Press Release - June 3, 2008

Day 2: SEIU Delegates Change the Game, Embracing New Ways to Serve Members, Organize Globally and DoPolitics

San Juan, Puerto Rico—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.

Political Action After Election Day

“For too long time, we have supported candidates who promise the moon but deliver a lot of hot air,” said Roberto Pérez, an electrician and member of SEIU Local 1966 in Yauco, Puerto Rico. “That stops here.  Starting today, we are going to make sure that our elected leaders know how important it is that they keep their promises.”

“Our members get it,” said SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. “They know that it’s not enough to win on Election Day. SEIU members decided today that we’re going to make sure that the candidates we support not only win the election, but that they do the right thing when they’re in office. If a candidate runs on healthcare, we’re going to see that candidate support healthcare. We’re going to make sure that the public records of elected officials match their campaign rhetoric.”

Maryland Democrat Donna Edwards addressed day two of the convention, thanking SEIU members for helping lead her to victory in this year’s primary race for Maryland’s fourth congressional district.  Her presence served as a powerful example of SEIU’s pledge to hold politicians accountable. With the support ofSEIU and community allies, Edwards beat longstanding incumbent Democratic Representative Al Wynn, who had turned his back on working families. 

Serving Members Better

Members also voted today to expand the pilot member resource centers to serve more than onemillion members by 2012.  Memberresource centers, managed and operated by SEIU staff members, vastly enhance member services as they provide immediate and expert assistance for members intheir concerns—ranging from contracts to workplace complaints—all in the language of the member.

Adopted afterwitnessing the success of Australian labor unions, which credit member resourcecenters with helping provide the capacity to oust the conservative governmentof Prime Minister John Howard, SEIU piloted the centers in California, Illinoisand New York to wild success. 

“Member resourcecenters have completely transformed my job and improved the quality of what weoffer our members,” said Efrain Elias, a local field representative at SEIULocal 1 in Chicago.  “Our memberscan now call one number and get the help they need in their own language.  It’s like one-stop shopping.  The members get fast and accurateanswers.  And I can spend my timeworking directly with members to address issues in their workplaces and intheir communities.”

Building Worker Power Around the World

Members alsodiscussed building partnerships with workers in other countries sharing thesame multinational employers as a strategy to build worker power in a globaleconomy.

Sinceadopting a plan at SEIU’s 2004 convention to establish global unionpartnerships, SEIU members have met with 125 unions in 20 countries on allcontinents to build powerful new alliances, discuss organizing and learn fromunion members in other countries. 

“Forworkers to win in global economies, we need global strategies and transnationalunion partnerships,” said Rocio Saenz, President of Local 615 in Boston,Massachusetts. “It took a 30-country alliance of unions of G4S workers to helpwin union recognition for 50,000 workers around the world.  We took on Goliath with little morethan a slingshot and ingenuity, but together, we crafted a model of success.”     

G4S (formerly Group 4 Securicor), a British company, is the second largest private corporation in the world and the largest in Africa.

Delegate Votes 

In addition tovoting for a political accountability program and member resource centers,member delegates voted unanimously for a resolution supporting workers’ rightsin Burma and overwhelmingly to pass resolutions to reform our nationalhealthcare system, to both support the troops in Iraq and bring them home andto unify all long term care workers in the same local in every state. 

The member delegates also voted in the mostdiverse slate of officers to ever head a labor union.  In addition to the re-election of International PresidentAndy Stern, International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, and Executive VicePresidents Eliseo Medina, Tom Woodruff, Mary Kay Henry, Gerald “Gerry” Hudson,the members also elected Dave Regan of Ohio and Annelle Grajeda of Californiato also serve as Executive Vice Presidents for the 2008-2012 term.

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With 2million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is thefastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers inhealthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare, andmore secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with theircounterparts around the world to help ensure that workers, not just corporationsand CEOs, benefit from today’s global economy.