Representative Hayden the Best Advocate for Senate District 61 in Special Election
Saint Paul, MN – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota State Council has endorsed State Representative Jeff Hayden for the vacant State Senate seat in Senate District 61.
SEIU Local 26 President Javier Morillo stated, “SEIU is excited to endorse Jeff Hayden for the State Senate. Jeff Hayden has been a strong advocate for the issues facing our members and their communities, including civil rights, progressive state revenue, foreclosure prevention, and the elimination of poverty. The communities he represents could not ask for a better advocate in this Special Election.”
SEIU Minnesota State Council and Healthcare Minnesota President Julie Schnell added, “Whether broadly through his work on the Minnesota Health Plan, or more specifically through his efforts to break down barriers to health care access by communities of color, Representative Jeff Hayden has fought to make health care accessible to all from his seat on the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee. The State Senate may be losing an expert and advocate with Senator Berglin’s retirement, but we know that Jeff Hayden will be a real asset to the State Senate in his work on health care access, which is why SEIU is proud to have endorsed Representative Hayden to succeed retired State Senator Linda Berglin.”
State Representative Jeff Hayden is running in tomorrow’s DFL Special Primary Election (Tuesday, September 13). The Special Election will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 2011.
SEIU is the workers who provide care and support for your family n hospitals, nursing homes, schools, child care, and the Twin Cities’ largest public and private buildings. The SEIU Minnesota State Council coordinates the electoral, legislative and outreach work of the SEIU Locals in Minnesota to increase the effectiveness of their collective bargaining and new member organizing campaigns. By building the political involvement of approximately 30,000 SEIU members throughout the state, the State Council is working to improve the lives of all Minnesotans. The State Council’s board is comprised of elected leaders, members, and staff of the four SEIU Local Unions in Minnesota.
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For more information, please contact SEIU MN State Council Executive Director Brian Elliott at belliott@seiu.mn or 612-703-4987.
Across the country at town halls, fundraisers, and forums in over 150 congressional districts, jobless Americans are uniting with workers, students, and other citizens over the August recess to demand politicians create the good jobs we need to put America back to work.
These actions are part of the American Dream movement, which is supported by national and local organizations including Moveon.org, Rebuild the Dream, SEIU and the Center for Community Change. Below, you’ll find coverage, photos and video of recent congressional office visits, town halls and rallies held to send members of Congress the message that Americans want action on jobs.
Over the last week, more than 50 members of Congress in 27 states faced protests by voters in their districts demanding action on jobs.
Watch this new compilation of local TV news coverage from protests held against Members of Congress over their failure to create jobs:
More coverage of protests aired on The Ed Show and The Last Word on MSNBC.
Boehner has said in the past that “if someone [he's] gotten to know on the golf course comes into [his] office with a good argument, [he] tends to want to listen.” Unfortunately, activists protesting outside the Wayzata Golf country club didn’t find experience any of that ‘listening’ today.
Video here and here. Peruse media coverage photos.
Read KSEE 24 News’ coverage of the event.
Dressed as Depression-era newsies, two participants handed out fliers that detailed Reichert’s poor performance creating jobs. “Extra, extra, read all about it! Reichert gives millions in tax breaks but creates zero jobs,” they said.
Reichert, who supported the Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) budget that would have killed 2.5 million jobs, was unfortunately nowhere to be seen. Read rally coverage in the Mercer Island Patchand King5.com. Flickr photos here.
“If we don’t have jobs, we can’t play the stock market, and we can’t do any investing. We can’t put money into our economy: We can’t buy clothing, we can’t buy food, we can’t buy the things that we need in order to survive, so without a job there is no economy,” said activist Anna Kleinholz. Coverage from WSVN here. Video here.
Read news coverage here and here. Photos here.
Media coverage of their visit here and here.
Their demands were heard – and ignored – by actors wearing puppet masks of job-killing U.S. Representatives Erik Paulsen, John Kline, and Michele Bachmann and one of their corporate sponsors, Wells Fargo MN CEO and Minnesota Chamber of Commerce chair, Jon Campbell.
Watch video and view photos on Flickr.
Read news coverage from Fox 26 and NPR – KUHF.
Send your own message to Congress demanding good jobs now:http://www.seiu.org/goodjobs.
KTSP/ABC 5:
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2244273.shtml?cat=1
“Protesters Greet Big Names in GOP at Golf Fundraiser in Wayzata”
FOX 9:
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/politics/bachmann-boehner-golf-outing-protest-aug-17-2011
“Protest at $10,000 Republican Golf Outing in Wayzata”
The Uptake.org:
http://www.theuptake.org/2011/08/17/boehner-bachmann-10000-golf-event-attracts-a-crowd/
“Boehner-Bachman $10,000 Golf Event Attracts a Crowd”
Minneapolis Star Tribune:
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/127979883.html
“Protesters picket GOP at Wayzata fundraiser: As U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and state GOP politicians were inside a country club with wealthy donors, demonstrators made their points outside”
Workday Minnesota:
http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4963
“Demanding jobs, Minnesotans confront politicians at $10,000-a-ticket golf outing”
Bluestemprairie.com:
“Update! New location! Green is new Boehnertone: Orange speaker to raise $$ for GOP peers in Wayzata”
“The Freedom Project in Wayzata: who golfed at Spring Hill Golf Club in 2007 on PAC’s dime?”
City Pages:
“John Boehner’s ritzy Minnesota golf fundraiser: Is it even happening? [UPDATE]”
The Patch.com:
“Hundreds Protest Outside GOP Fundraiser in Wayzata: Influential Republican members of Congress remained out of sight and earshot of protest.”
Over 200 Minnesotans for a Fair Economy came out yesterday to tell Speaker Boehner and Reps. Bachmann, Cravaack, Kline, and Paulsen to put good jobs ahead of $10,000 golf games.
Protest at $10,000 Republican Golf Outing in Wayzata: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com
Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in America and a world famous investor, calls for Washington politicians to stop coddling the super-rich.
Working families couldn’t agree more.
Here’s a clip from his op-ed:
OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.
While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as “carried interest,” thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they’d been long-term investors.
These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places.
Call on Advisory Task Force to reflect interests of working families
Julie Schnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, released the following statement regarding Minnesota’s receipt of a federal grant to plan a state health insurance exchange:
“As a union of 15,000 healthcare workers who see the inequities of the health insurance status quo on a daily basis, we are excited that the State of Minnesota will receive a $4.2 million grant to help plan our state health insurance exchange.”
“In 2014, health insurance exchanges will allow ordinary Minnesotans and small-businesses to purchase affordable health insurance with the same buying power large corporations enjoy. This grant recognizes that, once again, Minnesota leads the nation in creative healthcare reform. While too many in the legislature put extreme ideology before practical planning, Governor Dayton has made sure Minnesota voices will create an exchange that reflects Minnesota leadership and values.”
“It is our sincere hope that as the Advisory Task Force required in the grant begins its work, the interests of patients, the disabled, seniors, and workers will be their highest priority.”
Service Employees Union Calls for GOP to Stop Choosing Millionaires over Minnesotans and Bring Sustainable Revenues to Table
SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and SEIU Minnesota State Council President Julie Schnell issued the following statement in regard to the budget compromise struck today by Governor Dayton and GOP legislative leaders.
“To protect Minnesota families from the most draconian cuts in the short term, Governor Dayton felt that he must concede to the fiscally irresponsible budget demands of the GOP leadership who have used their government shutdown to take middle class and working Minnesota families hostage in an effort to protect the richest 7700 Minnesota tax filers, over half of which aren’t even Minnesotans.
On the contrary, SEIU does not believe that we should give in to the demands of the GOP leadership, who have refused to negotiate in good faith, and who would use the state’s children, middle class and working families as a human shield to protect 7700 multi-millionaires from having to share any of the burden of the state’s fiscal problems, resulting from the past eight years of shifts and gimmicks under Tim Pawlenty.
We cannot afford to kick our budget problems down the road. SEIU strongly believes that such irresponsible budget gimmicks will only increase the pressure on future budgets and that the consequences will be borne by our children, our seniors, and the overwhelming majority of Minnesota families, at a scale to make the pain inflicted upon Minnesota by the GOP shutdown, though acute, seem trivial in comparison.
Until we see a good faith proposal from the GOP leadership, we do not believe we should mortgage our state’s future. The only compromise this achieves is the compromising of our state’s working families.”
Entire statement can be found here:
Updated 6/30/11 12:15pm
Will the shutdown affect my hospital, clinic, or nursing home?
The short answer is yes. Our facilities rely heavily on state funding to operate and a government shutdown will likely interfere with payments from the state. Right now, the courts are hearing arguments to keep essential services running even if the state government shuts down, but a final ruling has not yet been made. Stay tuned for more updates as information becomes available. Judge Gearin ruled on June 29th that the State will continue to make Medicaid/MA and MNCare payments to hospitals and nursing homes.
Will I get paid during the shutdown?
We will continue to enforce our collective bargaining agreements during any government shutdown including applicable payday and wage provisions.
I’m a licensed healthcare worker. How will the shutdown affect me?
The Minnesota Board of Nursing and the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice have said that licensed health-care professionals will not be able to renew their licenses during a government shutdown, which would occur July 1 if the governor and Legislature fail to reach a budget agreement by June 30. Therefore, any professionals whose licenses expire during a shutdown – be they nurses, pharmacists, etc. – will then be unable to practice.
Why is the state government facing a shutdown?
The Republican majority in the legislature passed a budget with $1 billion in funding losses for our hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Governor Dayton vetoed that budget, and now the state faces a shutdown. If the Republican budget passed, it would put thousands of our jobs at risk and cut off thousands of Minnesotans from access to basic medical care. Worst of all, it would balance the budget on the backs of our seniors and people with disabilities – which is exactly what these legislators promised not to do. Governor Dayton’s budget proposal asks the richest 2% of Minnesotans to pay more so we can maintain quality healthcare and long-term care. The rest of us would not pay a dime more in taxes.
What can I do to speak out against the shutdown?
Join SEIU and our allies at a Shutdown Eve vigil on Thursday, June 30th from 9pm-11pm on the steps of the Capitol. RSVP here.
Bring your candles or flashlights and join SEIU and our allies for a vigil on the steps of the State Capitol, THIS Thursday from 9:00 to 11:00 PM.
If working and middle class people are going to take a hit in these tough times, it shouldn’t be to protect the richest 2% of Minnesotans from paying their fair share.
But that is exactly what the Republican legislators have proposed to do – cutting 140,000 people off of health care, cutting funding for many of our schools, and increasing property taxes, all so the richest 2% of Minnesotans can continue to pay a lower tax rate than the rest of us.
And now, those same Republican legislators are choosing to risk closing nursing homes and state parks, potentially shutting down both public and private construction projects, and crippling our economy, just to protect the richest Minnesotans from paying their fair share.
It’s time for citizens to tell the Republican legislators to stop protecting the richest Minnesotans at the expense of the rest of us. It’s time to be concerned about more hours cut at our public libraries and fewer police and firefighters to keep our communities safe. It’s time to care about nursing home residents, the elderly and disabled who are able to live on their own thanks to taxes.
Bill will cut $1.6 billion in critical healthcare funding for Minnesota’s Elderly and Disabled
The 15,000 healthcare workers of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota made the following statements following the conclusion of the HHS Conference Committee’s work on Thursday night.
“Working families have already sacrificed enough to get this budget back on track,” said Kent Wilcox, a housekeeper at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul and the Vice President of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. “Instead of creating jobs to kickstart our economy, Republican politicians have chosen to cut off access to care for the disabled and poor and pinch pennies for the care of the elderly just to protect the richest 5% of Minnesotans from paying a dime more in income taxes.”
“We urge the Governor to stand firm in the coming budget negotiations to ensure the needs of the elderly, the disabled, and working families are met,” said Julie Schnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. “We need a balanced approach to solving our state’s budget that includes asking Minnesota’s millionaires to pay their fair share to keep our state great.”
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