WASHINGTON, DC - Dr. L. Toni Lewis, geriatrician and Healthcare Chair of the 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement today in response to the University of California Berkeley Labor Center's new report "Black and Latino Retirement (In)Security" revealing minority workers are more likely to live in poverty as retirees:

"Every day, it becomes clearer that as Americans we must take a stand to create good jobs, protect our elders and close the wealth gaps in our nation.

"Our looming retirement security crisis disproportionately affects minorities with more than half of seniors retiring in poverty after a lifetime of work. This harsh reality also threatens current workers who are less prepared for retirement due to income disparities, high unemployment, looming threats to cut Medicaid and Medicare, and limited savings.

"Finding solutions to ensure retirement security for all is a racial, as well as, an economic justice imperative. Now more than ever, policy makers, advocacy groups, employers, and workers must come together to ensure that everyone is able to retire in dignity.

"We cannot continue to fuel an ongoing cycle of retirement insecurity that will devastate America as seniors wrestle with poverty; adult children struggle to support their parents, and young workers watch their retirement options evaporate," said Lewis.

Follow Dr. Lewis on Twitter @ltonil

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. 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.

SEIU is also the largest healthcare union, with more than 1.1 million members in the field, including nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab technicians, nursing home workers, and home care workers.

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