Watch and hear SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry discuss with SEIU member leaders from across the country the course charted ahead by thousands of members at SEIU's 2020 Convention to build power and win justice in and outside of our union.
| At SEIU's recent 27th Quadrennial Constitutional Convention, SEIU members passed a resolution to accelerate our work uniting millions of workers into unions—across employers and geographies—to build power and to ensure a multi-racial democracy that wins justice for all.
SEIU members voted to: - Drive an anti-racist agenda and actions; - Win breakthroughs on Unions for All; - Fight for everyone’s right to vote freely, safely, and without impediment to win in November and lay the foundation for a true, multi-racial democracy; and - Empower every member leader, and ensure every member is connected as we create new spaces to grow our movement. |
During the #WalkoutWednesday conversation, Tammie Wondong, a 31-year Fairfax County employee in the Adult and Aging Division and the elected president of SEIU Virginia 512's Fairfax County Chapter, reaffirmed her belief in the power of unions saying, "I keep organizing because of the generations coming up behind me. They’re watching us and they want training and direction. We truly have to be the model for them to learn about speaking up, coming together and making change."
Toyai Anderson, a 20-year Detroit nursing home worker, SEIU Healthcare Michigan member, and an emerging member leader, was recently a strike captain for one of the six Detroit nursing homes on strike in the July 20th, 2020 Strike for Black Lives. Her experience speaking at a rally, her first time ever, inspired her to continue to organize her co-workers. She will again strike on August 17th at the ULP strike of nearly 1,600 nursing home workers at 17 Detroit facilities.
Roy Chavadiyil, a frontline essential healthcare worker in Chicago, SEIU Local 73 member, and Asian Pacific Islander (API) Caucus member leader (with API workers amongst the fastest-growing group of SEIU members), said we must support the Convention's resolution denouncing anti-Asian racism and xenophobia. "We must commit to our union," he said, "by identifying and rooting out all forms of hate."
Tim Maddox, a 25-year Los Angeles International Airport wheelchair attendant, the SEIU-USWW airport industry's executive board vice president, and the son of labor movement and civil rights movement activists, said, "We won’t stop until we win Unions for All and balance the scale so all working people can thrive—Black, brown, white, indegenous, and newcomers."
He passionately attested, "Our union is a vehicle to get to where we want. Our union is a vehicle to help us strategize and to lead and navigate, to fight politically in the streets and in many different ways whether it's through our political power at the state, city and local and also national and international … We're going to be there, stepping with [our fellow workers] side-by-side, hand-by-hand, to make change for ourselves, our livelihoods, our families, and our future."
