Issued October 08, 2008

At last night's town hall debate we heard directly from theAmerican people--families are struggling and they want solutions to fix theeconomy and bring down healthcare costs.

I wanted to send a quick note highlighting SEIU members whoare available to discuss the challenges facing working families and why theybelieve Barack Obama is the only candidate with a plan to turn the economyaround and provide access to affordable healthcare for all.

More than 1,400 SEIU members have taken time off their jobsand 100,000 nurses, janitors, child care providers, and other workers will bevolunteering after work and on weekends to win on November 4^th.

Feel free to contact me at 202-730-7759 if you'd liketo talk to an SEIU member doing political work.

Gene Taylor, Concord, New Hampshire

Gene Taylor is a software engineer in Concord who voted for John McCain in 2000.Gene's mom doesn't have healthcare and his dad, a realtor, was hit hard by thehousing crisis and had to get a second job just to have healthcare and enoughmoney to pay the bills.

Gene said that Barack Obama is the only candidate talkingabout real solutions to help his family get by, while John McCain is justsupporting the same failed policies of George Bush. Gene knew he had to getinvolved. This year:

 Now Gene is taking time off his job to make sure everyunion member in New Hampshireturns out to vote for Barack Obama in November.

Stacey Gallick, Columbus, Ohio

Stacey is a homecare worker in Columbus. Stacey has no healthcare coverageand her home is currently in foreclosure. She recently found out the state wascutting her pay drastically--making it impossible to afford even the bareessentials. When Stacey gets sick, her treatment plan is hoping it will just goaway on its own.

Stacey has devoted her life to helping people. She says shejust wants a president who respects the work that she does by giving her accessto affordable healthcare and ensuring that her paycheck covers the basics.Stacey is working hard to make sure Ohiogoes for Obama on Election Day because her future depends on it.

Betsy Povtak, Montgomery County, MD

Betsy is a professional growth consultant with Montgomery County Public Schoolsand a mother of three grown kids. Before this election, Betsy had nevercanvassed in her life. But she joined her co-workers from SEIU Local 500 on atrip down to Norfolk, VA to register new voters because she knewshe had to get involved.

Betsy is amazed by the excitement around this election. Shesays children would see her, shout "I'm voting for Obama", and go drag theirparents out of the house to talk to her. One woman called her neighbor on thephone to come over and register to vote while Betsy waited on her porch.Another woman told Betsy she was having a sleepover the night before theelection so she could drive them all to the polls in the morning.

Betsy's co-workers have similar stories--one of themregistered a 98-year-old woman in a nursing home to vote for the first time inher life. Betsy will continue her trips to Virginia to help turn these new voters outto vote for Obama.