Washington, D.C.--The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) released the following statement of Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger following President Obama's speech on Wall Street reform:

Today, President Obama aggressively challenged the Wall Street CEOs spending millions to hold on to the reckless practices that crashed our economy, required trillions in taxpayer-funded bailouts, and left 8 million Americans without jobs.

"The President took the concerns of the American people to the doorsteps of Wall Street:

• People like Maria Guerra, a janitor from Chicago whose brother lost the house Maria helped him buy because he lost his job after the economy crashed.
• People like Al Marshall, who along with other city workers in Oakland, California, must accept furlough days, layoffs and pay cuts to keep their city afloat.
• People like Willie Lucas, an electrician at Howard University, who after 32-years on the job had to delay his retirement after the Wall Street's recklessness wiped out his life savings.

"Lloyd Blankfein, Jamie Dimon and the rest of the Wall Street CEOs should use the $1.4 million a day they are spending to kill Wall Street reform to help families keep their homes, expand lending to small businesses to create jobs, and help states and cities close the record budget gaps caused by Wall Street's recklessness. Instead of hiring 1,500 lobbyists to influence Congress, the big banks should hire thousands of workers to stop foreclosures and expand lending.

"And Senate Republicans should stop putting the demands of Wall Street before the needs of America's families. No more backroom deals with Wall Street CEOs. No more deceptive rhetoric. No more delays.

"Reforming Wall Street is key to rebuilding our economy. The American people demand Congress immediate pass strong Wall Street reform that:

• Enacts strong consumer financial protections by forcing big banks and credit card companies to give fair terms and provide clear, understandable information so that Americans can make financial decisions that work best for them;
• Brings new transparency and accountability to the financial dealings of Wall Street and private equity firms and ends the shadow banking system that brought our economy to its knees; and

• Makes big banks and financial institutions pay for the bad decisions they make and ensures that taxpayers are never again responsible for bailing out a financial firm that is deemed too big to fail."

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Reminder: Thousands of Americans to take to the streets over the next month to hold Wall Street accountable.

APRIL 27th

March and Rally at Wells Fargo Shareholder Meeting
San Francisco, CA

• 11:30am PDT, Gather at Justin Herman Plaza, Embarcadero and Market
• 12 pm PDT, March on Wells Fargo, 465 California

Showdown in the Heartland
Kansas City, MO

• 1 pm CDT, Rally in Financial District, Barney Allis Plaza,12th and Wyandotte
• 1:30pm CDT, March on Bank of America

APRIL 28th

March and Rally at Bank of America Shareholder Meeting
Charlotte, NC

• 9:15 am EDT, March to Bank of America Headquarters
• 11:50 am EDT, Closing Rally, Bank of America Headquarters

APRIL 29th

Showdown on Wall Street
New York, NY

• 4 pm EDT, Rally on Broadway from Park Row to Chambers
• 5 pm EDT, Thousands march down Broadway through Financial District

MAY 15th -17th

America's Families Take on Wall Street Lobbyists
Washington, DC
Locations Across Washington, D.C. - Details TBA

RSVP to the action closest to you here.

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers -- not just corporations and CEOs -- benefit from today's global economy.

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