With more than 75,000 members in Pennsylvania, SEIU is working hard to elect Senator Barack Obama president so he can bring about the change America needs. Members have engaged in an extensive voter registration effort in their communities in advance of the March 24 primary deadline. Leading up to the April 22 primary, SEIU members will also be knocking on doors and making thousands of calls to discuss Senator Obama's detailed plans for ending the war in Iraq, fixing our economy and ensuring access to health care for every man, woman and child in America.

Audra Traynham, Philadelphia
Audra is a janitor in downtown Philadelphia and a member of SEIU Local 32BJ. She is inspired by Obama's commitment to health care coverage for all Americans and his plan to improve education, including overhauling No Child Left Behind. Traynham has been an all-star volunteer in her Local leading up to the voter registration deadline. Everywhere she goes in her neighborhood, she carries voter registration cards with her. Traynham is also a veteran campaigner, having spent time on the ground in Ohio turning out the vote for Obama.  

Jim Martis, Pittsburgh Suburbs
Jim works as a registered nurse at Allegheny General Hospital and is a member of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.  Martis is supporting Senator Obama because he believes his independence from Washington lobbyists and DC insiders means he can pass meaningful health care reform and stand up for working families. He has been busy registering members of his community, his family and friends and has even spent his weekends registering voters around his home in Monongahela and throughout Washington County. After the voter registration deadline, Martis and his family plan to volunteer for the Obama campaign making phone calls and going door-to-door.

Cheryl Reaves, Philadelphia Suburbs
For 25 years, Cheryl has been a counselor helping clients with mental disabilities learn to take care of themselves. Cheryl was planning to retire this summer but will continue working because she can't afford the $500 a month for health care she would have to pay. Cheryl is afraid to retire-she sees retired people in her neighborhood cutting their medication in half or having to choose between doctor visits and food. A mother of four, Cheryl took each of her children to register to vote when they turned 18. She's been bringing voter registration cards to work and is getting everyone she knows registered to vote and to the polls for Obama next month. Cheryl says the next president is going to have some hard work to do but she believes Senator Obama can bring people together to make health care affordable, treat seniors with dignity, and end the war in Iraq.

For more information on SEIU's efforts in Pennsylvania, or to speak with members about their work for Senator Obama, contact Stephanie Mueller (202-730-7842 / Stephanie.Mueller@seiu.org) or Mark McCullough (202-730-7283 / Mark.McCullough@seiu.org).

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