SEIU: Building Political Strength to Change Workers' Lives
The morning after Senator Barack Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee, he didn't speak to Wall Street. Instead he spoke to more than 4,000 SEIU members, guests and delegates in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the SEIU 2008 Convention.
He spoke to us because he's one of us. He's spent his entire adult life standing with working families. And that's why SEIU members made the decision to stand with him in February--because we know he's the only candidate who will win health care for all, the right to organize, and an end to the war in Iraq. You can watch for yourself the highlights from Senator Obama's speech:
Over the past few months, thousands of SEIU members have made millions of phone calls, knocked on more than a million doors, appeared on multiple television ads, and volunteered thousands of hours to make Senator Obama the Democratic nominee.
We now have a historic opportunity. When we elect a pro-worker president and win a pro-worker majority in Congress in November, we'll have an incredible opportunity to change the direction of this country. We'll finally have a progressive majority. And that will mean real change in working people's lives.
But we're not leaving anything to chance. At our convention this week in Puerto Rico, rank-and-file SEIU leaders made an incredibly important decision. During the first 100 days of the 111th Congress, we're going to dedicate 50 percent of our staff and resources to passing priorities for working families like the Employee Free Choice Act and health care for all. That also means making more than 10 million phone calls to members of Congress, engaging 50 percent of our members, and raising $10 million dollars to hold Congress accountable in 2009.
We already started holding politicians accountable when we helped Donna Edwards, a champion for working families, win her congressional primary race in Maryland. Her opponent, Rep. Al Wynn, was putting corporate interests ahead of working families in his District. With that race, SEIU members sent a message to every elected official across the country--stand up for the issues that matter to working families or we'll find someone else who will.
SEIU members are using our unified strength to win justice for all--and we're just getting started.
As Senator Obama said on Thursday morning:
"Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and workers who create it. It's understanding that struggles facing working families can't be solved by spending billions of dollars on more tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs. Change is a universal health care plan like the one I'm proud I proposed at an SEIU hospital, a plan that guarantees insurance for every American who wants it."
That's the change SEIU members want, that's the change working families need, and that's the change we're going to win in November.
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There's great potential for change and for winning political strength -- yet different views in SEIU on how best to achieve lasting change, were labeled as "negative" per Andrew Stern, during the convention. For the long haul, I feel it's best to build strength from the bottom up among the membership and not by decree from the top union leadership in DC.
At the Convention, others shared their experiences as well. Democracy Now! covered the SEIU convention and delegates reported from San Juan on the growing movement for member democracy within SEIU.
Democracy Now! 5/3/08: Juan Gonzalez commented, "the reality is that SEIU has increasingly become a more centralized union in the way it operates. ... I think that this is the opening salvo in what's going to continue to be an
ongoing battle." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XugUhiss29k
UHW member Michael Rivera wrote his live blog from the convention: http://www.seiuvoice.org/article.php?id=442
A daily Convention Update webcast called "Keepin it Real" was put out by UHW members: http://www.youtube.com/seiuvoice
And seiuvoice.org has it's convention coverage at http://www.seiuvoice.org/convention2008
There's an all out no-holds-barred war coming Mr. Sternz (sic) way. Many delegates like myself left with more questions than the "justice for all" campaign answered. We left there (UHW-West) feeling proud and stood our ground, willing to educate, agitate and help our brothers and sisters think, before selling out! Only time will tell...
I am pro-union, but not for all unions. There is something about SEIU that makes me feel uneasy.
I think I understand why the California Nurses' union has had some bitter times with Andy Stern.
And suppressing all internal dissent, a la Josef Stalin, to do it.
We need to castrate every troll on this site. When they make outrageous claims - demand a link that proves that claim. Hammer them every time they do it. These idiots can't even repeat their Rove talking points accurately, but when we leave their comment up without challenge - people may believe it is true.
BTW: SEIU is at the top of the progressive labor movement. Watch this union and what it going to achieve over the coming years. I was a member and a leader and they are very democratic and willing to organize any group of workers.
Andy Stern and the SEIU back the Orwellian-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would deny workers their secret ballot rights when voting to join or not to join a union. The Act would replace secret ballots with a card-check scheme that makes workers’ votes public and subjects them to intimidation by employers, co-workers, or thugs hired by either employers or unions. Most Americans support a worker’s right to a federally supervised secret ballot when deciding to join a union or not. A secret ballot ensures that neither the employer nor the union will know how an employee has voted.
This bill has been the No. 1 item on Mr. Stern's Big Labor legislative wish list, as is also the case with James P. Hoffa's International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Not surprisingly, both labor leaders sold their unions' endorsement to Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. It's just another indication of how these phonies cozy up to big business while selling out the rights of plain ordinary working people -- American people -- behind their backs.
TheShoveler is shoveling management propaganda. Card check recognition stops management from getting two bites at the apple. Once a majority of workers sign cards requesting union recognition now, management then has the right to intimidate the crap out of them while they wait for a vote. In other words, after a majority have signed union cards, then there's a vote.
Under card check recognition, once a majority of workers show they want to belong a union by signing a union card, the union becomes the exclusive representative for the members. There needn't be a second vote where management intimidates workers, as a majority of workers vote for the union when they sign the card to join it. Card check recognition exists throughout the rest of the industrialized world.
TheShoveler is shoveling two votes, one of which occurs as management intimidates its members to stop them from joining the union. And as most people know -- it was the union that got workers the two day weekend, paid holidays, vacation days, decent wages, the 40 hour work week and health benefits and continues to fight to keep them..
The implicit assumption underlying this argument is that it is always management looking to intimidate and harass workers who are trying to organize, and that angelic Big Labor is only trying to protect those poor workers. But that's not necessarily true. See, e.g.,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APzu9zX4mBA
Many times, big labor unions such as Stern's SEIU are working hand-in-glove with management in secrecy, and in ways that are inimical to their own workers' interests. See, e.g.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121038122486582367.html
These people "own" Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., and he's going to make their way easier every way he can. You can rant and rave about trolls all you want, but this is the ugly truth of the matter.
I resent that "working families" moniker. As opposed to welfare deadbeats? Most of the wealthy people I know are from hard working families...infacct most Americans are working people. That said one problem withe labor movement is the corruption and organized crime influence especially in big cities like New York where the average doorman makes 30K and the head of his union 2.2 million.
Thanks for perfectly illustrating how some people STILL DON'T GET IT. To compare working families to wealthy families is nonsense. There is a big difference between being the head of a company, being able to leave work for your kids school functions, or better still stroll in late in the morning because there was an "issue" at home and being that worker who is written up because he/she had to call out of work for a sick kid or is eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch because they're broke until payday. Unions aren't perfect but they have always been the best tool we working people have. Now if we could just fix health care so that everyone and not just the "hard working" wealthy and their children are able to see a Doctor.
The Unions helped build the middle class (remember when working class people were in the middle class?). Not to mention stop child labor, ensure safe work environments, and on and on and on.
If you are against "Big Labor" you hate America.
Yes, there were problems with the labor movement but America let that twit Reagan make them believe that the baby should be thrown out with the bath water and he almost single-handedly took America back to the age of Robber-barons, Triangle Shirtwaist...
The problem with working Conservatives is that most of them pay no attention to history. GOP pushes failed, renamed "neo-classical" economics on Americans again using Strauss-inspired deception to make you cut off your own foot. They believe there should be only two classes, 1% super rich and 99% in poverty. They use bogus economic theories and misleading math for an argument for Social Darwinism, dynasty controlled serfdoms.
A strong labor movement is the ONLY reason this country ever had a middle-class. If it weren't for labor rights and Left-leaning politicians, most Americans, regardless of job or industry would be dirt-poor, at mortal risk to commonly treatable conditions and working 18 hours a day/7day -week for chump change only to be tossed aside when your output drops in the least.
Almost 30 years has gone by since they destroyed labor power. How are YOU doing, America? "Free Market"? Tell me the percentage of Americans who can compete with the legacy monopolies/multinationals further empowered under Nixon, Reagan and Bush's watch.
Think for yourself. Don't let some rich fat drug addict or Australian Communist do your thinking for you.
Good on you, SEIU members. We need you now more than ever.
Why do I get the feeling all the negative posts so far are by people who have never paid a union due in their lives?
Probably because you are right!
Thank you, Chavez08 and UrbanAddictiondotcom for stating truth to power. We FINALLY have a real American running to lead us as President. May all the gods bless him (I'm agnostic) and lead us - Finally in the correct direction. I say correct because the word "Right" has been so misused and right is wrong!
I pity the person who inherits georgie's mess and it will take a strong person - Barack Obama!!!
Michelle is a beautiful woman and she and Barack have a wonderful family. And it is obvious that they have a strong marriage and a strong supporting family structure.
Guess the only sleaze they can find on him is stupid stuff - Rev Wright, etc.
Bye, bye, bushies & cheneys & rummies & rices & wolfies. See you at the Hague for all the crimes your insane lust & greed for power, money and policies that you have done against humanity.
Obama is just like us? Members of working families? I think not! Just like he is one of us everyday home buyers who gets a unbelievable deal on a house....from a crook like Rezko! I think you need to re-examine your facts.
Yes McBush and his 8 houses and Keating 5 is so much better. Why don't you ask the Airbus workers in France how they love McBush.
Then ask the Boeing workers in America how they love how McBush gave their jobs to France.
It was not an unbelievable deal; it was damn close to market value. So, perhaps you should take your own advice.
"That's the change SEIU members want, that's the change working families need, and that's the change we're going to win in November."
O.K. I'll bite. Do your members know the real big change Obama and the SEIU heirarchy want? "Comprehensive" immigration "reform" to flood national workplaces to increase (hypothetically) union dues contributions. The SEIU heirarchy does not care about depressed wages. A "win-win" for the Corporate/Union Bureaucrat alliance, a loss for everyone else.
SEIU, probably the only union in the world wherein members complain their leaders sign up to easily too bad wage and benefit deals, and are proud of it!
Fair labor policies means making sure those countries allow unions too. Level the playing field. Read the book "The World is Flat" the Genie is out of the bottle we can't go back, but we can play smarter, and become a better country.
Who said Obama is not for hard working blue collar workers? With people who show unity in their rank like SEIU who is working hard for Obama, he will win in November by People's Power. It's unstoppable!
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