SEIU knows how to Rock the Vote
Today, we have a special blogger: Andy Stern, president of the Services Employees International Union (SEIU). With 1.7 million members, SEIU is our country’s largest labor union.
What is a union? In a union, people join together to negotiate with their employer for safe working conditions and fair compensation—under the theory that it is easier to get a raise if everyone asks together. And they’re right. Union members make more money and get better benefits. Unions also collect dues, sort of like the AARP or the National Rifle Association. They use that money to hire their negotiators and union organizers and also to push the government on the “working family” agenda.
There’s an old saying that without unions, there would be no “weekend.” It is also true that when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King went to Memphis where he was assassinated, he was there to help organize a union.
This year, Rock the Vote has partnered with SEIU and its campaign, Americans for Health Care. Why? Because SEIU/Americans for Health Care supports our agenda of improving health care for young adults—they want to help. We’re honored.
Unions represent people from many walks of life. Basketball players and referees have a union. So do teachers, firefighters, and government workers.
SEIU represents people who perform “services,” including nurses, doctors, social service workers, building cleaners, librarians, head start employees, lab technicians, nurse assistants, and more. It’s a diverse population. For many, joining SEIU is their way into the middle class.
So, Andy Stern is a cool guy and we asked him to post a blog so we could introduce SEIU to our friends at Rock the Vote.
Check it out:
SEIU Local 775 members Dana Simmons, Alicia Macks, and Cathy Byrd are not who you might think of when you hear the word "activist." They are three young women who are professional “home care workers.” They take care of people with serious health needs in their own homes. Like many of us, they're swimming upstream in an economy that is working against them. So they chose to do something to turn the tide, by becoming politically active through their union.
And they are not alone anymore. Young men and women just like them all over the country are realizing their future is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.
When Washington State bureaucrats tried to cut home care services, dozens of home care workers chose to rally in Spokane to protest the cuts. They chose to visit the Department of Social and Health Services office and presented a letter to the chief demanding they bargain over the proposed cuts to sick patients and their hardworking caretakers. When they refused to leave the office until receiving a response from DSHS, three members of the SEIU Local 775 home care workers union were arrested. Who do you think they were?
Meet the “Home Care Three,” a trio of courageous young women who know that it takes unity to get respect.
With so much on the line, thousands of SEIU members like these three are gearing up to hold our elected officials accountable for representing our interests in November. They are starting with one of the most basic yet radical things a person can do -- talking to the people they see eight hours a day.
Real one-on-one conversations are hard, but they shape opinions much more than any political ad.
That is why one of the biggest ways you can make a difference this year is to start talking to your coworkers, fellow students and friends--especially those who might not be likely to vote. With less than 50 days left in the race, it’s critical that we get everyone engaged and ready for November 2nd.
So in that spirit, here are some questions you can ask your coworkers to open up conversations about what matters to them in this election and why they should vote:
Do you know anyone who is out of work or struggling with debt?
Have you made career choices based on the need for health care coverage, or health care decisions based on costs?
Have rising tuition costs affected your decision to pursue higher education?
Your conversations will inspire people to take the time to vote on Election Day.
Thanks,
Andy Stern
What is a union? In a union, people join together to negotiate with their employer for safe working conditions and fair compensation—under the theory that it is easier to get a raise if everyone asks together. And they’re right. Union members make more money and get better benefits. Unions also collect dues, sort of like the AARP or the National Rifle Association. They use that money to hire their negotiators and union organizers and also to push the government on the “working family” agenda.
There’s an old saying that without unions, there would be no “weekend.” It is also true that when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King went to Memphis where he was assassinated, he was there to help organize a union.
This year, Rock the Vote has partnered with SEIU and its campaign, Americans for Health Care. Why? Because SEIU/Americans for Health Care supports our agenda of improving health care for young adults—they want to help. We’re honored.
Unions represent people from many walks of life. Basketball players and referees have a union. So do teachers, firefighters, and government workers.
SEIU represents people who perform “services,” including nurses, doctors, social service workers, building cleaners, librarians, head start employees, lab technicians, nurse assistants, and more. It’s a diverse population. For many, joining SEIU is their way into the middle class.
So, Andy Stern is a cool guy and we asked him to post a blog so we could introduce SEIU to our friends at Rock the Vote.
Check it out:
An Open Letter from Andy Stern: Keep Rocking!
Dear Blog the Voters,SEIU Local 775 members Dana Simmons, Alicia Macks, and Cathy Byrd are not who you might think of when you hear the word "activist." They are three young women who are professional “home care workers.” They take care of people with serious health needs in their own homes. Like many of us, they're swimming upstream in an economy that is working against them. So they chose to do something to turn the tide, by becoming politically active through their union.
And they are not alone anymore. Young men and women just like them all over the country are realizing their future is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.
When Washington State bureaucrats tried to cut home care services, dozens of home care workers chose to rally in Spokane to protest the cuts. They chose to visit the Department of Social and Health Services office and presented a letter to the chief demanding they bargain over the proposed cuts to sick patients and their hardworking caretakers. When they refused to leave the office until receiving a response from DSHS, three members of the SEIU Local 775 home care workers union were arrested. Who do you think they were?
Meet the “Home Care Three,” a trio of courageous young women who know that it takes unity to get respect.
With so much on the line, thousands of SEIU members like these three are gearing up to hold our elected officials accountable for representing our interests in November. They are starting with one of the most basic yet radical things a person can do -- talking to the people they see eight hours a day.
Real one-on-one conversations are hard, but they shape opinions much more than any political ad.
That is why one of the biggest ways you can make a difference this year is to start talking to your coworkers, fellow students and friends--especially those who might not be likely to vote. With less than 50 days left in the race, it’s critical that we get everyone engaged and ready for November 2nd.
So in that spirit, here are some questions you can ask your coworkers to open up conversations about what matters to them in this election and why they should vote:
Do you know anyone who is out of work or struggling with debt?
Have you made career choices based on the need for health care coverage, or health care decisions based on costs?
Have rising tuition costs affected your decision to pursue higher education?
Your conversations will inspire people to take the time to vote on Election Day.
Thanks,
Andy Stern
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