Almost 200 SEIU Members Join Thousands in Support of Immigration Reform at Rally in Seattle
Monday, April 12
On Saturday, April 10, About 200 SEIU members from several Washington-state locals joined between 7,000 and 8,000 immigration reform advocates in Seattle as part of a national day of action.
The rally was organized by the Washington Immigration Reform Coalition (WIRC) FOR America, an umbrella group of about 60 organizations, which brought together elected officials, labor, faith, and community leaders, business owners, high tech and agricultural workers, students, and others for a boisterous event with one overriding goal - to urge Congress to introduce a Comprehensive immigration Reform Bill by May 1, 2010.
Organizers, including SEIU Healthcare 775NW and SEIU Local 6, said that a comprehensive immigration reform bill must include four things:
- Legalization and a path to citizenship for the undocumented who are here;
- Family reunification for millions of people who have applied legally and are caught in an outdated bureaucratic system;
- Worker protections for all current and future workers; and
- Due process rights for all immigrants regardless of status.
The event was a follow up to the March 21 March for America in Washington, DC. Sergio Salinas, President of Local 6 and David Rolf, President of SEIU Healthcare 775NW represented labor at the event.
Click below for more pictures from the rally: