Re:union
SEIU 668
Stronger Together
SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, LOCAL 668
2589 Interstate Drive l Harrisburg l PA l 17110
(800) 932-0368 l (717) 657-7677 l FAX: (717) 657-7662
IMPORTANT DATES
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
JULY 2012
2 2012-13 PA Budget Update
by Kathy Jellison, President
3 State of the Union
(continued)
As I sit at my desk on a gloomy, rainy Tuesday, my thoughts are as heavy and
sullen as the weather. Today, I am feeling the weight of our 20,000 members
on my shoulders and the responsibility is overwhelming at times. We have
so many fights ahead of us: impacts of the 2012-13 state budget, slashing
public services to those most in need, the struggles of our members to do
more and more with less, threats to healthcare, threats of furloughs, threats
of privatization, threats to Social Security and Medicare, and now the threat
to our state and local pensions. Times are tough and there is little justice for
working families.
3 Voter ID (continued)
4 SEIU 2012 Convention
6 Blasts from the Past
7 Voting in PA
8 Future of Labor Summit
But then I talk to one of our members, a student or retiree, and I am inspired
by their commitment to go All In to Win in this upcoming presidential election and to vote out any candidate who does not stand up for working
September 8, 2012
SWEB Meeting
September 8-10, 2012
Future of Labor Summit
Register Now!
October 9, 2012
Last day to register to vote
November 6, 2012
General Election Day
June 8-10, 2013
Leadership Training
Save the Date!
Visit our Website
www.seiu668.org
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State of the Union
Continued on page 3
VOTER ID
The Time is Now to Educate Voters
by G. Roni Green, Secretary-Treasurer
When I think about my experiences as a Member Political Organizer (MPO)
in the city of Philadelphia over several campaigns, I remember how difficult
it was to register people to vote. Although I was part of a team that successfully registered over 275,000 voters in Southeastern PA, it was often
a challenge to engage in conversation with the perspective voter about
why our candidate stood out over his opponent.
Today, that has changed, and not in a good way, thanks to House Bill 934.
This bill was passed when no one was looking. Voting in the state of
Pennsylvania has changed for the elderly, sick and those without transportation.
Continued on page 3
L E G I S L AT I V E U P D AT E
2
2012-13 PA Budget Update
On June 30th, with minutes to spare, Governor Tom Corbett signed a
very trim 2012-13 budget into law. The state senate and state house of
representatives added $517 million dollars back into the ‘lean and demanding’ budget that Governor Corbett proposed in February. This is
due in large part to the advocacy and grassroots activism of our members, who contacted their elected officials to demand a better budget.
The $517 million dollars restored Governor Corbett’s proposed cuts to
higher education, basic education and restored a portion of the cuts to
health and human services.
Once again, the winners of Gov.
Corbett’s 2012-13 budget are big
businesses and big corporations .
The losers are Pennsylvania’s most
needy and vulnerable citizens.
L E G I S L AT I V E R E S O U R C E S
To find your legislator and
contact information visit:
www.legis.state.pa.us
For legislative priorities of
PA labor organizations visit
CLEAR (Coalition for Labor
Engagement and Accountable Revenue) at:
www.clearforpa.com
For information on the PA
Budget and Policy Center
visit:
www.pennbpc.org
(717) 255-7156
For SEIU 668 legislative priorities, contact SEIU 668 Legislative Director Bill Bacon at:
[email protected]
(800) 932-0368 ext. 135
(717) 657-7677 ext. 135
However, the budget cuts business taxes by over $350 million dollars.
A $275 million tax cut to corporations by the continued reduction of
the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax and $75 million in new tax breaks
through the Education Improvement Tax Credit program.
Astonishingly, the budget leaves almost $300 million in a reserve fund,
instead of using the funds to restore cuts. The Independent Fiscal Office estimates that PA has $815 million in revenue above Governor Corbett’s original budget proposal. The final budget adds $500 million to
the original proposal but leaves roughly $300 million in a reserve fund,
also known as a “rainy day fund.”
The budget eliminates General Assistance, a life line for 70,000 Pennsylvanians. This program provides $205 dollars a month to victims of domestic violence, temporarily disabled adults waiting to be put on Social
Security disability, children being cared for by non-relatives, and people
who are actively enrolled in drug and alcohol treatment programs.
The budget cuts money for county-run social services by 10% ($84 million). Governor Corbett proposed a 20% cut, which was reduced to a
10% cut by the state legislature.
Aid for public schools and 18 state-supported universities was restored
to the same levels as last year. In Governor Corbett’s original budget he
eliminated funding for the Accountability Block Grants, which are used
to underwrite all-day kindergarten and tutoring programs. However the
legislature restored the $100 million in funding.
Thank you to our membership for always vigorously fighting for public
services. This budget isn’t as bad as it could have been, but that isn’t
good enough. Elections certainly have real life impacts and most definitely real life consequences. Collectively, we must vow to hold our legislators accountable to the decisions they make. This is why it is more
important than ever to show up and vote in November.
*Information provided by Clear Coalition. For more information on the 2012-13 budget,
please go to: www.clearforpa.org.
3
State of the Union (from page 1)
families. I see the boots on the ground all across the
state from the 99%, unions, advocacy groups, churches,
colleges, schools and whole communities putting it All
In to Win and not willing to take or accept the same old
rhetoric anymore. I see our members writing letters, calling, emailing, texting and visiting their legislators and
putting it All In to Win in their districts.
and disabled are needlessly suffering. We can work together to make him “One Term Tom.”
I am now starting to see clearer weather ahead as I
stand on the shoulders of all of you, the members, who
make the union, your families, friends and communities
great.
We can make a difference if we just go All In to Win. We
can’t match the fortunes of the rich who will try to deThe sun is coming out and I see results. The Pennsylvania feat our great middle class, but we can defeat them at
AFL-CIO reports that 86% of our endorsed candidates the polls if we all join together and stand our ground.
won in the primary election. Jason Altmire was held
accountable for lying to us and was soundly defeated It is getting steaming hot! If a Member Political Orgaby Mark Critz in an effort led by our members. Though nizer (MPO) calls to speak with you and your co-workers,
we did not win the Scott Walker recall election, we took please help welcome them into your shop. We need to
back the house and senate in Wisconsin to stop Walker spread the word by mouth to every member to be All In
in his tracks.
to Win.
Before we get any relief at our worksite and in our communities, the heat must begin at the top. Governor Corbett’s ratings are dropping like a stone in the Susquehanna River, and for good reason. His pro-rich corporation
strategy does not sit well when seniors, children, poor
VOTER ID
Keep the heat on elected officials by talking to 10 fellow
members. Encourage those 10 members to talk to 10
members (community members, family, church family,
organizations you belong to, etc…) to get out the word
that we are All In to Win in November.
(from page 1)
and died for the right to vote and to make sure that we
have the right to vote.
We have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.
Photo identifications will be required for all voters on November 6, 2012. We must work with our families, communities, associations and organizations without fail,
by helping the thousands of elderly, disabled, people
of color, and the disenfranchised to get the appropriate
documents so they can exercise their constitutional right
to vote on November 6, 2012.
House Bill 934 is designed to keep certain parts of the
population from voting in the upcoming presidential
election (you know who we are). To vote, you must show
a valid photo identification at the polls. This is voter suppression and a slap in the face to all who have fought
We must step up our efforts as family members, union
leaders, civic association leaders, community organization leaders, faith based leaders or anyone who cares to
make a difference. We all know the wheels of bureaucracy turn slow, especially when it involves hundreds
of thousands of votes going to the right candidate. The
time to act is now, November 7th will be too late!
SEIU 2012 Convention
4
At the end of May, about 3,000 SEIU members gathered at the Denver
Convention Center for the 25th SEIU Convention. The voting delegation represented 1.8 million members.
Over the past four years, we accomplished a lot and should be extremely proud. Together, we helped lead the way for healthcare reform by
extending healthcare to 30 million Americans. We united to stand up
against attacks on workers.
SEIU International President
Mary Kay Henry
We charged the Capitol in Wisconsin to stop workers’ collective bargaining rights from being gutted. We won in Ohio by repealing SB5.
SEIU has grown by 292,000 workers over the past four years by organizing them into our International union.
Together, we united to fight against unfair and unethical immigration
policies. We brought thousands of members together in
the Member Leadership and Action Conference. In April
2011, we engaged in the Fight for A Fair Economy. We
had over a thousand actions during the past year calling
for corporate accountability. SEIU joined the national dialogue demanding we put people back to work.
SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry spoke to the
delegation about the achievements our union has made
and challenges that lie ahead. She spoke to the vision for
the future and the need to fight together.
SEIU 668 members (from left)
Brendan Tedrick, Dan Hyzenski, Greg
Riedlinger, Jeff Seabury, Steve Jarrell,
Lawrence Funck and Ted Oslak.
SEIU Vice-President Tom Woodruff, spoke about income equality and
what it means for working families. He highlighted that Wall Street bonuses are up 17% and the number of millionaires are up to 16%. As
union density decreases, income inequality increases. However,
the opposite happens when union density increases. IRS 2012
data shows there was $288 billion in new income, but $268 billion of that went to the one percent.
The solution to income equality is organizing workers. Rise up
and reach out - we can take it back for our kids and grandkids. If
we fail to do this, we will be the first generation in the history of
our country to leave our kids and grandkids in a worse situation
than we were given.
SEIU 668 President Kathy Jellison,
Maria Delgado, SEIU SecretaryTreasurer Roni Green, Roxanne Hoag
and Shakaria Graham
President Obama called to speak to convention participants. Mary
Kay Henry told the president we are making plans to double our
efforts to back his re-election. President Obama said, "I love SEIU.
Job creation is increasing and USA job manufacturing is coming back. We
have a lot of work to do. We need to put people back to work. The hard
5
work is paying off, but we need to fight back, like we did in Ohio and Wisconsin. We need to make sure everyone has access to healthcare and don't
go broke if they get sick. SEIU knows how important this is to everyone. I
just want you guys to know that this election represents a clear choice. We
can't win if companies play by their own rules. We need to move forward
with a broad-based strategy for growth that benefits everyone. SEIU has
been good friends, just not allies. I hope everyone is fired up and ready to
go."
The Executive Vice-Presidents of the three divisions (Public Services,
Property Services and Healthcare) discussed blueprints for change.
Resolutions were presented and voted on. SEIU 668 President Kathy Jellison, spoke in support of the "Secure Retirement for the 99% in the
United States and Puerto Rico" Resolution. Neal Bisno, called the questions to pass the resolutions.
SEIU members joined community activists to march on Wells Fargo to
demand they take their fangs out of the neck of working families. Thousands of protesters shutdown sections of downtown Denver. Participants rallied and chanted for Wells Fargo to pay their fair share of taxes. The action also featured a flash mob of dancing and singing in the
streets! Please read the full synopsis and view a video of the event at:
http://www.seiu668.org/2012/05/29/over-3000-activists-demandwells-fargo-to-pay-their-share/
Mary Kay Henry was nominated and elected as SEIU International President. Eliseo Medina was nominated and elected as SEIU International
Secretary-Treasurer. SEIU 668 Secretary-Treasurer Roni Green, nominated Eileen Kirlin for Executive Vice-President for the SEIU Public Sector.
Eileen was elected as an International Executive Vice-President, along
with five other International Executive Vice-Presidents. Additionally,
SEIU 668 President Kathy Jellison was re-elected to the
International Executive Board.
The Millennial Program, the youth delegation, met to
discuss how we can unite young members in our locals.
Purple Gold, the young adult caucus from 1199 New
York, spoke to the group on how they built its young
adult group and how successful it is. Our SEIU 668 youth
delegation, including Jason Reinhardt, Najamah Gilmore,
Dan Hyzenski, Alura Defrancesco, Drew Resele and Leah
Wright left energized to plan SEIU 668's Youth Summit.
Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke to the Millennial Program,
on how it is the responsibility of the new generation to
grab the torch of social justice and not wait for it to be
passed on to us. He said, "Young adults must have an adult's vision with
youthful energy to lead adults."
Eileen Kirlin
SEIU International
Executive Vice-President
of the Public Services Division
SEIU 668 member Hawah Kamara
SEIU 668’s Youth Delegation
meets Reverend Jesse Jackson
6
Blasts from the Past
Recently, SEIU 668 held its Human Services Campaign
(HSC) Local Unit Summit. In order to help training
participants understand the long, rich history of the
labor movement, leaders dressed as famous activists and performed skits called, “Blasts from the Past.”
President Kathy Jellison posed as Rosie the Riveter.
The photo was made into a poster and sent to all shop
stewards. If anyone would like a copy of the Rosie Riveter poster, please contact the Harrisburg SEIU 668 office.
We hope the HSC Local Unit Summit encourages
members to get more involved and learn about the
struggles of the labor movement and all that was sacrificed to enjoy the rights we have today.
Photos from top (clockwise): SEIU 668 President Kathy
Jellison as Rosie the Riveter, SWEB member Dennis
Livrone as Eugene Debs, SEIU 668 Secretary-Treasurer G. Roni Green as Lucy Gonzalez Parsons, SEIU 668
Business Agent Rose Cindrick as Mother Jones and
her son, Brent Cindrick, who sang union songs for
participants, and SWEB member Roxanne Hoag as
Norma Rae.
Voting in PA
Register to Vote
As we know, elections have consequences. Be sure you
don’t miss an opportunity to make your voice heard by
casting your vote. In order to vote in any election, you
must first be a registered voter. If you are a first-time voter or have recently moved to a different area or changed
your name, you may need to register (or re-register) to
vote. You must register 30 days prior to any election.
The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming
general election is October 9, 2012. The deadline for
civilian absentee ballots is October 30, 2012.
To register to vote in Pennsylvania, you must be:
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A citizen of the United States for at least one month
before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election;
A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district
in which you want to register and vote for at least
30 days before the next primary, special, municipal,
or general election; and,
At least 18 years of age on or before the day of the
next primary, special, municipal, or general election.
You can also register to vote by mail. Get a Voter
Registration Mail Application form from the state or
federal government. The Secretary of the Commonwealth and all county registration commissions supply Voter Registration Mail Applications to all persons and organizations who request them, including
candidates, political parties and political bodies and
other federal, state and municipal offices. Also, there
are a number of online sites where you can register to
vote such as: www.rockthevote.com, www.votespa.com,
or www.registertovote.org/Pennsylvania.
Valid Photo ID
A new law requires you to have a valid form of photo
identification to vote on November 6th. Valid forms of
photo identification include:
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Once you have registered to vote, you are not required
to register again unless you change your residence,
name, or political party affiliation.
•
In Pennsylvania, you can register to vote in person at
various government agencies or at a County Voter Registration Office or other designated sites. You can register to vote at many state government offices including:
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PennDOT, or state offices providing public assistance and services to persons with disabilities;
Armed Forces Recruitment Centers;
County Clerk of Orphans’ Court offices, including
each Marriage License Bureau;
Area Agencies on Aging and Centers for Independent Living, County Mental Health and Mental
Retardation offices;
Student disability services offices of the State
System of Higher Education and Offices of Special
Education.
7
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A PA driver’s license (currently valid or expired less
than 12 months);
An ID issued by PennDot (currently valid or expired
less than 12 months);
A U.S. passport (currently valid - expired passports
are not accepted);
An active duty or retired U.S. military ID, including the PA National Guard (an indefinite expiration
date will be accepted);
A military dependent’s ID (currently valid - expired
IDs will not be accepted);
An employee ID issued by federal, PA, PA county or
PA municipal government (currently valid - expired
IDs will not be accepted);
An ID issued by a PA university, college, seminary,
community college to students, faculty, employees
and alumni (currently valid - expired IDs are not accepted); and,
An ID issued by a PA care facility such as a
long-term care nursing facility, assisted living residence or a personal care home (currently valid - expired IDs will not be accepted).
Absentee Ballots
To find out if you are eligible to vote by absentee ballot, go online: www.votespa.com and click on “How to
Vote” for a complete list of requirements.
SEIU 668
Stronger Together
Re:union
SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, LOCAL 668
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Harrisburg, PA
Permit No. 141
SEIU Local 668
2589 Interstate Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(800) 932-0368
(717) 657-7677
Kathy J. Jellison, President
G. Roni Green, Secretary-Treasurer
Leah Wright, Communications Director
Lisa Paul, New Media Specialist
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
UEU Local #1
Future of Labor Summit
Members who are age 39 and under, mark your calendar
for SEIU 668’s Future of Labor Summit from September
8th–10th. Information regarding the summit is posted
on the SEIU 668 Website. To register, please visit: www.
seiu668.org/fls_signup.
It is more important than ever to make certain we are
building a new generation of leaders in our union, who
are ready to lead when the time comes. We cannot idly
sit by and overlook the need to engage our younger
membership. About 25% of our membership is 39 years
of age or younger. However, member involvement from
this demographic is significantly lacking. Less than 6%
of SWEB leadership is under the age of 39.
The International has also recognized the need for
young member outreach and cultivating young leadership. At the International Convention, SEIU identified
youth involvement as a priority of our union.
The Future of Labor Summit will be an opportunity to
gather the younger generation of Local 668 members
for education, engagement and activism. We hope to
develop a comprehensive youth member engagement
plan at the summit. Again, the event is scheduled for
September 8-10, 2012 in Harrisburg, following the
September 8th Statewide Executive Board (SWEB)
meeting.
SEIU 668
Welcomes SAM
SEIU 668 welcomes the third Service Access and
Management (SAM) worksite into our fold.
These MH caseworkers from York and Adams Counties voted 100% in support of the union on June
15, 2012. They are excited about electing stewards
and setting up a schedule for bargaining a contract.
Again, welcome and congratulations.