Issued May 27, 2021
Washington, DC - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) International President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement today in response to the mass shooting at a San Jose rail yard:
“The 2 million service and care workers in SEIU are sending our love, support and prayers to the families and victims of the mass shooting at the VTA Guadalupe Yard in San Jose.
“We are devastated by yet another senseless act of gun violence that took the lives of nine people. SEIU Local 521 members work at the rail yard and their safety and well-being is our top priority. We stand in solidarity with the entire community that is shaken and shocked by the violence.
“In the throes of the pandemic, VTA workers played a critical role in making sure Silicon Valley never stopped moving. They sacrificed their own health and safety to ensure community members could get to work without skipping a beat.
“The pandemic crystallized the extent to which our society relies on essential workers and how much they have sacrificed for the rest of us. It’s time for legislators to honor the victims by taking bold action to address this horror that impacts too many communities.
“We are committed as a union to putting an end to the epidemic of gun violence. We encourage support of the victims’ families by donating to this fund: http://bit.ly/vtasolidarity.”