The greatest public demonstration in Puerto Rican history

Oct 18, 2009 - The one day General Strike that mobilized around 150,000 workers and citizens to protest Governor Fortuño's massive layoffs took place in Puerto Rico on October 15. Chair of SEIU Healthcare Dennis Rivera, Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina and Local 1966 President Roberto Pagan joined the historic protest along with 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.' Read more...

DREAM students hold over 120 "Back to School" events nationwide

Sep 26, 2009 - On Wednesday, thousands of immigrant students held over 120 events in 28 states to support legislation that would allow talented DREAM students who view this country as their own to attend college, serve their nation, and earn a path to U.S. citizenship. States with the most "Back to School" events included Illinois (7 actions statewide), Texas (11 actions), Florida (15 actions) and California (almost 30 actions). Read more...

Citizenship push gears up as National Citizenship Day approaches

Sep 11, 2009 - With less than a week before National Citizenship Day on September 17--ya es hora ¡Ciudadania! (Citizenship: It's Time!), national community partners and the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) announced that more than 25 citizenship events are being held across the country this month to help thousands of eligible immigrants apply for U.S. citizenship. Read more...

Foundation Laid for Needed Immigration Reform

Aug 20, 2009 - Yesterday, joined by other labor, advocacy, faith and business leaders, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina met with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to lay the groundwork on immigration reform. Read more...

Schumer Moves Ball Forward on Immigration Reform

Jul 21, 2009 - SEIU commends Senator Schumer and members of the Judiciary Subcommittee for rolling up their sleeves and starting to lay the groundwork for a thoughtful, solution-driven debate on comprehensive immigration reform this fall. Yet, the current E-Verify program needs significant improvements before it can serve as an effective component of comprehensive reform. Read more...

Standing in solidarity to protect Democracy in Honduras

Jul 07, 2009 - SEIU is standing in solidarity with sister organizations in Honduras--the Unitary Central of Honduran Workers (CUTH), the Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH), the General Workers Central (CGT), and the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), which represents over 45 million workers in the hemisphere--in condemning the military coup that resulted in the illegal ouster of democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya. Read more...

The dust in Fresno has settled....now what?

Jun 25, 2009 - The Fresno members voted to keep SEIU UHW as their union in a record turnout for an election among home care workers. They made this choice after enduring an unprecedented two-year campaign of lies, distortions and false promises by the NUHW officials, who ran a management-style, anti-union campaign. Read more...

Victory in Fresno! Home Care Workers Vote to Stay with SEIU UHW

Jun 22, 2009 - Fresno County home care workers voted to keep SEIU-UHW as their union by a vote of rejecting an attempt by a group of ousted union leaders to split the workers off into a new organization. Read more...

In Mexico, SEIU's Eliseo Medina Calls for Cross-Border Solutions to Fix Broken Immigration System

Jun 17, 2009 - This week, SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina is in Mexico City meeting with key legislators and labor leaders on the importance of working together to improve labor rights and economic opportunities for workers on both sides of the border. And in other immigration reform news... Read more...

Eliseo Medina: Why Immigration Reforms Matters

Jun 04, 2009 - At the America's Future Now! conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday, Medina addressed attendees on why comprehensive immigration reform is an important issue to support. Watch the video of his speech. Read more...

Momentum for comprehensive immigration reform continues to build with introduction of "Reuniting Families Act"

Jun 04, 2009 - Today, Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) introduced the "Reuniting Families Act," marking the first time in Congressional history that same-sex couples have been included as part of a multi-issue immigration bill. Read more...

How about now? Reform Immigration FOR America

Jun 03, 2009 - Yesterday, a broad coalition of allies from labor, business, and community groups officially kicked off the national campaign Reform Immigration FOR America (RIFA)in Washington, DC. SEIU is a part of this exciting grassroots movement to reform immigration, and we invite you to join us. Read more...

Fighting to Protect Fresno Home Care

Jun 01, 2009 - They came from across Fresno County, California, the U.S. and Canada with one mission: to protect Fresno County home care. Between now and July 1st--the date the home care cuts are supposed to take effect--California home care workers, their families and supporters have much to fight for. Read more...

Obama Administration Rules Against California's Proposed Wage Cuts to Homecare Workers

May 08, 2009 - In a major victory for California's 250,000 In-Home Supportive Service (IHSS) workers and the 440,000 seniors and people with disabilities who rely on IHSS for daily care, the Obama Administration has ruled that proposed cuts to the IHSS program violate the terms of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Read more...

What a week for immigration reform!

May 04, 2009 - This Friday, May 1, 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 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. Read more...

Today's Hearing on Immigration Reform is Big Step Forward

Apr 30, 2009 - Today, SEIU Vice President Eliseo Medina testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security at a hearing on the need for passing comprehensive immigration reform in 2009. Read more...

Wake-up Call: Abuse of Hispanics Workers Will Continue Without Immigration Reform

Apr 21, 2009 - Under Siege: Life for Low-Income Latinos in the South, a report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), surveys a mix of legal residents, undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens in the southeast U.S. and finds Latinos routinely subject to racial profiling, harassment by law enforcement and workplace abuse. Read more...

SEIU: Today's SPLC Report Is "A Wakeup Call" For America

Apr 21, 2009 - SEIU International Executive Vice-President Eliseo Medina released the following statement on today's report by the Southern Poverty Law Center examining the discrimination and abuse of Hispanic workers in the South: Read more...

Labor Groups United to Unveil Unified Immigration Reform Framework

Apr 14, 2009 - Today, the Change to Win federation and AFL-CIO unveiled a unified framework for comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The proposal endorses legalizing the status of tundocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. and opposes the adoption of employers' incentive to hire undocumented workers rather than U.S. workers. Read more...

Statement by UHW Trustee Eliseo Medina on the Trusteeship of Local UHW-W

Jan 28, 2009 - "If you push aside the smoke screen that UHW officers created, the core issue and root cause of their repeated misconduct--as found by Secretary Marshall--has always been their disagreement over the creation of a single long term health care local in California." Read the rest of Eliseo Medina's statement regarding the UHW-W trusteeship here. Read more...

Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger We Need Real Budget Solutions in California Now

Jan 23, 2009 - Today Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina spoke at a rally in Sacramento, California where over 1,000 SEIU members from across the State came together to speak out for real solutions to the state's budget crisis. Read more...

SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina on Supporting & Uniting Long Term Care Workers

Jan 21, 2009 - "We have a new U.S. President who openly promotes unions and a nation poised for change. Will the labor movement be ready to seize the moment? We must be. In my own union, SEIU, the largest union in California and... Read more...

SEIU's Unwavering Support of Workers' Rights Advocate Rep. Hilda Solis as U.S. Secretary of Labor

Jan 09, 2009 - The success of the American worker is key to the success of the American economy - and few understand that better than President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of Labor, champion of working families Rep. Hilda Solis. Read more...

Declaración de Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de SEIU Eliseo Medina: Hilda Solís Defenderá La Justicia, Abririrá Puertas a Millones de Trabajadores en Estados Unidos

Jan 09, 2009 - El vicepresidente ejecutivo de SEIU Eliseo Medina emitió la siguiente declaración en apoyo de la confirmación de la representante Californiana Hilda Solís como secretaria del Departamento del Trabajo. Read more...

SEIU Statement on Bush's Proposed H2A Changes That Will Put U.S. Farm Worker Jobs in Jeopardy

Dec 17, 2008 - "The Bush Administration's proposed changes to the H2A guest worker program are the wrong policies at the wrong time by making it easier for big business to exploit some of the lowest-paid workers in the country," said SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina in a statement released today. Read more...

Award-Winning Video on SEIU Labor Leader Eliseo Medina Shows Evolution of Immigrant Rights Movement

Dec 04, 2008 - Today, the Santa Fe Film Festival will screen Tribute to Eliseo Medina, a short film documenting SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina's remarkable career. From a 19-year-old grape picker to his leadership today as one of the most important labor and immigrant rights leaders in the country, Medina's story shows us the power of "yes we can" thinking and reminds us how grassroots campaigns can change the course of history. Read more...

Latinos Make Election History, Deliver Victory For Obama From CO to FL

Nov 04, 2008 - Today in battleground states from Colorado to Florida to Virginia, a record number of Latino voters made history, voting overwhelmingly to put President-Elect Barack Obama in the White House. Read more...

SEIU Names Commission on Ethics and Standards

Oct 09, 2008 - The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) today named the members of the SEIU Commission on Standards and Ethics, which was announced last month. Read more...

SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina to Attend Tonight's Presidential Debate in Tennessee

Oct 07, 2008 - Tonight, Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President of the 2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), will represent the voices of working men and women across the country while attending the Presidential Town Hall Debate in Nashville, Tennessee. Read more...

SEIU Adopts Groundbreaking Political Accountability Campaign

Jun 03, 2008 - On day two of their convention, SEIU members promised to dramatically change the way the union serves its members, uses its political voice and builds partnerships with workers around the globe who share common employers. Read more...

SEIU Warns of the Disastrous Impact on All Working People and Renews the Call for Smart, Pragmatic Reform

May 06, 2008 - Today the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security convened a hearing on the employer verification system proposed in the Shuler/Tancredo Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. In response, SEIU issued a formal statement before the subcommittee, and SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina issued the following statement: Read more...

SEIU Lays Out Measures to Reduce Naturalization Backlog and Help New Citizens Vote in 2008

Jan 17, 2008 - "If the Bush administration truly believes America is stronger and more dynamic when new citizens are welcomed, it will make sure that USCIS processes the hundreds of thousands of citizenship applications trapped in a snarl of red tape and government bureaucracy,"said Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina, upon submitting testimony to the House Subcommittee on Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law on how to reduce the naturalization backlog that may block hundreds of thousands of citizenship applicants from voting in the 2008 Elections. Read more...

Eliseo Medina Testimony on Naturalization Backlog Before House Judiciary Subcommittee

Jan 17, 2008 - The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), on behalf of its more than 1.9 million members, thanks the U.S House of Representatives Subcommittee on Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law for holding this hearing. Read more...

Another DREAM Deferred

Oct 24, 2007 - This afternoon, the Senate voted down the DREAM Act, a bill that would help immigrant children who attend college or serve in the military legalize their status. This vote exposes the failed leadership of Senate Democrats and Republicans, who have allowed nativist anti-immigrant hate speech to overwhelm reason on the immigration reform debate. Below is a statement by SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina responding to the failed cloture vote. Read more...