Statement of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry on the appointment of Elizabeth Warren to serve as Special White House Assistant for the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau:

Elizabeth Warren has spent her entire career fighting for the interests of working families and supporting policies to help rebuild the middle class. She understands the tremendous hardships facing families struggling to recover from the greatest economic crisis in generations.

"Now more than ever, we need safe banking products that help us buy a home and help us save for retirement and our children's education. We need an end to trick mortgages, an end to predatory bank and overdraft fees, and an end to credit card contracts that require a law degree to understand. We need to return a sense of security to our personal finances. And we need to force banks to focus on investing in our communities instead of gouging consumers.

"Elizabeth Warren was our first and only choice to start the hard work of establishing this historic watchdog for consumers and families. Not only did she create the idea for the Bureau, she has the tenacity and character required to stand up to entrenched interests and transform the relationship between Wall Street and banks and our families."

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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