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The State Pushed. We Pushed Back. Keep it up!

IP Bargaining Update #4 (July 16, 2010)

After a few fairly smooth sessions, negotiations took a turn for the worse. The State pushed so we pushed back harder.

Over the last week, our members sent more than 600 messages to Governor Gregoire's office with a powerful and simple message, "Don't cut our health care, don't cut our training, and don't freeze our wages."

She's starting to feel the pressure, so we can't let up.

Click here to let the governor know that we don't want to go back to when caregivers were not treated with dignity and respect.

Our collective bargaining agreement not only covers 33,000 individual providers, but it also effectively covers 6,600 agency workers because of Washington's agency parity law.

If you think we don't have a lot at stake in these negotiations, ask bargaining team member Deborah Moore...

» Read more

Tami Green: We Need to Fight for Her in the 28th Legislative District

Rep. Tami GreenMonday, July 12

One of our top priorities for this election year is to re-elect Tami Green to the Washington State Legislature.

Tami is a former SEIU member, a nurse, a mom and grandmother.

She has led the fight to protect long-term care and other services in the legislature, and has been a longtime advocate for creating family wage jobs.

Tami represents the 28th district but she’s really a voice for all working families in Washington.

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SEIU Endorses Sen. Patty Murray

Thursday, July 8

Senator Patty MurrayThe Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing more than 100,000 Washington workers, has endorsed U.S. Senator Patty Murray for re-election.

SEIU, whose members include hospital, clinic, home care, education and public sector workers, as well as nursing home and child care providers, janitors and security officers announced their strong support for Senator Patty Murray as the clear choice for working families in Washington State.

“From fighting for affordable healthcare to holding Wall Street banks accountable, Senator Patty Murray has been a real champion for working families. Senator Murray has been a true leader and advocate, we are proud to stand with her now, as she has often stood with us,” said Donna Peake, member SEIU Healthcare 775NW, Certified Nursing Assistant from Vancouver WA.

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Endorsements in House and Senate Races

(as of July 8, 2010)

Current list of endorsements, by legislative districts. Includes open seats.

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Gregoire to Home Care Workers: Pretend it's 1999

IP Bargaining Update #3 (July 8, 2010)

Do you remember when home care workers made $7.00 an hour - no health benefits, almost no training? That’s essentially what Governor Gregoire thinks is appropriate for caregivers who take care of the state’s most vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities.

The Governor is proposing cuts to health care, cuts to training and a freeze on wages.

Tell the Governor to show home care workers some respect. Click here to send her a fax with a very simple message, “We don’t want to go back to1999. Show us some respect!”

Mike Roth, IP Bargaining Team MemberTwo million people voted for Initiative 1029 so that seniors and people with disabilities would get the quality care they deserve. Without enough money for health benefits and pay freezes for the foreseeable future – home care workers may as well turn back the clock. 

Mike Roth, from Seattle, has been a caregiver for 35 years. Before he had health insurance through our union, he cut himself opening a can of food. That cost him $400 in medical expenses. Money he didn’t have...

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Suing Arizona is Good. Comprehensive Immigration Reform is Better!

No to Arizona, Yes to Immigration Reform Wednesday, July 7

Yesterday, the US Department of Justice announced that they are suing the state of Arizona over its recent immigration law, SB 1070.

Well it's about time!

The law, which is set to go into effect later this month, would mandate racial profiling. It has been denounced by civil rights leaders, law enforcement officials, elected officials from around the country, and even the President.

Ordinary citizens like you have stood up against Arizona's unjust law - with marches and rallies in Washington, DC, across Washington state, and across the country.

Click here to send President Obama and the Department of Justice a strong, clear message.

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Images from Delivering 350,000 Signatures in Support of I-1098

Thursday, July 1


I-1098 Signature Delivery in Olympia

Click here or on the picture for a slideshow from today's news conference and delivery to the Secretary of State's office.

Chris Reykdal earns support of SEIU members

Chris Reykdal Friday, June 25

Citing his commitment and record on working family issues, the nurses, hospital workers, home care workers, public school workers, and childcare workers of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, SEIU Healthcare 775NW, SEIU Local 1948-PSE and SEIU Local 925 have endorsed Chris Reykdal for election to the position of State Representative in the 22nd Legislative District.

SEIU members noted Chris’s support of training for home care and healthcare workers in his role as Deputy Executive Director of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and also his commitment to education in his work as an educator and School Board member.

“Chris has been a valuable partner in the effort to improve training and workforce development for health care and long-term care workers,” said Sharon Kitchel-Perdue, a home care worker and member of SEIU Healthcare 775NW’s Executive Board. “We need people like Chris – who understand the issues facing working families and are committed to fighting for a fair tax system, living wage jobs, and quality services for the most vulnerable.”

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Internship Opportunity

Join our Internship Program Today! Join our Internship Program *** Meet other Caregivers
Save Long-Term Care


We are still accepting applications for paid internships (July 29 to September 23).

Are you interested? Fill out the online application today.

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SEIU Members Support Joe Fitzgibbon for State House Legislative District 34

Thursday, June 24

Joe FitzgibbonCiting both Joe Fitzgibbon’s commitment to Washington’s working families and his experience as a legislative aide to Rep. Sharon Nelson, SEIU members in locals 925, 1948-PSE, 775NW, and 1199NW announced their support for Joe Fitzgibbon today.

The SEIU members, including child care providers, nurses, healthcare workers, home care workers, public school workers and others, noted Fitzgibbon’s chairing of the Burien Planning Commission as another example of his experience in effectively representing the 34th district.

“We’re proud to stand with Joe Fitzgibbon since we know that he will fight hard to protect critical services for seniors and people with disabilities. With the fiscal crisis facing our state we need someone who can step in from day one and be a leader for a fair tax system and quality care for the most vulnerable” – Carol Frontiero, a certified nurse aide at Vashon Community Care Center and a member of the Executive Committee of SEIU Healthcare 775NW.

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huffington post logo - long

Winning an Economy that Works for Everyone

Wednesday, June 23

Mary Kay Henry Photograph This week, the House and Senate are finalizing key pieces of Wall Street reform. Wall Street CEOs and their lobbyists are stepping up their efforts to water down and defeat key pieces of it.

In a piece in Huffington Post today, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry calls on Congress to reject these efforts by Wall Street and fix what's broken with our financial crisis.

"Each day Congress waits to finalize new rules for our financial system is another day Wall Street CEOs are allowed to engage in the same risky bets that crashed our economy," writes Henry.

"Each day our leaders put off the hard work of rebuilding our economy is another day the American Dream slips further and further out of reach for Al Marshall and the rest of our families."

Click here to read the full article

National Beverage Lobby Lying to the Public

Thursday, June 17

Beverage lobby is spending millions to mislead voters into signing I-1107 petitions

In contrast to beverage lobby's false claims, Attorney General's Office determined that it is "misleading" to claim that I-1107 is about taxes on food or groceries.

A multi-million dollar signature gathering effort launched last week by the national beverage industry is deliberately mislead voters in order to obtain enough signatures to qualify Initiative 1107 for the November ballot.

Paid signature gatherers brought in from out of state, and a mass statewide mailing this week by the beverage industry, are deceiving potential signers by claiming that I-1107 will repeal a non-existent “food tax” on basic groceries.

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If it Ain't 1098, Don't Take the Bait!

Yes on I-1098

1098, 1082, 1107 ...
Signature gatherers are out in full force, but with so many initiatives trying to qualify for the November ballot, it's almost impossible to keep all the numbers straight. To help you sort through the maze, we are sharing a quick guide to the 2010 initiatives. The full run-down is below, but there's really only one thing you really need to remember:

If it ain't 1098, don't take the bait!

I-1098 is the only initiative we recommend signing. We have faced too many cuts to hours and too many cuts to nursing homes over the past several years. I-1098 would finally reform Washington's outdated tax system by instituting a high-earner's income tax. Nearly every other initiative would undermine our quality of life, and most are bankrolled by deep-pocketed corporations that are focused only on increasing their profits. More funding for education and health care will help stabilize our long-term care system.

Show your support by signing our I-1098 pledge today:
http://775nw.seiu.org/page/s/i1098support

» Read more

Bargaining Team Stands Up for Fairness

IP Bargaining Update #2 (June 7, 2010)

Earlene Webster, Bargaining Team Member
We sent a strong message to State officials at our second bargaining session last week: Be prepared to talk about the real issues facing home care workers at our next bargaining session.

Not only did the State’s negotiators propose several takeaways compared to our last contract (meaning they propose to “take away” something we already have), but they also ignored most of our initial proposals.


Our Next Negotiating Session is July 6
 Over the next several weeks as we prepare for our next negotiating session on July 6 our bargaining team will work to educate home care workers about the State’s proposed takeaways and continue the campaign for I-1098, the high earners’ income tax. While we help fight for revenue to deal with the state’s financial crisis state officials are offering takeaways and t

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Update on Signature Gathering for I-1098

Monday, June 7

 
Margaret Singh, collecting signatures at the University District Farmers' Market on Saturday, June 5Our campaign to win a state income tax, make our tax system more fair, and increase revenue for critical services is kicking into high gear.

We had big weekends of signature gathering at the Northwest Folklife festival and the Race for the Cure and we have been collecting signatures at farmers markets, Mariner's games and Sounders games.

We are on track to reach our goal of collecting 40,000 signatures.

We can still use your help. If you are interested in helping to collect signatures, please call our Member Resource Center at 1 (866) 371-3200.

Click here if you are interested in doorknocking or phone banking once we get it on the ballot.

SEIU Healthcare 775NW Members Grill Candidates

Monday, June 7

SEIU Members Grill Candidates

In the last few weeks, SEIU members have interviewed candidates for state legislature in nine legislative districts. Last week, we had a very busy week with interviews four nights in a row!

During each interview, members asked the candidates what they would do to help long-term care workers earn a living wage, whether they’d be willing to “walk a day” in our shoes, and whether they have a plan to win the election.

After each interview, members from different SEIU locals compared the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. Each local has their own process for making endorsements, but the feedback from the interviews gives a good indication of who is the best candidate to stand up for SEIU members.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be interviewing candidates in the 22nd, 26th, 29th, 30th, 40th, and 42nd districts.

Lillian Kaufer: A Champion for Working Families in the 44th District

Lillian Kauffer for SenateOne of our priorities for the 2010 elections is to hold anti-worker politicians accountable and elect new progressive champions to serve in the Washington State Senate.

One of our priorities for the 2010 elections is to hold anti-worker politicians accountable and elect new progressive champions to serve in the Washington State Senate.

Lillian Kaufer – the SEIU Healthcare 775NW endorsed candidate for Senate in the 44th district – is a small business owner and promises to be a champion for working families.

When she announced her campaign, she said “At the end of the legislative session, the State Senate proposed a sales tax hike while not ending a tax exemption for out-of-state banks. I decided right then that we need more voices for working families and small business owners in the State Senate.”

» Read more

Peggy Levesque: Former 775NW Member Running for State Representative in 31st District

Thursday, May 20

Peggy Levesque – a former home care worker and member of our union – is running for State Representative in the 31st district!

She has worked on and off organizing for SEIU – including being an activist while she was a member, going through the HERO program (SEIU lost-time Member Political Organizer in 2004), helping home care workers at Chesterfield unite together, and helping child care workers organize with SEIU Local 925.

She has lived in South Prairie, the second smallest city in Pierce County, for over 30 years and raised her family in the town. She is currently the Mayor of South Prairie, and was a member of the South Prairie City Council.

She is a Democrat and is running for the seat that is being vacated by Rep. Dan Roach. She has two Republican opponents. With our help, she can win this race and become a champion for working families in the legislature!

Legislative Report Card

Thursday, May 20



The grades are in. How did your legislator do?

We will use the grades in this Legislative Report Card to hold politicians accountable. We will endorse candidates who stand up for working families, seniors and people with disabilities, regardless of political party. During the 2010 election season, members of our union will be working in key legislative districts across the state on our endorsement process. Some candidates who have proven themselves reliable champions for long-term care workers, clients and residents will be endorsed quickly. Others – especially new candidates or those with a mixed record on the issues – will have to go through an extensive endorsement process.

In addition to an overall grade, we graded legislators in four categories:

  • Raising Revenue to Protect Basic Services
  • Long-Term Care Policy and Funding
  • Social Justice and Labor
  • Workforce Development and Training

Did your legislator make the grade? Click here to find out.
Elections 2010 - 775NW Logo

Are you registered to vote at the correct address?.

The online registration deadline for the Primary is coming up soon – July 19.

Holding politicians accountable is an important part of what we do. We’ve had several close elections in recent years and as you can see we have some very important races this year.

Please take a moment and register to vote.

It only takes a few moments and you can do it safely and securely online on the Secretary of State’s website. 

Annual Convention and Leadership Conference

September 11-12, 2010, Sea-Tac Doubletree Hotel

Take Back OUR Economy Logo.jpgSign-up for our 2010 Convention and Leadership Conference
We need an economy that works for working people - not corporations, and not big banks.We need a tax system where the wealthy pay their fair share. We need a living wage for caregivers, and we need a stronger middle class.

We need to Take Back OUR Economy.

RSVP today to join us September 11-12, 2010 .

Hotel room, meals and free buses are provided at no cost for union members! Members from Eastern WA and MT will travel on Friday, September 10.