VIDEO: Vigil Outside Bank of America in NYC

Jun 18, 2010 - Dozens of clergy, community members and Americans facing foreclosure held a vigil outside the Bank of America Tower in New York to call on the bank to implement effective foreclosure prevention programs and help Americans save their homes. BofA refused to meet with homeowners, instead dispatching security to prevent them from entering the building. Read more...

Tired

Jun 16, 2010 - The Senate is tired of spending money on unemployment benefits. Americans are tired of losing their homes. Please, ask your Senators to pass a jobs bill, for everyone's sake.... Read more...

Us or Wall Street: Who Wins This One?

May 27, 2010 - The good news: Congress is finally standing up to the big banks. First they passed a major Wall Street reform bill; now, they're preparing to vote on a jobs bill that closes a tax loophole for some of the richest Wall Street firms. The bad news: many Republicans want to kill this bill and some Democratic senators may help them do it. Read more...

VIDEO: Cleaning Up K Street

May 11, 2010 - Right now, K Street is the big bank's HQ in the battle to kill Wall Street reform and keep us under their thumb. But next Monday, the 17th, we're going to call them out and demand that they stop lobbying for the bank CEOs and against taxpayers. Read more...

SEIU Joins with Other Labor and Civil Rights Groups to Announce Boycott of Arizona, Boycott of Intolerance

May 06, 2010 - SEIU to move conventions, meetings out of Arizona and urge labor partners, lawmakers, and other major U.S. institutions to follow suit Washington D.C.--Today, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina joined labor and civil rights leaders to announce that the 2.2... Read more...

Senate Republicans Have a Reality Problem

Apr 29, 2010 - This is more than just an image problem for the GOP, it's a reality problem. The reality is, Republicans in Congress have been carrying the water for Wall Street every step of the way. Now that we finally have a Wall Street reform bill before Senators, we get to see each and every Senator's true colors; are they with us or Wall Street? Read more...

Submit Your Questions for Lloyd Blankfein

Apr 26, 2010 - What questions would you like to see Lloyd Blankfein answer? You can get them to us by texting 'GOLDMAN' and then your question, to 787753. We'll submit them to Senator Levin's office and run them live on our website during tomorrow's hearing. Read more...

The Tipping Point: Join Us This Week

Apr 21, 2010 - Next week, we'll be at big bank shareholder meetings and offices across the country. Thousands of taxpayers will be calling on the banks to stop funding their billion dollar bonuses at our expense. RSVP for an event near you. Read more...

Stop "These F@#king Guys."

Apr 20, 2010 - Goldman Sachs charged with fraud. Five billion dollars in NEW bonuses and compensation set aside for their top brass. Senator Mitch McConnell and the GOP caucus trying to block legislation that would rein in the very behavior at the center of the fraud charges. I don't even know where to begin. So, I turn instead to Jon Stewart... Read more...

JPMorgan Chase to Buy American Idol?

Mar 30, 2010 - Reuters is reporting that the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase is in talks to purchase the company that owns American Idol. Since anything these Wall Street banks touch these days turns to ruin, we have serious concerns on behalf of Idol fans everywhere. We decided to help you prepare by coming up with a list of top ten likely changes we'll see if Chase goes forward with this deal... Read more...

L.A. Votes to Move Its Money

Mar 05, 2010 - Just moments ago, the LA City Council voted to adopt the "big banks" bill into law. This is a huge blow to Wall Street banks that refuse to invest in our communities - and it only happened with your support. Thousands of you wrote letters to the Council that were adopted into the official record. And dozens more took our message directly to the banks in L.A., where City Councilmember Richard Alarcon joined us to speak out against their harmful practices. Read more...

Go on Record

Feb 19, 2010 - On Tuesday, Los Angeles City Councilmember Richard Alarcon is moving a bill that would set high standards for banks to meet in order to do business with the city of L.A. The message to bankers is clear: if your bank continues to ravage our communities, you don't get a dime of taxpayers' money. Period. Los Angeles is the second biggest city in the country. If this bill passes, it will send a message so loud, they'll hear it all the way on Wall Street. Make sure this bill passes. Read more...

Lloyd Blankfein "Thumbs His Nose" at Us

Feb 01, 2010 - In the wake of last week's report that banks were using loopholes and tricks to skirt the rules on executive compensation, we asked taxpayers to call on the FCIC to investigate the bankers' pay. In less than 24 hours, more than 5,000 people had submitted requests to the Commission. Now, it appears, our call for an investigation couldn't come a moment too soon. Read more...

Rule #1 on Wall Street: There Are No Rules

Jan 29, 2010 - As President Obama joins taxpayers in bearing down on the big banks' reckless behavior, the bankers are striking back - already hard at work on ways to sidestep any new rules that might be put in their way. Bloomberg reports that the the leaders of some of the world's biggest banks "met during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to plot how to reassert their influence with regulators and governments." Instead of figuring out ways to reform their banks, they're figuring out ways to prevent reform from happening. Read more...

Tell the Bankers: We Want the Straight Story

Jan 28, 2010 - Apparently $150 billion just isn't enough for Wall Street bankers. Today, WSJ is reporting that big banks are breaking their own rules, easing pay restrictions and offering "forgivable loans" to bankers who need a little extra cash. This news comes just two weeks from when the bank CEOs sat on Capitol Hill and said - under oath - that they had placed new, tough restrictions on executive compensation. Read more...

Jon Stewart to Elizabeth Warren: 'I Want to Make Out with You.'

Jan 27, 2010 - And I can't say I blame him. Elizabeth Warren is the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel - the body responsible for overseeing the Treasury's management of the TARP program. It's definitely worth taking eight minutes to hear Warren describe the state of Wall Street and our economy. Read more...

Meanwhile, a Few Thousand Blocks Off Wall Street

Jan 22, 2010 - The Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, affiliates of National People's Action, are bringing hundreds of taxpayers together in Des Moines, IA to stand up to Wells Fargo, one of the banks that has ravaged Iowans with hidden fees and rampant foreclosures. Taxpayers are headed to Wells Fargo's Des Moines office with a simple message: use the billions of dollars you've set aside for bonuses to fill the budget gaps that are hurting families in Iowa and across the country. Read more...

What Will You Say to BofA?

Jan 11, 2010 - Top BofA officials have agreed to meet with us when thousands of taxpayers gather in Antioch, CA tomorrow. But we need to show them the damage their bank has done can't fit into one room. That's why I'm asking you to submit your story online; Let them know how Wall Street's greedy behavior has hurt you and your community. Read more...

Your $1 Million Share

Dec 14, 2009 - When you hear a number like $150 billion going into the pockets of the very bankers who crashed our economy, you can't help but think of all the better uses for that money. So, we decided to let taxpayers decide how the cash should be spent. In the next few weeks, taxpayers across the country will be holding actions at the big banks. While they announce their record bonus packages, we'll be there to show them your demands for how that money should be spend to get our economy moving again. Show Wall Street how far $150 billion could go on Main Street by grabbing your $1 million share. Read more...

Goldman Sachs Says You and I are Wrong. (We're Not)

Dec 09, 2009 - Goldman Sachs has a response on their website to the calls we made to Lloyd Blankfein about the Stella D'Oro factory closing in the Bronx. Shockingly, they say you and I have it all wrong. They even posted a helpful list of facts to bolster their case. Let's review those facts one-by-one... Read more...

Ask Goldman Sachs: How Deep Does It Go?

Dec 07, 2009 - Our request for Lloyd Blankfein and the Goldman Sachs Board of Directors is simple: tell us more. Open your books and show us all the ways you're holding back economic growth. We gave Goldman Sachs $63.6 billion in taxpayer-funded bailouts. That's 63.6 billion reasons for them to use their board meeting to answer our straightforward questions about how our money is being spent. Help us shed some light on Goldman's books - send your email to the board. Read more...

God, Guns, and Goldman

Dec 01, 2009 - Bloomberg is reporting that Goldman Sachs execs are loading up on firearms "and are now equipped to defend themselves if there is a populist uprising against the bank." So, let's get this straight. Goldman Sachs orchestrates a financial ruse of global proportions, crashes the U.S. economy, takes billions of our tax dollars--and now they're scared of us because we're calling for reform? Read more...

Apology Not Accepted

Nov 19, 2009 - Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein feels bad about crashing our economy. To make up for it, he's decided to give back $500 million of the money he's made to a handful of small businesses. It's a gesture so empty, it's insulting. Never mind that $500m is one good day of trading for Goldman Sachs. Read more...

Getting By on $16,438 a Day

Nov 17, 2009 -

Bank of America has a new excuse for why they haven't found someone to replace ousted CEO Ken Lewis. Nobody will take the job because it doesn't pay enough! They're claiming that they can't find talented candidates because of the pay restrictions put into place by Kenneth Feinberg. Read more...

Andy Stern: Time to Put Country Over Company

Nov 16, 2009 - Goldman Sachs is starting to figure it out - we're not going away. Today, on the heels of a massive mobilization in Chicago, hundreds of taxpayers rallied outside Goldman's DC office to deliver a letter for their CEO, Lloyd Blankfein. The letter asked that Goldman Sachs forgo paying out its multi-billion dollar bonus pool and instead use that money to help the millions of families facing foreclosure due to Wall Street's risky behavior. Read more...

Dear Mr. Blankfein...
Hundreds of Taxpayers Deliver Letter to Goldman Sachs in DC

Nov 16, 2009 - Hundreds of taxpayers from across the country are gathered outside the Goldman Sachs office in DC right now to speak out against the financial giant's Wall Street greed. We'll be delivering a letter to Goldman CEO Lloyd Blanfein asking him, once again, to stop paying himself and his cronies big bonuses and to start helping the millions of families losing their homes because of Wall Street's risky behavior. Read more...

No More Ken Lewises

Nov 16, 2009 - The papers are reporting that the scene inside BofA right now is chaotic. Lewis' sudden ousting caught them off guard - and the man responsible for finding a new CEO cannot be reached because he's "on vacation on a ship" until the end of the month. Since it's our tax dollars being pumped into BofA, we decided to help with the hiring process. Read more...

What, Exactly, is Going On at 85 Broad Street?

Nov 13, 2009 - Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said in an interview that he and the team at Goldman are "doing God's work." It isn't God's work to kick families out of their homes when they're struggling most. It isn't God's work to use other people's money to pay themselves obscene bonuses. And it isn't God's work to oppose health insurance reform because it's bad for the bottom line. Read more...

And on the Eighth Day, God Created Bonuses

Nov 04, 2009 - Bloomberg reports that, last night, executives from the big banks went to churches across London to spread the word that their billion dollar bonuses are actually inspired by biblical teachings. According to Goldman Sachs bigwig Brian Griffiths, Jesus' teachings were an "endorsement of self-interest." He went on to say, "we have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieving greater prosperity and opportunity for all. I don't pretend to be an expert on biblical teachings; and I wouldn't dare presume to know what Jesus thinks of Wall Street's behavior. I want, instead, to post a few Bible passages that address this subject directly. Read more...

McClatchy Newspapers Investigates Goldman Sachs

Nov 02, 2009 - McClatchy Newspapers has launched a multi-part exposé on financial giant Goldman Sachs and their role in the economic collapse. For the millions of Americans who - until recently - had never heard of Goldman Sachs, let alone done business with them, it's a sobering look at how the banking leviathan has managed to take our money from us six ways to Sunday. Read more...

What's Next?

Oct 30, 2009 - What happened outside the bankers' conference on Tuesday was a reminder of the power of our voices together. For three days, thousands of us from every corner of the country and all walks of life came together to demand change from the Wall Street banks. Together we stood up to the big banks that have done so much harm to our communities; Together we marched through the streets of Chicago, 5,000 strong, forcing the bankers to answer for their actions; Together we showed the world through stories and pictures and words that our voices united can make a difference. Read more...

Meanwhile, Back in DC...

Oct 29, 2009 - While thousands of Americans were delivering a letter to Goldman Sachs on Sunday demanding they stop using our tax dollars to lobby against financial reform, Goldman Sachs was ...using our tax dollars to lobby against financial reform. Read more...

More than 5,000 Taxpayers March on the ABA

Oct 27, 2009 - It was an intense and often emotional conclusion to three days of action against the ABA in Chicago; and a powerful beginning to a taxpayer-led campaign to bring an end to Wall Street greed. More than 5,000 taxpayers marched over the Chicago River and to the front door of the American Bankers Association this morning. Read more...

Anna Burger: "Call Them Out"

Oct 27, 2009 - Standing in front of the American Bankers Association conference in Chicago, Anna Burger led more than 5,000 taxpayers in demanding an end to the greedy Wall Street practices that led to economic meltdown. Watch video of Anna's speech as well as taxpayers delivering a past due invoice to the big banks for the money they've taken from us. Read more...

VIDEO: The First Steps Toward Change

Oct 27, 2009 - The marchers just took the first steps towards the ABA conference to protest what Andy Stern just called "the people who put company before country." They're being led by people from across America that have been directly impacted by the greedy actions of the Wall Street bankers gathered at the ABA conference. People who have worked all their lives, but were kicked out of their homes, watched their life savings dry up, and seen their interest rates skyrocket. Read more...

Seeing Purple

Oct 27, 2009 - The crowd is starting to gather along the Chicago River for the largest protest against bank greed since the economic crisis began. We're about 30 minutes out from taking the first steps toward the ABA conference - and the first steps in our campaign to end Wall Street greed. Read more...

VIDEO: The Faces of the Showdown

Oct 26, 2009 - Another amazing day in Chicago. Americans are fired up to put an end to Wall Street greed. Everybody is excited for tomorrow; it's going to be the largest protest against bank greed since the financial crisis began - over 5,000 people. Here's a wrap up of today with a few faces of the Showdown in Chicago. Read more...

VIDEO: Meet Mary from Cincinnati

Oct 26, 2009 - Outside the ABA conference today are more than 1,000 people with more than 1,000 stories of bank greed hurting families and small businesses. I wanted to share one in particular that grabbed me. Meet Mary from Cincinnati. Read more...

VIDEO: Two for Two

Oct 26, 2009 - More than 1,000 taxpayers decided to take a walk down Wacker Drive to see how their money is being used by America's bailed out banks - and to ask for a few changes to prevent another financial meltdown. Having tried to deliver our letter to the ABA last night and being kicked out, we went directly to the banks today - Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo. The demand, as always, is a simple one: stop using our tax dollars for toxic loans, big bonuses, and anti-consumer lobbying campaigns. Read more...

VIDEO: Tom Balanoff at Showdown in Chicago

Oct 26, 2009 - Here's a new video up from Tom Balanoff's speech at the Showdown in Chicago. He kept the crowd on their feet the entire time. Definitely worth checking out. Read more...

VIDEO: "An End to the Too Big to Fail Doctrine"

Oct 26, 2009 - Sheila Bair is an exceptional speaker - I know because she just spoke at the Showdown in Chicago. She talked about the importance of stopping the greedy Wall Street practices like predatory lending, sub-prime mortgages, and lack of regulation that led us into financial crisis. She also took something from us to give to the ABA. It's the letter that we tried to give them ourselves yesterday, but they kicked us out. Will the kick Chairwoman Bair out, too? Read more...

VIDEO: You Weren't on the Guest List

Oct 25, 2009 - Today was an amazing beginning for us. Not just the beginning of the three day protest against the American Bankers Association (ABA) conference, but the beginning of the end for business as usual on Wall Street. The big banks heard loud and clear tonight that taxpayers are fed up with them taking our money and using it to pay themselves outrageous profits and lobby against financial reform. Read more...

I Think They Know We're Here

Oct 25, 2009 - The bankers were just trying to have a nice, roaring 1920s party (paid for with our tax dollars) to celebrate the trillions of dollars they've made in the past year. So, can you imagine how frustrating it is for them... Read more...

Senator Durbin at the Showdown in Chicago

Oct 25, 2009 - Senator Dick Durbin came out to the Showdown in Chicago and talked about one Chicagoan, Netty McGee, and her run-in with big banks. Read more...

Bankers Fix Up One House this Weekend, Foreclose 23,000 Others

Oct 25, 2009 - The Wall Street bankers are in Chicago this weekend for the American Bankers Association conference - and they've decided to do one good deed for the people of Chicago while they're here. They are helping to renovate a house that had been foreclosed... by them. It's a nice gesture on the bankers' part, but a completely empty one. In the time it took them to help fix up that one house, banks were kicking 1,440 families out of homes across the country; that's one foreclosed home every 7.5 seconds. Read more...

Marching Toward Change
More than 5,000 march on the ABA

Oct 25, 2009 - Read more...

Stephen Lerner on CNBC: America Wants Wall Street to Quit Whining

Oct 22, 2009 - Wall Street has a message for Americans who think it's unfair that they take our tax dollars and pay themselves huge bonuses: they need that money for all their hard work. SEIU's Stephen Lerner went on CNBC today to debate a representative of Wall Street over the Obama administration's decision to cap exec pay at seven bailed out firms. Read more...

Obama Administration Begins Crackdown on Bank CEO Salaries

Oct 22, 2009 - The Obama administration has gone and done something that might put a bit of a damper on the bankers' big party in Chicago this weekend. They're drafting a plan, to be announced in the coming days, that will dramatically cut CEO salaries for the companies that took the most taxpayer money during the financial collapse. Read more...

Crash the Big Banks' Party

Oct 21, 2009 - Did you know you're throwing a party this weekend? Well, you're paying for it but you're not invited. It's the American Bankers Association (ABA) conference in Chicago. The ABA is the lobbying group that gets millions of our tax dollars from America's bailed out banks. Read more...

Top Bank Lobbyist Receives High Honor

Oct 20, 2009 - If only they gave out awards for helping bank CEOs get rich and using tax dollars to lobby against financial reform; ABA president and CEO Edward Yingling would win them all. Well, exciting news for fans of Wall Street greed. Now, there is such an honor: the Golden Throne Award. And the first one is going to none other than Edward Yingling. Read more...

Krugman: 'We Desperately Need to Pass Effective Financial Reform'

Oct 19, 2009 - Paul Krugman gives a sobering report on the state of banks in today's New York Times. We already know that while giant financial institutions are paying out record bonuses and salaries, they aren't lending to small businesses or helping families that are struggling with their mortgages. But, now, it seems the risky deals Wall Street has been making with our tax dollars are catching up to them - and they're starting to generate losses instead of profits. All of this combined, says Krugman, is having serious negative effects on the economy. Read more...

Pay Czar: Ken Lewis to Receive No Salary, Bonus for 2009

Oct 15, 2009 - More than 11,000 of you signed a letter to Obama administration's pay czar, demanding a halt to CEO bonuses until banks stopped using our tax dollars to lobby against financial reform. On Thursday, the pay czar announced that he is taking action on Ken Lewis' outrageous compensation, asking for a stop to any salary or bonuses for 2009. Read more...

It's not just Ken Lewis...

Oct 15, 2009 - Last week, we sent a letter to the Obama pay czar, signed by over 11,000 taxpayers. We told him to stop payment on Ken Lewis' $53.3 million bailout. But it's not just Ken Lewis getting rich with our money. The papers are all leading today with headlines about America's banks on track to earn record profits and pay out record amounts of bonuses to their top brass. America is still reeling from the financial crisis, but it's business as usual on Wall Street. Next weekend, thousands of taxpayers are going to confront big banks and hold them accountable to us - will you demand they meet with us? Read more...

More Than 10,000 Taxpayers Sign Letter to Stop the Ken Lewis Bailout

Oct 09, 2009 - It's been a little over a day since we invited people to sign on to Anna Burger's letter to the Obama pay czar, asking him to stop payment on Ken Lewis' bailout until Bank of America agrees to clean up its act. Already, more than 10,000 taxpayers have signed the letter, demanding accountability from America's bailed out banks. Read more...

The Onion reviews the Ken Lewis record

Oct 08, 2009 - The Onion, America's Finest News Source, has nicely summed up the various mistakes that caused Ken Lewis to step down as CEO of Bank of America. Chiefly, that whole "worldwide economic collapse" thing. Read more...

Obama: This moment calls us to do great things

Sep 09, 2009 - With the President's speech just now, and the movement in Congress over the past 48 hours, it's clear we now have all the pieces in place to move on real health insurance reform. Let's go. We've talked about this for years, we've been debating it for months - now let's get it done. Read more...

Across America: Rally for Health Insurance Reform

Aug 27, 2009 - 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. Read more...

TODAY: Join the Call with President Obama

Aug 19, 2009 - I'm getting on a call with President Obama on Thursday, August 20 and I want you to join me. The President is holding a live health care reform strategy meeting at 2:30 pm EST. He'll lay out our strategy and message going forward, and he'll answer questions from SEIU members and supporters like you. Read more...

The Daily Show Takes on Teabaggers (Video)

Aug 11, 2009 - Leave it to John Stewart to bring a little clarity on the opponents of health care reform. Read more...

Do you think they're getting the message?

Jul 29, 2009 - Attacking Reform with Insurance Company-Owned Research? So far hundreds of you have watched this video and used Twitter to call out the people trying to pass off the Lewin Group as "independent." I just took a screen shot of all the @replies to Senator Grassley's Twitter feed - take a look... Read more...

House Releases Health Care Reform Bill

Jul 14, 2009 - Leaders in the House of Representatives have released their comprehensive plan for reforming health care today. It's a complete, thorough bill that will take some time to comb through and examine all the details. But, the preliminary analyses conclude that it's a huge step toward fixing health care and a major victory for all of us who have been working for quality, affordable health care. Read more...

Mark Udall Asks for Your Health Care Stories

Jul 10, 2009 - For the last few weeks, I've been asking you what you're doing for health care reform. Read more...

What Would North Dakota Look Like if the Chamber Got Its Way?

Jul 10, 2009 - It's hard to imagine how things could be worse these days: between unemployment, the financial crisis, and the state of healthcare, it's no secret that North Dakota is hurting. Read more...

What Would Pennsylvania Look Like if the Chamber Got Its Way?

Jul 10, 2009 - It could be worse. It's hard to imagine how things could be worse these days: between unemployment, the financial crisis, and the state of healthcare, it's no secret that Pennsylvania is hurting. Read more...

If the U.S. Chamber Had Their Way, Montanans Would Suffer

Jul 09, 2009 - When CEOs in Washington decide the agenda of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they seem to forget all about real workers and business owners throughout America. Read more...

If the U.S. Chamber Had Their Way, North Dakotans Would Suffer

Jul 08, 2009 - When CEOs in Washington decide the agenda of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they seem to forget all about real workers and business owners throughout America. Read more...

Sarah Jones: A Right to Care

Jul 08, 2009 - The Associated Press calls her "astounding." People Magazine calls her "amazing." We call her one of the most important and engaging messengers ever to tackle the issue of health care disparities in America. And she's performing in Washington, DC on Thursday, July 9th and St. Paul, MN on July 11th. Read more...

Colorado Springs Rallies in Support of a Healthy America

Jul 06, 2009 - On July 2nd, activists in Colorado Springs rallied in support of quality, affordable health care for all Coloradans. Watch the video above to see their stories. Read more...

July 2nd: Denver Rallies for a Healthy America

Jul 05, 2009 - On July 2nd, people in Denver rallied to demand quality, affordable health care for all. Read more...

Nebraskans Greet Sen. Johanns...And His Staff Calls the Cops

Jul 03, 2009 - One day before celebrating the birth of our great nation, Nebraskans gathered at a scheduled healthcare roundtable to call on Senator Johanns to support an American solution to our healthcare crisis--only to have the police called on them. Read more...

Senate HELP Committee Releases Complete Health Care Bill

Jul 02, 2009 - For months, we've been standing firm on our call for Congress to deliver a health care bill that does a few, simple things. It has to lower health care costs for patients, businesses, and governments. It has to improve the quality of care for patients. And it has to make sure that every American, regardless of who they are or how much money that make, has access to affordable care. Today, we have that bill. Read more...

HAARM: Takin' It To The Streets

Jul 01, 2009 - This weekend, the same groups that organized anti-Obama "tea parties" around the country are putting together another round of July 4th tea parties. This time, killing health care reform is at the top of their agenda. Naturally, HAARM wanted to get in on the fun. Check out the video of HAARM's anti-health care reform protest: www.haarm.org Read more...

Healthcare Equality 2009: Lighting up the Future

Jun 25, 2009 - Last night, an impressive group of speakers and passionate activists gathered in Washington DC, in the appropriately named Freedom Plaza, to declare their commitment to advocacy and demand that Congressional reform efforts address systemic inequality in the American health care system. Punctuated throughout the evening by the rhythmic sounds of Rudy Gonzalez Y Su Lokura's Latin jazz band, the evening was a tribute to both the passion and diversity involved in the health care reform movement. Read more...

Liveblogging: Health Care Events on Capitol Hill

Jun 24, 2009 - We live blogged the health care events taking place today at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC. People of all religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds came together to rally for health care equality across America! Read more...

Meet HAARM: Healthy Americans Against Reforming Medicine

Jun 23, 2009 - Is it just me, or do our opponents sound crazier every day? Take opponents of health care reform; they're spending millions of dollars on TV ads that call the President's plan "socialism," "rationing," and "a government takeover." It sort of makes you wonder - where do these people come up with this stuff? Meet HAARM: Health Americans Against Reforming Medicine - www.haarm.org Read more...

NBC/WSJ Poll: 76% of Americans Support Public Health Insurance Option

Jun 18, 2009 - Congress can't seem to reach a consensus, but the American people have overwhelmingly made up their minds: we need a public health insurance option. A new poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal is the latest in a series of polls to show convincing support for a choice between a private or public health insurance plan among the American people. Read more...

State Legislators to the Hill: We Need Health Care Reform

Jun 17, 2009 - 700 state legislators from every state have signed on to a letter to the President, HHS Secretary Sebelius, and leaders in Congress, asking them to support the key ingredients for real health care reform. And, today, a delegation of legislators from around the country will be on Capitol Hill to meet with the White House and deliver the letter. Read more...

"Campaign for America's Future" Prepares the Way for Healthcare Reform

Jun 03, 2009 - More than 1,000 progressive leaders and activists have been in Washington, DC at the Omni Shoreham Hotel for the yearly America's Future Now! Conference, organized by Campaign for America's Future (CAF). The main 'event' of CAF's 2009 conference has been the launching of an $82 million campaign for healthcare reform, a collective effort involving more than 1,000 organizations that are part of Health Care for America Now behind President Obama's health care plan. Read more...

Delivering Your Petitions to NBC Washington on Rick Scott's Infomercial: Watch the Video

Jun 02, 2009 - On Sunday, a group of DC residents delivered all 68,000 of your petitions to the NBC studios in Washington, demanding Rick Scott's phony infomercial be pulled. You should have seen the look on the producer's face when she saw the boxes of signatures waiting for her in the lobby. Read more...

Take Action: SEIU Steps Ups with Open Left to Support a Public Healthcare Option

Jun 01, 2009 - SEIU has stepped up a campaign that allows Open Left readers a unique way to fight for the public option while simultaneously supporting Open Left: we will donate $1 to Open Left for every person who signs up for their healthcare campaign. Read more...

Governor Schwarzenegger: Home Healthcare Is Not A Throw-Away!

May 28, 2009 - Today, SEIU home healthcare members closed their 48-hour vigil with a press conference on the steps of the California statehouse to protest drastic budget cuts which would drive home care workers into poverty and force seniors and people with disabilities into more restrictive and costly institutional settings Read more...

Judge Sotomayor's Nomination to the Supreme Court an Extraordinary Choice for Today and Tomorrow

May 26, 2009 - President Obama said he would appoint people to our courts who not only had brilliant legal minds, but who also understand how the law impacts the everyday lives of working families. Today he has fulfilled that promise by nominating U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Read more...

SEIU Healthcare Turns Up the Heat During Memorial Day Recess

May 25, 2009 - While many will be enjoying BBQs and beach time this weekend, SEIU advocates of healthcare reform will be pushing their Members of Congress and neighbors to support measures like a public health insurance option that increases choice and reduces costs. Read more...

The GOP Health Care Proposal: More of the Same

May 20, 2009 - Republicans in Congress dusted off John McCain's health care proposal from the 2008 campaign and reintroduced it at a press conference in Washington today. The proposal, which serves as their counter to President Obama's plan for health care reform, replaces the coverage people have with an insufficient tax subsidy that doesn't even cover half of the average family's health care premiums. Read more...

The Latest Victims of the Broken Health Care System: Medicare Recipients

May 13, 2009 - The big news out of Washington is that the Social Security and Medicare Trust funds are in worse shape than we thought. According to the Medicare Trustees' report released yesterday, we're going to exhaust Medicare by 2017 unless we take immediate action. Read more...

Calling It What It Is: Frank Luntz's Hit Job on Health Care

May 08, 2009 - Opponents of health care reform have been wringing their hands these last few months. Ever since America elected a president dedicated to fixing our broken system last November, it seems that no amount of spin can distract people from the fact that we're paying billions of dollars for a health care system that doesn't work. This week, as a last ditch effort, Republican spin-doctor Frank Luntz floated a confidential memo on how to scare Americans into believing health care reform is bad. The only problem: the memo was leaked. And, now, the media and members of Congress are calling his bluff. Read more...

New HHS Report: Decline in Patient Safety "Disturbing"

May 07, 2009 - The Department of Health and Human Services has released their National Healthcare Quality Report, which evaluates the quality of American health care based on data collected throughout 2008. This headline from the report sums it up: Health Care Quality Is Suboptimal and Continues To Improve at a Slow Pace Read more...

Fixing Health Care: Put Your Hand In

May 06, 2009 - Sitting among the insurance executives, business leaders, and Washington lobbyists in the audience of yesterday's roundtable on health care reform were a handful of frontline caregivers from SEIU. They came from across the country to be on Capitol Hill yesterday, and they served as a powerful reminder of the people the debate over health care reform is really about - patients and their caregivers. Read more...

Andy Stern's Testimony to Congress: The Face of the Health Care Crisis

May 06, 2009 - SEIU President Andy Stern visited Capitol Hill Tuesday in one of the last official opportunities to provide input on health care reform before a final piece of legislation is drafted next month. Learn about the standards SEIU uses to measure the success of the healthcare system that works for America's working families. Read more...

Sebelius Confirmation Brings America One Step Closer To Fixing Our Broken Healthcare System

Apr 28, 2009 - "The 6 million hardworking Change to Win affiliate members hoped the current economic crisis and overwhelming burden healthcare costs place on working families would be enough for a speedy confirmation. We are encouraged that obstructionists in the Senate have finally realized that dragging their feet on reforming our healthcare system only harms working families, small businesses and our economy. A potential pandemic with severe economic consequences only reaffirmed the immediate and critical need for leadership at HHS. Read more...

Video: Take Back The Economy Rally in Washington, DC

Apr 28, 2009 - Today, SEIU's Executive Vice President, Eliseo Medina, led a rally in front of a Bank of America branch near the White House. Watch it here. Read more...

Baucus Gets Things Moving on Health Care

Apr 23, 2009 - The crowd spilled into the overflow room Monday, as the Senate Finance Committee, Chaired by Montana Senator Max Baucus, began the process of, at last, making health care reform a reality in this country. Monday's hearing was an encouraging sign that we're on the right track. 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...

Senator Grassley Says Progress on Healthcare Depends Upon Bipartisanship

Apr 15, 2009 - "The true test of this bipartisanship process will be how we handle the details," said Senator Charles E. Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, last week in a Mason City, Iowa, health forum including panelists from AARP and SEIU. Speaking about competition between insurance companies, Local 199 member and RN Mary Burke commented, "I think competition would actually be meaningful if we have a public health care system. If you don't have everybody insured, we're still going to have the problem." Read more...

Dennis Rivera and Michael Bloomberg: Health Care Reform is a Must

Apr 14, 2009 - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera have published a joint op-ed on the Huffington Post with a simple message: health care reform must happen this year, period. Read more...

President Obama Creates Office of Health Reform

Apr 08, 2009 - By executive order, President Obama established the White House Office of Health Reform today. According to the order, it "will provide leadership to the executive branch in establishing policies, priorities, and objectives for the Federal Government's comprehensive effort to improve access to health care, the quality of such care, and the sustainability of the health care system." Read more...

NYT: We Should Have a Public Health Insurance Option

Apr 08, 2009 - The New York Times is out in front with an early endorsement of a public health insurance option as part of any plan to fix health care: A new public plan - to offer consumers greater choice, keep the private... Read more...

Ezra Klein: Fixing Health Care Shouldn't Mean Choosing Between Two Extremes

Apr 07, 2009 - Rather than deciding as a society how much will be spent in the coming year and then figuring out how best to spend it, we abdicate collective responsibility and let individuals fend for themselves. So although Britain and Canada have decided that no one will go without, even if some must occasionally wait, the U.S. has decided that most of those who can't afford care simply won't get it. Read more...

Senator Schumer: Competition Works for Health Care

Apr 06, 2009 - That's where Senator Schumer comes in. During the coming months, as the plans for health care reform unfold, his job is to make sure Congress is looking out for patients and not profits by including a public health insurance option into the mix. Backing him up will be President Obama and the soon-to-be-Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. And, of course, all of us. Read more...

Free Sebelius!

Apr 03, 2009 - It's with great disappointment that we received news this morning that an "unnamed Republican Senator" put a hold on Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary. At a time when the U.S. economy is collapsing under the elephantine costs of our broken health care system, how is it that one anonymous Senator can obstruct filling the leadership post of our nation's top health agency? Read more...

Moving Forward: Congress Passes President Obama's Budget

Apr 03, 2009 - Today, we moved a little bit closer to fixing health care. Nothing about it was easy, but Congress has passed a budget that includes a historic commitment to health care reform. It follows the president's directive to establish a health reform reserve fund to cover the cost of health care without raising the deficit. Consider this a promise to the American people that real change is coming this year. Read more...

"A Down Payment on Fixing Health Care"
Congress Passes President Obama's Budget Plan

Apr 03, 2009 - Read more...

Budget Coming As Soon As Today

Apr 02, 2009 - The AP is reporting that Congress is expected to take a final vote on a budget resolution as early as today. Both the House and Senate Budget Committees released their own proposals last week that protect the key investments President Obama had requested for fixing health care and restoring the economy. Read more...

White House Report: The Costs of Inaction

Mar 30, 2009 - The White House issued a report on health care this morning that serves as a sobering reminder of the urgent need for reform. Released online at HealthReform.gov, the report documents the widespread effects of the health care crisis across the United States. Read more...

We Want Justice, Not Blood

Mar 19, 2009 - Yesterday, I sat for several hours in a House subcommittee meeting, waiting for a satisfying moment that never came. Scores of cameras, dozens of spectators, and the "Ladies in Pink" (who nearly got thrown out of the hearing for waving signs that said "Jail AIG") joined me as we waited for hours to hear from the CEO of AIG, Edward Liddy. Read more...

Congress Needs to Hear From Us

Mar 18, 2009 - There are lots of lessons to be learned from previous attempts to fix health care - and a few critical mistakes that we cannot repeat. One of those mistakes is assuming that, just because a piece of legislation doesn't say "health care reform" in the title, it isn't critical to solving the crisis. Read more...

Gallup Poll: Majority of Americans Support the Employee Free Choice Act

Mar 17, 2009 - In the first independent poll conducted this year on the issue, Americans are firmly and overwhelmingly in support of not only the Employee Free Choice Act, but of workers' rights and of labor in general. Read more...

SEIU Supports New Bill to Ease Debt for Nursing Students

Mar 13, 2009 - Iowa Congressman Tom Latham and Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin introduced a bill on Thursday aimed at easing the debt burden on nursing students and combating America's nursing shortage. Read more...

Ten Things You Should Know About the President's Budget

Mar 11, 2009 - President Obama recently unveiled his budget for getting America back on track - and it includes a significant downpayment toward fixing health care. As usual, opponents of reform are on the attack, attempting to turn our national discussion on health care into an uninformed, schoolyard brawl. Just check out Rep. Zach Wamp's recent appearance on MSNBC: Read more...

SEIU in the White House

Mar 06, 2009 - Yesterday, Andy Stern, Anna Burger, and Dennis Rivera were back at the White House for the president's forum on health care. They were there to represent the two million SEIU members that have been fighting so hard for so long to see real changes in the health care system. Check out their video from the north gate. Read more...

White House Health Summit

Mar 05, 2009 - Today, President Obama hosted a one-day health forum at the White House to officially launch a discussion on how we can bring about meaningful change in health care. The 120 participants - Republicans, Democrats, insurance companies, labor, doctors and patient advocates, including SEIU's President Andy Stern, Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger and SEIU Healthcare chair Dennis Rivera - will be working together to offer up ideas for the best way to make reform happen. Read more...

Standing Up for Homecare Workers in Washington (Video)

Mar 04, 2009 - I attended a hearing at the Rayburn building about "Family Friendly Policies". A very brave woman named Rebia Mixon Clay told a very compelling and powerful story about the vicissitudes of she faces every day as a home health care Worker. Ms. Mixon Clay, was succinct, on point and eloquent. In a very personal and uplifting way she brought home the plight of many people in this country. Read more...

Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, Backs Employee Free Choice Act

Mar 02, 2009 - Make that three Nobel laureates in economics. Joseph Stiglitz, an American economist, professor at Columbia University and Nobel laureate in economics, has added his name to the growing list of now-40 economists who endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act via a full-page ad in the Washington Post last week. Read more...

Speaker Pelosi: We Will Fix Health Care This Year

Feb 26, 2009 - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was on the Rachel Maddow Show last night to discuss, among other things, the timeline for health care reform. Read more...

Change to Win and AFL-CIO File Complaint Against Marcus Foundation, Center for Union Facts

Feb 26, 2009 - Huffington Post's Sam Stein and AFL-CIO's Seth Michaels are both reporting on the latest news concerning the now-infamous Bank of America-sponsored conference call against the Employee Free Choice Act. In a joint complaint to the IRS, Change to Win and the AFL-CIO are alleging that the actions that took place on that call were illegal - under the tax code governing the tax-exempt status of the organizations that participated in the call. Read more...

Andy Stern Interviews on USA Today and Huffington Post

Feb 25, 2009 - Today, interviews with SEIU President Andy Stern have been published in both USA Today and the Huffington Post. In both, Stern talks about the Employee Free Choice Act, discussing timeline and strategy for the piece of legislation. Read more...

White House Budget Suggests "Health Care is a Go"

Feb 25, 2009 - Today, news reports suggest that the president intends to make a serious investment in fixing, once and for all, our broken health care system. According to the Associated Press, the White House budget includes $634 billion for health care over the course of 10 years. Read more...

Many, Many Economists: We Like What the Employee Free Choice Act Does

Feb 25, 2009 - Today, in a full page ad in the Washington Post, thirty-eight prominent American economists released a statement, entitled "Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is critical to rebuilding our economy and strengthening our democracy." The economists - a group that includes two Nobel laureates in economics - argue that one of the main reasons for our economic slump is the "erosion of workers' ability to form unions and bargain collectively," that shifted the wealth of our country from "broadly-shared prosperity" to "growing inequality." Read more...

Obama's Speech: A Health Care Milestone (Video)

Feb 24, 2009 - I just finished watching Obama's address to Congress with a group of SEIU nurses. I won't name names, but some of us have tears in our eyes right now. For us, this is a moment more than a decade in the making. When our movement started, having a president who would speak so honestly and passionately about the need to fix health care was something we dreamt about, but it was hard to imagine. Read more...

Anna Burger to Tim Geithner: No More TARP Funds for Businesses that Use Bailout to Lobby

Feb 24, 2009 - As reported by Elana Schor at TPMDC, the labor federation Change to Win (of which SEIU is a part of) is "taking a major step today in the effort to restrict bailed-out bank lobbying." Of note is a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner from SEIU Secretary-Treasurer and CtW Chair Anna Burger, which calls for Principal Financial Group's $2 billion TARP application to be denied due to their lobbying against the Employee Free Choice Act. Read more...

VIDEO: Health Care Dominates White House Fiscal Responsibility Summit

Feb 23, 2009 - The first-ever Fiscal Responsibility Summit took place on Monday at the White House. Advisors at the highest levels of the Obama administration hosted members of Congress as well as leaders from a wide range of organizations to discuss solutions to long-term fiscal challenges facing the nation. SEIU President Andy Stern and Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger were among the attendees at the event. Read more...

VIDEO: My First Week in Washington DC with SEIU

Feb 20, 2009 - I've always been impressed with our nation's capitol. The huge buildings, sweeping landscapes, and grand stone staircases - it's all so big, it makes me a little disoriented and, gulp, small. But all those buildings are filled with people. And if there's anything I've learned as a nurse - people are people. We all eat and sleep and want to make the world a better place. Read more...

Sebelius Rumors Spur Buzz, Reactions

Feb 19, 2009 - Last night, the New York Times broke news that Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is President Obama's top pick for heading up the Health and Human Services agency. Gov. Sebelius brings significant experience to the role - serving for eight... Read more...

VIDEO: MSNBC Exposes Source of Health IT Smears

Feb 13, 2009 - Your efforts to uncover the misinformation campaign against health IT are gaining major traction in the mainstream media. MSNBC dug further into the smear tactics being used against health IT on last night's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Read more...

Caregivers Defend Health IT

Feb 11, 2009 - Yesterday, we told you about Rush Limbaugh's rant against the measures to improve health IT in the Economic Recovery Act. Normally, Rush goes largely unnoticed by most of the general public. But his irresponsible comments about health IT have hit... Read more...

Limbaugh Doesn't Get IT

Feb 10, 2009 - Health care professionals nationwide are writing to their newspapers today to refute claims by Rush Limbaugh on two provisions in the stimulus package: comparative effectiveness research and health IT. Both are designed to provide health care professionals with objective, up-to-date information on treatments, tests and procedures available to them. Read more...

What We Won for Kids' Health

Feb 05, 2009 - Yesterday, health care advocates nationwide celebrated a major victory for our movement. President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) into law. President Obama characterized the bill as a "down payment" on winning quality, affordable health care for all Americans, not just our children. Read more...

Senator Daschle's Resignation

Feb 03, 2009 - Sen. Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination today for Secretary of Health and Human Services. In a statement released by the White House, Sen. Daschle stated: "If 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction. Right now, I am not that leader." Read more...

HCAN Poll: Americans are Ready for Reform

Feb 02, 2009 - Health Care for America Now, one of SEIU's partner coalitions released the results of a poll that shows broad public support for comprehensive health care reform. According to the poll, there is "intense and widespread voter support for the choice of a public health insurance plan as part of comprehensive, national health care reform." Read more...

Vice President Biden on Employee Free Choice: "This Year"

Feb 02, 2009 - Last week, in a CNBC interview with John Harwood, Vice President Joe Biden talked about the timeline for passing the Employee Free Choice Act. Read more...

Our Early Victory: By The Numbers

Feb 02, 2009 - Last week's reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program was touted by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers as an important first step to fix health care. It was our first glimpse of what happens when both parties come together around improving access to quality care. Read more...

MSNBC Reports on Bank of America's Anti-Worker Conference Call

Jan 30, 2009 - Reaction to Sam Stein's recent Huffington Post article on Bank of America's anti-Employee Free Choice conference call has been sweeping. Wednesday night, on MSNBC show 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., host David Shuster reported on the call during his "Hypocrisy Watch" segment. Airing some of the tape from the call, Shuster makes a special comment. Read more...

Our Job Is Just Beginning

Jan 29, 2009 - "Four Million Down, 40 Million to Go:" After three days of debate on a series of amendments to the bill, the Senate passed the bipartisan Children's Health Insurance Program on Jan. 29. This program will ensure that millions of children, many of whose parents have lost their employer-provided health care coverage through layoffs and cutbacks, will be able to receive doctor check-ups, dentist visits, and preventive care. Read more...

For Aliquippa Caregivers, Relief is On the Way

Jan 27, 2009 - Earlier today, we reported on a group of caregivers in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania who were fighting for weeks worth of unpaid wages from their former employer, Commonwealth Medical Center. State media outlets covered the story throughout the week, including this report... Read more...

Nurses, Caregivers Left Out in the Cold

Jan 27, 2009 - A story is brewing in southwestern Pennsylvania. There, in a little town called Aliquippa, PA, nurses, aides and other frontline caregivers have been denied weeks in backpay, after their employer--Commonwealth Medical Center--filed for bankruptcy and had its license revoked... Read more...

Former US Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich on the Employee Free Choice Act

Jan 26, 2009 - In an editorial for the Los Angeles Times today, former US Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich gives his advice on how we can reverse this deepening recession and give middle class Americans the greatest opportunity for a better life. Read more...

Economist Paul Krugman's Open Letter to President Obama

Jan 24, 2009 - Paul Krugman, a Nobel-prize laureate in Economics, professor at Princeton University, and a columnist for the New York Times has published an extraordinary piece in the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine. In it, he writes an open letter to President Obama, giving his advice on some steps that he'd advise the new president to take in order to get our economy back on track. Read more...

Online Activist Report: Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization

Jan 15, 2009 - Yesterday, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 passed by an overwhelming margin. If you want to see how your representative voted, click here to see the vote report by state, as well as a breakdown of your online efforts through SEIU.org to get connected to your representative. Read more...

Facts Fact Roundup: Employee Free Choice Act

Jan 09, 2009 - We're already hearing - and seeing - good things from Congress about their priorities for 2009. Read more...

Your Health Care Meet-Ups: All Over The News

Dec 29, 2008 - Despite the busy holiday season, Americans throughout the country - from caregivers like nurses, doctors and pharmacists to ordinary health care consumers - have been gathering to hold their own health care meetings. You've brought your friends, your family, like-minded individuals, and even those who have different points of view together to share their ideas and input on health care reform that comes from the ground up. News report after news report has been gracing our inboxes over the holiday season - from national papers like the New York Times to small, local papers from your areas. Read more...

Corporate Front Group Americans for Job Security Airs Misleading Ad on Employee Free Choice

Dec 16, 2008 - The latest ad from Americans for Job Security, a corporate front group that has already spent millions to deny workers a voice on the job, attempts to mislead the public about the Employee Free Choice Act and the 2 million members of SEIU. Read more...

More than 400 March to Support Workers Struggling for a Voice on the Job

Dec 12, 2008 - As a part of a nationwide campaign to restore the American middle class, more than 400 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) gathered yesterday at the University of Colorado-Aurora campus for a march to highlight the need for health care reform and legislation that will protect workers' rights to have a voice on the job. Read more...

Labor Tackles Tough Topics at UN Climate Change Conference

Dec 10, 2008 - Earlier this morning at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, what is always the 800-pound guerilla in the room for labor and environment was introduced: coal. Coal miners, those employed in coal-related industries, entire towns and even states for which coal is the economic life blood all feel threatened by the movement for cleaner energy sources. Read more...

Gallup: Americans Remain Broadly in Support of Labor Unions

Dec 03, 2008 - The question "Do you approve or disapprove of labor unions?" was first asked in 1936, a year after Congress passed the Wagner Act establishing the right of most private sector employees to join unions, to bargain collectively with their employers, and to strike. Seven decades later, Americans have maintained a generally favorable view of unions, with the most recent update from Gallup showing a 59 percent of those surveyed back unions, while only 29 percent disapprove of them. Read more...

A Blueprint And A Call To Action For The Nation's Ailing Healthcare System

Nov 15, 2008 - "One week since the historic election that brought a sea change of hope and energy to our country, we're already getting a clear picture of what to expect from new leadership in Washington in 2009," writes SEIU Healthcare Chairman Dennis Rivera today on The Hill's Congress blog. Read more...

SEIU Members Launch New TV Ad on Gordon Smith's Role in Digging Our Economic Hole

Oct 22, 2008 - Today, SEIU announced a new television ad, titled "Hole," that will air on cable and broadcast across most of Oregon through the end of October. Read more...

SEIU Members Launch New TV Ad On Sununu's Support For Bush's Economic Policies

Oct 22, 2008 - Today, SEIU announced a new television ad, titled "Register," that will air statewide on cable and broadcast throughout New Hampshire. The ad highlights John Sununu's record of support for George W. Bush's economic policies that helped to create America's current economic crisis. 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...

So... Now What?

Oct 03, 2008 - Written by SEIU International President Andy Stern Let's face it: the Bailout Bill doesn't get to the heart of what's wrong with our economy. Neither you, nor I, nor many of those who voted for it believe that this bill... Read more...

Statement of SEIU President Andy Stern RE: Expected Senate Approval of Wall Street Bailout

Oct 01, 2008 - With the U.S. Senate poised to approve a bailout plan for Wall Street tonight, Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), expressed disappointment that Congress appeared ready to pass up an opportunity to address the economic concerns facing millions of American families Read more...

SEIU Endorses DeFazio Bill to Address Financial Crisis

Sep 30, 2008 - The two million-member SEIU (Service Employees International Union) is backing the plan announced today by Rep. Peter DeFazio and other Members of Congress to restore confidence in the financial markets. Read more...

Stand Up for Main Street, SEIU Tells Senators

Sep 29, 2008 - With Congress continuing to debate a bailout of Wall Street banks, Senators will hear from voters this week calling for action on the economic priorities of Main Street. The two million-member SEIU (Service Employees International Union) announced today it will make 150,000 calls this week to Senators running for reelection, criticizing them for failing to take action on a broader stimulus package to ease the economic pain of working families. Read more...

Our Economic Recovery Plan

Sep 29, 2008 - Now that the Bush Administration's $700 billion Wall St. bailout appears to be dead, we need to have a full discussion about how to solve our economic problems. Join me in calling for a New Era for Working Families that puts the government on the side of the people. Read more...

SEIU Proposes Multibillion Cash Investment to Revive Economy, Launch New Era of Hope for Working Families

Sep 25, 2008 - With Washington moving toward a bailout of Wall Street banks, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) called for action on legislation that will launch a new era of prosperity and address the real economic concerns of America's working families. Read more...

Statement by SEIU International President Andy Stern on Dual Impact of the Banking and Health Care Crises on Working Families

Sep 19, 2008 - SEIU International President Andy Stern issued the following statement today regarding the combined impact of the banking crisis and rising health care costs on the nation's working families: Read more...

SEIU Members to Politicians: Live Up to Your Promises Or We Will Hold You Accountable

May 08, 2008 - Members and leaders of the nation's strongest and fastest growing union say they will hold elected leaders strictly accountable if they say one thing before an election and then do something else. Read more...

SEIU Send Second "Dear John" Letter To Senator John McCain

Apr 15, 2008 - SEIU today sent a second a "Dear John"letter to Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. SEIU members are offering their assistance in the absence of any economic blueprint from McCain and will continue sending letters until he meets with them and presents proposals that put working families first. Read more...

SEIU Urges Action Now In Congress To Provide Economic Relief To Workers

Apr 10, 2008 - SEIU's President and Secretary-Treasurer met with House and Senate leadership today to discuss solutions to provide relief to workers who are being affected by the current economic downturn. Read more...

Tibetan Protests No Excuse for Violence

Apr 01, 2008 - Gerry Hudson, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Jigme Ugen, executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare issued the following statement today: Read more...

ADVISORY for Wednesday April 2: SEIU to Host Press Briefing with Leading Black Economists

Mar 27, 2008 - Next Wednesday, the 1.9 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting a press briefing with leading black economists to discuss the impact of today's economy on black workers. Read more...

Statement on the Cancellation of Consumer Testimony at the House Financial Services Consumer Credit Hearing

Mar 13, 2008 - The following statement was released today by SEIU, Consumers Union, USPIRG, Consumer Federation of America, and Consumer Action on the cancellation of consumer testimony at the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit hearing: Read more...

Barack Obama Wins Debate on Creating a New American Dream

Feb 26, 2008 - Senator Obama clearly demonstrated tonight that he has the best plan and best strategy to create a new American Dream. Whether the topic was ensuring that all Americans have access to health care, ending the war in Iraq, or creating new jobs for workers, Obama showed yet again that he is the best candidate to unite the country for the change we need. Read more...

SEIU Unveils Reform Measures for Holding Nation's Biggest Banks Accountable to Consumers, Working Families

Dec 06, 2007 - With lawmakers continuing the debate over subprime mortgage protections, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) unveiled new reform measures today for some of the nation's largest and most powerful banks. Read more...

NFIB Joins AARP, Business Roundtable & SEIU

Nov 01, 2007 - Today, the nation's leading consumer, business, and labor organizations have a new ally: America's small businesses. Read more...

Rangel Tax Reform Package Would Bring More Balance, Fairness

Oct 29, 2007 - America's tax system should reward hard work. Americans expect our tax system to encourage saving, and benefit the majority of Americans. Unfortunately, today's tax laws favor the wealthy. Working Americans without expensive lobbyists and tax lawyers see a system with loopholes, schemes, dodges, and intricate rules that benefit those who least need it. These loopholes and schemes raise the tax burden of working people and undercut vital public services. Read more...

Statement Regarding Federal Reserve Decision to Forgo Public Hearing and Unilaterally Approve Bank of America-LaSalle Merger in Chicago

Sep 14, 2007 - The Save Chicago Jobs and Community Investment Coalition is extremely disappointed in the decision by the Federal Reserve to forgo a public hearing and approve the acquisition of LaSalle Bank by Bank of America today. Read more...