Issued November 07, 2020
San Francisco, Calif. - Service Employee International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement on the historic election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris:
“Working people won this election. Essential workers, Black and brown communities, and a strong majority of voters powerfully and decisively defeated Donald Trump’s division and hate. We chose a resilient, inclusive America. We chose — with the most votes for a presidential ticket ever — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
“By voting in record numbers, essential workers — Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, white — delivered this historic victory. All of us — no matter our race or where we come from — want the same thing: a better future for our families. Essential workers have risked their lives to keep our country running, working through a pandemic, protecting our democracy and turning out their communities to vote in record numbers. Essential workers’ message is clear: respect us, protect us, pay us.
“It is time to transform America’s economy and our politics by valuing working people and our communities. We know it won’t be easy and we face challenges. But we still expect bold, decisive action in the first 100 days on the Biden-Harris administration and from Democrats in Congress. We will fight for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage so all workers can support our families. We will fight for the chance to join a union no matter where we work, to bargain for better jobs and build stronger communities. We want a reimagined care economy and a rational plan to deal with the pandemic. We will fight for racial justice rooted in our communities, a path to citizenship for our immigrant neighbors, healthcare for all and immediate action on climate change.
“Today, the two million service and care workers in the Service Employees International Union and the millions more in the Fight for $15 and a Union are celebrating. We congratulate President-elect Biden, who has dedicated his career to fighting for workers and modeling strong, empathetic leadership. And we congratulate and honor Vice President-elect Harris as she continues to break boundaries and pave the way for so many women and girls as the first Black, South Asian woman elected on a presidential ticket.
“Tomorrow, we will be back in the fight to win justice for all and chart a new path forward for America. In this moment of reckoning, it’s time to disrupt and uproot the deadly impacts of structural racism in America’s economy and democracy. We must face this pandemic, the economic insecurity of too many families and demands for an end to police violence head-on. We’ll be in the streets, organizing our communities, and marching together to continue the fight to ensure our economy and democracy works for all of us, no exceptions. We are ready.”