Yes we did! SEIU members turned out the vote for Obama, Gregoire, Dorn, Initiative 1029

Thousands of SEIU nurses, janitors and other volunteers worked to bring home victory for Barack Obama, Governor Gregoire, Randy Dorn, candidates committed to the change that working families need, and Initiative 1029.

We knocked on doors, made phone calls, talked with co-workers about the issues, and reminded people to vote. Members wrote letters to the editor, filmed videos and appeared in radio and television ads to drive home the point that all Americans need quality affordable health care and economic security.

“Our nation is in a healthcare and economic crisis, and SEIU members took to the streets to talk about Governor Gregoire and Barack Obama’s plans to move our country forward,” SEIU Healthcare 1199NW President Diane Sosne said. “Working families are ready for change - until we solve our healthcare crisis, every family is at economic risk. Barack Obama and Governor Gregoire are the team working families can count on for quality, affordable healthcare for everyone, and voters were eager to hear that message.”

See a full list of statewide results.

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Group Health contract ratified!

Group Health’s SEIU-represented staff voted overwhelmingly to ratify new contracts covering three bargaining units—RNs, service staff, and social workers/mental health therapists. Ninety-seven percent of votes cast were in favor of the new agreements. The contracts, which expire Oct. 31, 2011, will be effective immediately.

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What will Governor Gregoire do to improve healthcare?

Don Miller, an RN at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, asked Governor Gregoire: what will you do to improve patient care in Washington?

Watch Don's question here:

See Governor Gregoire's response to Don:

View the videos.

SEIU members walk for Governor Gregoire

SEIU members from locals 775NW, 925, and 1199NW rallied at the Road to American Healthcare bus and walked local neighborhoods on Sunday to talk about Governor Gregoire’s successful track record on children’s healthcare and prescription drugs.

The Road to American Healthcare bus was also at Sunday’s events. The bus has traveled nationwide since April, stopping at cities large and small to talk about healthcare reform and highlight real people who are struggling to afford healthcare and workers who are on the front lines of this crisis. The bus is headed to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, bringing our message of healthcare reform straight through to the elections and into the White House.

See pictures from this event here.

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Safe Staffing Victory at Valley Medical Center: Watch the video!

Nurses at Valley Medical Center in Renton just reached an agreement with Valley Medical Center administration that will improve nurse staffing. Valley Medical Center will hire Designated Break Relief Nurses who will take care of patients while nurses take their breaks and lunches in the Med-surg, Renal Respiratory, Cardiac PCU, Oncology, Mother-Baby and Labor & Delivery, and CCU units. And, Charge Nurses wil be unassigned and not included in the staffing matrix, which means they’ll be available to provide valuable support and resources to our units.

Watch the video:

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SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members from DESC protest homeless sweeps

100 people, including SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members from DESC protested homeless sweeps in downtown Seattle. Workers, volunteers, and homeless advocates called upon the mayor to end sweeps and demand that the city fund more beds in shelters before enacting sweeps of homeless camps.

DESC workers recently voted to join SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and have a strong commitment to ending homelessness. DESC members are committed to the city’s 10-year plan to end homelessness, and believe that sweeping camps is not the solution. Members are working for increased funding for frontline social service workers and the clients that we serve.

View coverage of this event, including an interview with Libby Solursh, an SEIU Healthcare 1199NW member from DESC.

Other coverage available from:
Seattle Times
Seattle P-I

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"We can't accept short staffing."

"My greatest personal reward is to help bring a new child into the world safely. I'd like every birth to be a safe one. But when we are short-staffed, our patients are at risk. As caregivers, we can't accept the risks that come with short staffing - and neither should our patients."

-- Konnie Campagna,
Registered Nurse, Valley Medical Center

2009 SEIU Scholarship Opportunities

Unions like SEIU help working families fulfill their dreams in many different ways. This includes yearly scholarship opportunities. SEIU awards 52 scholarships annually that enable our members and children to pursue their educational goals at accredited colleges, universities, and technical schools. Scholarship awards range from $1,000 to $5,000.

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In housing we trust

"Hundreds of concerned citizens fanned out into our local community in the early hours of Jan. 25, counting people who are homeless. The preliminary estimate was some 8,600 individuals living in cars, under bridges, and in doorways, alleys, shelters and temporary housing — about 15 percent more than last year."
Read more of this op-ed by Bill Hobson and Diane Sosne in the Seattle Times