Social Services from mailing over 130,000 notices informing seniors and people with disabilities statewide that their In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) will be cut or eliminated. Today, as sisters and brothers of ULTCW from Stockton, Marin, San Jose and Oakland gathered in front of the Federal Courthouse for a rally to stand strong against cuts to critical in-home care services, Judge Claudia Wilkens reached the decision to grant a preliminary injunction, putting a stop the Governor's cuts to the IHSS program. Stayed tuned for video and updates on the hearing by following @seiuULTCW on Twitter.

32BJ's Mike Fishman is the man!: But we already knew that...the Oct. 18th issue of New York Magazine's 12 most powerful people in NYC includes SEIU Local 32BJ President Mike Fishman. "If there's one labor figure ready to break out, it's Mike Fishman," reads The Power Dozen. "A trained carpenter, he's not a grandstander but a savvy strategist...After years of steady growth, with expansions in neighboring states and a disciplined training operation, 32BJ has emerged as a potent force."

Congress Boehner's Opposition to a Public Healthcare Option? {Insert your own joke here} On Thursday, members of SEIU District 1199 visited the West Chester, Ohio district office of Rep. John Boehner to let him know loud and clear that they support a public health insurance option. Rep. Boehner claimed recently that he had never met an American who supported the public health insurance option. Um, really Congressman? The public option is supported by not only a majority of the nation, but also by a majority of people in your home state. You may want to get out more and watch this video:

Care for Kids vs. Connecticut's Self-Serving Rell Administration: In the wake of the scandal that has erupted over the misuse of public funds for political purposes by Connecticut's Rell Administration, the New Haven Advocate features a front-page story on the latest victims of state's efforts to shutter the state's only residential treatment center of its kind--High Meadows residential facility in Hamden.

Members of CSEA continued the union's nine-month struggle to preserve services for the youth by joining with District 1199/SEIU's members, parents, advocates, and legislators for a rally and press conference last week to urge Governor Rell to drop her scheme to shut the full-service facility down.

Who Is the Most Sought-After Endorsement at the Dance? "SEIU, I believe, is a modern and progressive union. They look at the future, they have modern organizing methods, and I think they represent workers who look forward with technology, particularly in health care," said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley upon winning the endorsement of the SEIU Massachusetts State Council, which has been called "one of the most sought-after union endorsements in the race for US Senate." It's the first time the council has ever decided as a group to back one candidate.

New Ad Highlights How State Budget Cuts Could Harm Ohio Families: The Save Ohio campaign, a project of SEIU District 1199, began airing a television ad statewide in Ohio last week aimed at stopping additional cuts in safety net services. The move could put more Ohioans at risk if state lawmakers decide to close the budget hole through spending cuts instead of Governor Strickland's tax freeze proposal.

Everybody Wins Contest: Members of SEIU Local 5-Virginia have started a contest that may save the county money while improving public services in Fairfax, Virginia. The Everybody Wins contest runs through Oct. 30th. The winner gets awarded a cash prize, and the county gets $5,000 seed money to jump-start the winning idea. Enter here.

City of LA Engineers and Professionals Join SEIU: Nearly 1,500 City of Los Angeles engineers and professional employees have chosen a stronger voice at work with SEIU 721. "I'm ecstatic," said Lorena Avila, an engineering associate with the City of LA Department of Transportation. "It's time to come together and move forward with our new union." Learn more about their decisive vote.

SEANC Members Get Raleigh-ed Up, Fight Discriminatory Health Plan, Bad Puns: North Carolina is trying to impose a health tax on state employees with a plan full of sticks to penalize workers but with no carrots to help them. SEANC - SEIU Local 2008 members are mobilizing to stop Raleigh's misguided plan, and last week took the story national with a feature on NBC's "TODAY Show" that includes interviews with SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope and member Susan Strickland, a Department of Labor employee. Watch the clip:

On Tuesday, October 13, over 400 SEIU members joined fellow activists and religious leaders for an immigration lobby day and rally to urge Congress to move immigration reform legislation forward. "We've traveled to Washington to tell our Congressman to stop costly immigration enforcement policies that rip families apart, upset workplaces and harm local communities," said Julio Sotelo, an SEIU Local 26 member who cleans office buildings in Minneapolis, MN and who traveled over 23 hours by bus to attend Tuesday's day of action.

The Capitol Hill rally featured Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, who outlined specifics of immigration reform legislation he plans to introduce in the House in coming weeks.

Legislation elements discussed by Rep. Gutierrez included:

• a rational, humane approach to the undocumented population;
• protections for U.S. and immigrant workers;
• sufficient visas to close unlawful migration channels;
• enhancing our nation's security and safety;
• establish a strategic border enforcement policy that reflects American values;
• keeping American families together;
• promoting immigrant integration; and
• including the DREAM Act and AgJOBS; and protecting fundamental rights for all.

"There are too many families separated, too many lives destroyed by failed immigration policies that benefit no one," said Julia Marroquín, 19 year old DREAM student from Minneapolis and daughter of SEIU Local 26 member Lucresia Mares. "This is our moment to put behind us the failures of the past and reform the U.S. immigration system once and for all so that it supports all U.S. families and strengthens this country that we love."

(Thanks to America's Voice for this video of Tuesday's event)

More coverage of the rally in the NY Times.

The energy consumption of our nation's large buildings is inextricably linked to the talent, training, and hard work of building operators. Teaching our building operators to maintain our large structures is the highest-impact way to address the climate crisis, at the lowest cost.

The Urban Green Council (United States Green Building Council of New York) and SEIU Local 32BJ have released a report detailing the essential role that building workers play in improving energy efficiency and discuss how 32BJ's training initiative will help New York City's building superintendents go green (previously profiled on SEIU's Blog here).

"A Blueprint for Greening New York City's Buildings" addresses how buildings fit into our national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the importance of operations and maintenance (O&M) in building energy efficiency and the role that building operators have on ensuring that building's receive energy energy efficient O&M. SEIU 32BJ is leading the initiative to train New York City's building superintendents. "By working together, 32BJ and New York's building owners have put into place a smart, practical and effective way to help make the Big Apple green. One Year, One Thousand Green Supers provides a low-cost way to make our buildings more energy and cost efficient, and our environment cleaner, all while saving our city millions of dollars," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

It's long been known that O&M plays an important role in building energy use. Studies have shown that simply operating and maintaining an existing building properly can reduce a building's energy use by 10 percent, without any major retrofits such as installing new windows, a new boiler, or any new insulation. Ten percent may not sound like much--so let's put that number into perspective: if all of New York City's buildings received energy efficiency O&M, the savings in energy costs to the city would be $230 million dollars. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would equal the equivalent of taking 150,000 cars off the road.

Equally important is the role that a building operator plays in maximizing the benefits of building retrofits. When a building owner makes the decision to retrofit their building, they are looking to save money by investing in technology that reduces energy use. However, without energy-efficient O&M, the expected savings of building retrofits often fail to materialize.

In one example of this, a 34 unit residential building in Brooklyn, NY performed a series of retrofit--including the installation of a new burner for the boiler, insulation, EnergyStar refrigerators, and several other improvements.The entire project was projected to reduce fuel use by 58 percent, but in reality, total fuel use increased by 47 percent! Upon inspection, it was discovered that improper O&M was the culprit responsible for the increase in fuel use. No one working in the building had been trained to use the new technology and consequently, CFL light bulbs had been incorrectly replaced with incandescent bulbs, EnergyStar appliances mistakenly were removed and low-flow water fixtures were missing.

See the full report "1 Year: 1,000 Green Superintendents" here.

Next week, 10 buses originating from ten cities from across the U.S., will make their way to Washington, D.C. for an historic rally October 13 at the U.S. Capitol to demand urgent Congressional action on immigration reform.

In one of the buses, over 30 members of SEIU Local 26--cleaning service workers who have experienced first-hand the fallout from aggressive enforcement of broken immigration laws--will travel from Minneapolis for the event. Passing by a rally in Chicago on their way, these SEIU members will join hundreds of SEIU 32BJ members and thousands of religious leaders, immigrants, and other pro-immigrant advocates for a rally at the U.S. Capitol to urge Congress to get cracking on immigration reform.

SEIU 32BJ Director of the DC Metro Area Jaime Contreras will join Representative Luis Gutierrez (IL-D), Reverend Coleman, and other national immigration leaders to address the crowd during the Tuesday afternoon rally. While speaking at the rally, Representative Luis Gutierrez (IL-D), is expected to introduce his principles for comprehensive immigration reform that will guide the legislation he is currently drafting for introduction in the House in the coming weeks.

Rep. Gutierrez's legislation will incorporate progressive principles for immigration reform, including the reuniting of families, a generous legalization program, and enforcement that respects the rights and dignity of people. While the Senate still plans to lead on immigration, after Senator Chuck Schumer's scheduled introduction of a bill next January, Rep. Gutierrez' leadership puts in focus the urgent need for Congressional action to overhaul a broken immigration system that has festered for far too long.

Can't be in Washington, DC on October 13th? No problem, RIFA.org has several easy ways to join in the action that day:

« Find an event taking place in your area.
« And if you can't make it to one of our events, there are still plenty of other ways to spread the word and make sure Congress hears your voice.

Today, SEIU President Andy Stern thanked outgoing AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for his 50+ years of service to working families, and congratulated his successor, Richard Trumka.

"John Sweeney has spent his life thinking of how he can improve the odds for women and men who work. He understood early on that organizing was a key component of our strength. He fought for healthcare reform before it was popular. He modernized SEIU. The labor movement owes him a debt of gratitude for his service.

[...] "Rich Trumka has a great union history and we look forward to working with him to shape the history of American workers in the 21st century."

Labor Warrior At-Large John Sweeney's first job in the labor movement was with the International Ladies' Garment Workers, and in 1961, he joined SEIU Local 32B in New York City as a union representative. Sweeney was elected president of Local 32B in 1976 and led two citywide strikes of apartment maintenance workers during the 1970s. In 1980, he became president of SEIU and has led the AFL-CIO since 1995.

Read Stern's entire statement here. To read more about the AFL-CIO's 26th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention this past weekend in Pittsburgh, click here.

Unionists and allies can send retiring AFL-CIO President John Sweeney a personal message here.

Buildings in the United States consume more energy than any other sector of the economy, including transportation or industry. In New York City this problem is especially pronounced, where buildings are responsible for 66 percent of total energy use and 77 percent of city greenhouse gas emissions^[1]. New York City residents also spend $13.4 billion on energy for their buildings, energy that is often wasted on inefficient or improperly maintained equipment.

The benefits of green buildings cannot be overstated--and one of the most cost-effective ways to "green" a building is to ensure that it has a knowledgeable and well-trained workforce. SEIU 32BJ's Training Fund has developed the first-ever Green Buildings Initiative to train building superintendents in the latest, state-of-the-art, best practices in energy efficiency.

To help foster a greener New York City, 32BJ's initiative aims to train 1,000 Green Superintendents in the 2009-2010 school year.

There is no other individual who can contribute more to the long-term greenness of a large multi-family building than the superintendent. Green supers manage the day-to-day operations and maintenance (O&M) of their building, an absolutely critical--though often overlooked--component of an efficient building. Take replacing light bulbs, for example. Did you know swapping out a single old fashioned fluorescent lighting fixture with a similar high-efficiency fixtures can save upwards of $130 per year?^[2] Studies have shown that simply performing optimal O&M can reduce a buildings' energy usage by 10 percent.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of decades the job duties of the superintendent have not changed all that much, despite the rising cost of energy and the solidified scientific consensus surrounding climate change. The 32BJ Training Fund's 1,000 Green Supers program is looking to change that and push an entire industry into the 21st century. The 40-hour training program incorporates standards from the Building Performance Institute and the Urban Green Council (USGBC). Students will cover the full range of topics required to operate their buildings in the most efficient way possible, include air sealing, insulation, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, water conservation, lighting, appliances, and quantifying energy usage. At the end of the course, superintendents will take written and field tests that will certify them as Multifamily Building Operators by the Building Performance Institute.

The investment required to green our buildings is minuscule compared to payoff. Green buildings provide us that always-elusive win-win situation where we can address the climate crisis and our devastated economy. By greening our city's buildings, we can save money, create jobs, and help clean our environment.

To find out more about 32BJ's Green Buildings Initiative, visit www.1000supers.com or email the 32BJ Training Fund at 1000supers@32bjfunds.com.

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[1] The City of New York, "PlaNYC: Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions", 2008

[2] Calculation based on replacing a 192 Watt F40-T12 (4 lamps, 2 ballasts) fixture with a 112 Watt F32-T8 (4 lamps, 1 ballast) fixture that is on 24 hours per day and costs $0.19/kWh.

Yesterday, SEIU Local 32BJ endorsed Michael Bloomberg for re-election. Why? Because Bloomberg has proven his commitment to working families, raising security industry standards and taking action to make sure out-of-work New Yorkers have the resources necessary to find employment.

32BJ's announcement followed a unanimous decision by the 32BJ executive board late Tuesday, capping a membership-driven, six month endorsement process. As part of this process, Mayor Bloomberg walked a day in the shoes of NYC security officer and 32BJ member Annie Davis - read the Mayor's take on the experience here. The Mayor is a big supporter of 32BJ's efforts to raise industry standards, increase training and improve the working conditions of NYC's security officers.

Making NYC a more sustainable living environment & creating green jobs: Bloomberg has worked closely with 32BJ on green building projects to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of City government, commercial, and residential buildings. He has introduced four "green" bills that would significantly improve the City's environment through reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions--which are much higher in NYC than any other city. The legislation has the potential to create hundreds of jobs for workers trained in green retrofitting, which falls in line with 32BJ's ambitious new Green training program aimed at providing 1,000 building superintendents with the skills needed to save energy, money and protect our environment.

Bloomberg also plans to open new Workforce 1 Centers and expanding their hours so they can place New Yorkers in over 20,000 jobs this year, on top of the 68,000 New Yorkers that have already been placed in jobs since the program was implemented.

Read 32BJ's endorsement statement here.

Fernando Cruz puts in 40 hour weeks at the Con Ed power plant at 14th St. and Avenue C in NYC. For his hard work, the father of two is paid $8.50 an hour, with no real health care and benefits. This results in a weekly take-home pay of around $300--not nearly enough pay his bills and support his family.

Fernando is one of more than 28 million people--about a quarter of the working-age workforce--who work full time yet still earn less than the income that marks the federal poverty line for a family of four: $9.04 per hour, a full-time salary of $18,800 a year. Although the 40-hour week is still considered the benchmark in American work culture, the fact is that working "9-to-5" for millions of low-wage workers doesn't result in financial compensation equaling that of a living wage...and so every day, workers like Fernando fall farther and farther behind.

Right now, the cleaning contractors Con Ed uses at its plants, offices and electrical substations across the city are Nelson Services, Apple Maintenance, T&T Cleaning and Janitorial, Accent Maintenance and Martinez Cleaning. SEIU 32BJ is demanding that Con Ed CEO Kevin Burke hire cleaning contractors that provide workers the wages and benefits they need to support their families. "What Con Ed is doing by not assuming responsibility [for the workers their contractors is promoting hunger wages," says 32BJ secretary-treasurer Héctor Figueroa.

Figueroa said the union has met with a VP of Con Ed to discuss the matter of contractors hired by the energy company not giving employees health benefits, sick leave or pensions, along with paying them only $8.50/hour. Their efforts were met with a "tough luck" response from the VP. "He told us that he was 'very sorry,' but that because these workers were not their employees, he didn't think this was Con Ed's problem," Figueroa reported to NY Daily News.

Last week, the Washington Post published an opinion piece authored by Valarie Long, the Vice President of SEIU Local 32BJ, which represents approximately 10,000 security officers across the Northeast.

In the piece, Long recognizes the importance of the job that security officers perform each and every day, raises the need for improved standards in the private security industry, and offers her condolences to the family of Officer Johns.

Here's what she writes:

The tragedy at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was a painful reminder that private security officers often are our first line of defense and that these modestly paid men and women risk their lives to keep us safe. As we mourn Stephen T. Johns, we can honor his memory by raising security industry standards.

It's in everyone's best interest to ensure that security officers are well prepared to handle emergencies and are treated with the respect they deserve for their brave service.

You can view the piece on the Washington Post here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/16/AR2009061602913.html

Great news for New York City security officers!

From the New York Times:

A labor union representing security guards stationed at dozens of municipal facilities, including the Staten Island Ferry Terminals and the Municipal Building, has reached a deal with the guards' private employers that calls for as much as a 26 percent pay raise over three years and for the first time provides the guards with health insurance.

That "labor union" representing security guards is none other than SEIU Local 32BJ and after months of negotiations with national security contractors Allied Barton and FJC Security Services of Long Island, security officers have won new union contracts that provide significant wage increases, employer-paid family health care and benefits for some 3,000 city-contracted security officers over three years.

This victory is a testament to the security officers that came together to form a union and bargain collectively for not only better wages and benefits, but the promise of raising standards for security officers in NYC.

For six months, the SEIU 32BJ negotiated on behalf of security officers protecting city buildings and facilities in all five boroughs.  The two new agreements raise officers' wages to private-sector wages of over $13 an hour. Officers also gain employer- paid family health coverage, paid days off, 401K and advanced security training.

Allied Barton employs 1,100 security officers who work at more than 100 City facilities throughout the City, including the Municipal Building in Manhattan, Staten Island Ferry Terminals and Brooklyn Boroug Hall. FJC Security Services employs 1,820 security officers who protect sites in the City's Human Resources Administration agency and Department of Homeless Services.

These city-contracted workers now join thousands of other 32BJ members who have won contracts improving security standards in the private sector. 

Please join me in the comments (below) by offering a well deserved congratulations to the security officers of SEIU 32BJ.

Sign up for updates about security officers around the country.

Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new report commissioned by SEIU Local 32BJ. The report found that the average hourly wage for food preparation workers in educational services was only $8.15, and revealed that many of these jobs pay no more than the NJ state minimum wage of $7.15.

The report, prepared by the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work/School of Management, ascertained that 64 percent of NJ K-12 school districts contract their food service to an outside company and that those private sector cafeteria jobs are largely part-time and typical offer with no affordable health benefits. As a result, most workers are uninsured or forced to turn to the state's public health insurance programs-- a result that contributes largely to the school food service industry acting as one of the biggest drains on New Jersey FamilyCare, as over 6,300 employees and their children covered by the taxpayer-funded state health assistance plan.

"For me and for so many of my co-workers, the main issue is our healthcare," said Annie Davis, a 54-year-old New York security officer and SEIU Local 32BJ member during her day-long visit with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "We don't have sick days. We don't get paid for holidays. It's not even so much our wages, it's the benefits...We are doing some of the most important jobs in the city. "

Davis, who works in the lobby of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in downtown NYC, makes $11.75 an hour with no days off and no medical coverage. She is one of 1,100 guards at 20 agencies throughout the city who work for private contractor Allied Barton and are considering going on strike by the end of May if things don't improve.

According to Mayor Bloomberg, his day spent with security officer Annie Brown "renewed his appreciation" for what workers go through every day to makes end meet in New York and take care of their families. On his campaign blog, Mayor Bloomberg reflects back on his day spent with Brown as part of Local 32BJ's "Walk a Day in My Shoes" campaign, acknowledging that in spite of the initiatives his administration has invested in to improve the training and compensation of NY's security officers, there's "much more to be done" to ensure the "security guards [that play] a pivotal role in keeping all eight million of us safe" are "well-paid, well-trained, and well-treated." Read the Mayor's blog here.

"Walking a day with a working New Yorker shouldn't just be a prerequisite for our union's endorsement, but a requirement for the job," said 32BJ President Mike Fishman of the local union's "Walk a Day in My Shoes" campaign to get every elected official to experience firsthand what life is like for working people. Mayor Bloomberg is the second NYC mayoral candidate to have taken part in the campaign, after City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. walked a day in the shoes of 32BJ member Lateef Rivers last week, spending part of Rivers' shift with him at the Brooklyn Municipal Building.

Read more about about Mayor Bloomberg's and Mr. Thompson's walk-a-days with SEIU 32BJ members in the NY Daily News and the NY Times. Video of Mayor Bloomberg's day with Annie Brown at NY1 here.

New York: Gray skies and rainy conditions didn't deter a diverse crowd of more than 1,000 community activists and workers--including hundreds of SEIU Local 32BJ members--from marching in midtown Manhattan on May 1, to call on Congress and the Obama administration to reform the immigration system by providing a path to citizenship for 12 million undocumented workers. "We can no longer afford to ignore the valuable contributions of immigrant workers, who are not only part of the rich social and cultural fabric of our country but are also adding $700 billion dollars every year to our economy," said Hector Figueroa, Local 32BJ Secretary Treasurer.

NYC's rally was one of dozens of May Day marches held across the country (Check out our photos and recap of the Washington, DC rally here).

Chicago: The windy city had dreary weather similar to NYC's on May 1st, but around 2,000 rally-goers gathered at Union Park anyways and took to the streets chanting "Yes, we can," as they marched to the Federal Plaza to demand just and humane immigration reform. Many labor and community activists (including SEIU Local 1 members) held signs calling for an end to immigrant raids; others carried "the world" on their shoulders to symbolize the impact working immigrants have around the globe.

Watch SEIU Illinois State Council President Tom Balanoff address May Day marchers in Chicago:

Photos from DC, NYC & Chicago rallies on Flickr here.

All day Tuesday, workers from more than 30 states and a number of unions were on the Hill to lobby their own Members of Congress on the importance of the Employee Free Choice Act.. The workers related their personal stories of being fired or harassed when they attempted to form a union, and several workers participated in a hearing from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee on the importance of unions in restoring the middle class.

Among the witnesses called to testify before Congress was SEIU 32BJ member Kelly Badillo, who told the committee the devastating experience of what it was like to be working in the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the planes hit. Badillo related how his union helped him and his family get back on their feet in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy, when while living with the terror of the attack, he also had to worry where his next paycheck was going to come from:

"Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty people lost their lives, including forty-seven SEIU members. Many thousands more lost their jobs. More than twelve hundred 32BJ members - cleaners, security officers, building maintenance, window washers and elevator operators like me were suddenly trying to live on unemployment.

One week later, I got a call from my union. They asked me to come to our union hall and meet with my employer, American Building Maintenance. There were more than 800 other members there when I arrived.

Working together, my union and my employer agreed to:

* $130 per week in supplemental unemployment.
* Continued health insurance for us and our families.
* We kept our pensions.
* The Green Cross was in our union hall everyday to help us deal with our loss and the psychological effects of September 11."

And a little over four months later, ABA called back with a way to get Badillo and others back to work. Additionally, workers close to retiring had five years added to their years of service and age.

"My story exemplifies that businesses and unions can work together for the benefit of hardworking Americans like me. My daughters are grown and have jobs of their own, but I can only hope they can enjoy a strong voice on the workplace like I have had," said Badillo.

The New York Times tells the story of Badillo's experience in a piece written in September 2001 - read it here.

>> Kelly Badillo's entire testimony here.

Change to Win Chair and SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, issued a statement today about the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force today, chaired by Vice President Joe Biden, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The world is facing a historic opportunity to rebuild our global economy through investments in sustainable projects that will create new jobs, reduce our dependence on oil and protect our planet after decades of mismanagement.

Today's meeting underscores this Administrations' commitment to making sure American businesses and American workers are leaders in the industry of the future as our parents and grandparents led in the industries of the past. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this month includes a significant investment for projects both big and small that will rebuild our country and create the high-paying jobs of tomorrow.

These jobs represent a clear path to a stronger middle class and a stronger American economy that will benefit everyone. Change to Win unions across the country welcome this opportunity to continue working with communities and employers to find green ways to do millions of jobs that strengthen the foundation of this country. Today is an important step forward for businesses, communities and workers to come together to create a greener and stronger America.

The emerging green economy has the potential to make the American Dream a reality for America's workers. Change to Win unions have been at the forefront in helping create a green pathway to prosperity for working families.

• SEIU has committed to "bargaining green" across health care, public sector, and property service divisions, and the union's largest property service local has established an energy efficiency training program for building superintendents. The Nation recently highlighted the work SEIU 32BJ's Hector Norat, Superintendent of New York City's 1400 on Fifth for his work on the building's residential geothermal heating and cooling system, the largest in the country.
• Change to Win unions, including the Carpenters, LIUNA, and Teamsters, are partnering with cutting edge developer Gerding Edlen to build sustainable communities and create sustainable jobs.
• The Teamsters partnered with environmentalists to enact a landmark policy developed under Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's leadership to clean up toxic diesel emissions, improve working conditions for thousands of truck drivers, and pave the way for green growth in the nation's largest port complex.
• The Laborers have launched an initiative with the City of Newark and community-based organization GANE to train local residents in energy-efficiency retrofitting, building the workforce that will be needed to implement home weatherization on a large scale as promised by President Obama and funded in the Recovery Act.
• John Sarich, Resident Manager of New York City's William Beaver House and member of SEIU 32BJ, helped the management company and residents save money through significantly reducing their energy bills.

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"Local 1199 represents the authentic conscience of the labor movement."
- From Dr. King's remarks at 1199's Salute to Freedom celebration in 1968.

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One way to celebrate black history this month is by focusing on the history of African Americans in the labor movement. No single person made greater contributions toward the advancement of both the civil rights and labor movements than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed while in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers trying to form a union. Dr. King always saw strengthening unions and lifting up workers as critical to achieving long term justice for African Americans. He helped motivate hundreds of thousands of activists--both black and white--through his speeches and the example he set.

"I'm often disenchanted with some segments of the power structure of the labor movement, but in those moments I begin to think of unions like Local 1199," said Dr. King in one of his last speeches at 1199SEIU to union members and supporters before his assassination in 1968. "It gives me renewed courage and vigor to carry on and the feeling that there are some unions left that will always maintain the radiant and vibrant idealism that brought the labor movement into being," said Dr. King.

Listen to Dr. King's full speech about continuing fight for social and economic justice here:

The 1960s saw Dr. King address countless labor gatherings, and he did not confine his support to just speechmaking. He often joined workers on the picket lines; and when the 1199SEIU drive to organize New York City's voluntary hospitals began in 1962, Dr. King called New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and urged him to support collective bargaining legislation.

Coretta Scott King addressing an audience at 1199 headquarters

Just two months after Dr. King's death in 1968, 1199 hospital workers won the historic $100 per week minimum wage. And on the heels of that victory, Dr. King's widow Coretta Scott King, agreed to serve as honorary chairperson of the 1199 National Organizing Committee. She went on to remain a close friend and ally of 1199 for the rest of her life, speaking at 1199 conventions and Black History Month celebrations.

Unionists across the nation have drawn strength from Dr. King. "His dedication to the rights of the workers who are so often exploited by the forces of greed has profoundly touched my life and guided my struggle," said the late Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farmworkers of America and an icon in the labor and rights movements. "During my first fast in 1968, Dr. King reminded me that our struggle was his struggle too. He sent me a telegram, which said, 'Our separate struggles are really one. A struggle for freedom, for dignity, and for humanity."

"As we continue to learn from some of the greatest innovators, activists, intellectuals and community leaders in history, the best way we can honor and remember their legacy is to continue their work for equal and fair treatment, and support the fight for decent wages, benefits and improved training for all workers. Advancing their cause is one way we can truly celebrate Black History Month," said Kyle Bragg, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU.

*Visit www.seiu.org/blackhistorymonth

The U.S. can create 2 million jobs and reduce the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent over 2 years by investing in the green economy, according to a report last month by the Center for American Progress.

Green job creation and training is happening right now, all over the country, fueled by the belief that it is possible to ease the intensity of our climate crisis and employ more people to work in better jobs (all at the same time!). And SEIU is committed to green building maintenance and creating quality green jobs. Nowhere is this commitment more evident within this union than in SEIU's largest property service workers union, Local 32BJ, who offers its building supers an energy-efficiency training program. (Read more about Local 32BJ's program in The Nation).

"Although most workers would like to join a union, very few ever get the chance to vote. In fact, employers have been stifling the efforts of workers to lawfully organize a union through elections," writes Jaime Contreras, Capital Area Director of SEIU Local 32BJ, in a Friday op-ed in Washington Hispanic. "Consequently, less than 100,000 joined a union through secret ballot election last year." "The Employee Free Choice Act would provide workers, once again, with a fair shot at joining a union. What they choose to do is their decision, just as it should be." Read the full op-ed.

(Note: Translated from Spanish by Eugenio Villasante, 32BJ)