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Primary 2010 Results

Thursday, August 19

There were a number of key races on the ballot in the Washington state primary. Click here for the latest numbers from the Seattle Times and from the Secretary of State's office.

There were a number of key races on the ballot in the Washington state primary. Tuesday was the last day to turn in ballots, and the numbers are still being counted. When the final results are in, we'll give you a more complete rundown on what it means to our union. We are still closely watching the following races:

  • LD 1: Our endorsed candidate Luis Moscoso is currently in 2nd place – we’ll know more as the results come in.
  • LD 27: Our endorsed candidate and healthcare champion Laurie Jinkins is winning with 32% of the vote! We are watching to see who she’ll face in the November election – Jake Fey or Ken Nichols.
  • LD 31: Our endorsed candidate and former SEIU member Peggy Levesque is currently in 2nd place but the race is very close! We’ll keep watching and hoping that she makes it through the primary.
  • LD 38: Our endorsed candidate Nick Harper is winning! We’re watching to see which other candidate – Jean Berkey or Rod Reiger – makes it through the top two primary.
  • LD 40: Our endorsed candidate Tom Pasma is current

    » Click for details

Reykdal Wins, Rumbaugh and Kaufer Fall Short

Wednesday, August 18

Chris ReykdalOur efforts made a big difference in the 22nd district (Olympia). Our endorsed candidate Chris Reykdal, made it through the primary and will face Jason Hearn (Republican) in the November election.

Since the 22nd is a strongly Democratic district, this result likely means that Chris – the only Democrat left in the race – will win in November. Olympia caregivers, including Glenda Faatoafe and June Conklin, helped get out the vote for Chris. He is a champion for working families and will be a great legislator!

Rumbaugh/Kaufer

Despite our best efforts, conservative Supreme Court justice Jim Johnson was re-elected. Stan Rumbaugh ran a strong campaign, and our phonebanking efforts helped educate long-term care workers about the role of the Supreme Court in making decisions that affect wages and benefits and the rights of working families and seniors and people with disabilities.

We also worked hard for Lillian Kaufer in the 44th district but she did not make it through the top two primary. Anti-worker candidate Steve Hobbs will face Republican Dave Schmidt in the November election.

Rally Targets Bank Abuses and Sen. Jean Berkey for her Support of Corporate Special Interests

Monday, August 9

Bank of America Rally in Everett

On Saturday, almost 100 SEIU members held a rally outside a Bank of America branch in Everett, calling on elected officials, particularly Everett Senator Jean Berkey to hold Wall Street banks and corporate special interests accountable for their actions.

Everett and Snohomish County have been hit especially hard by the economic downturn. More than 5,000 local families are currently in foreclosure and tens of thousands of jobs have been lost, all while Wall Street banks reap billions from bailouts and tax breaks.

Senator Jean Berkey has consistently backed corporate special interests over working people. As Chair of the powerful Senate committee charged with overseeing financial institutions, Berkey blocked several bills aimed at preventing foreclosures while voting to protect a $67 million tax break for out of state banks.

» Read more

Race to Watch: Stan Rumbaugh v. Jim Johnson

Friday, August 6

Stan RumbaughThe Washington State Supreme Court makes decisions that affect our members wages and benefits and the rights of working families and seniors and people with disabilities.

Last year, right-wing justice Jim Johnson wrote the opinion in SEIU v. Gregoire that allowed the Governor to ignore our collective bargaining agreement and freeze home care worker wages and underfund health care benefits. In the primary election, voters will decide whether to re-elect Jim Johnson or elect an independent voice for working families, Stan Rumbaugh.

Stan Rumbaugh is a fair and independent justice who has spent his career standing up for injured working and holding corporations accountable. We’ll be working hard to elect Stan Rumbaugh on August 17th!

Click here to find out more about Stan Rumbaugh.

Click here to find out more about Jim Johnson’s anti-worker, right-wing agenda.

Laurie Jinkins: A Champion for Healthcare Workers

Friday, August 6

Laurie Jinkins and members of the 775NW 27th Legislative District Interview Committee Caregivers interviewed all the candidates in the 27th district and decided that Laurie Jinkins is the best candidate for long-term care workers.

Laurie has been a community activist for 25 years and said she’ll work to bring wages for long-term care workers up to a living wage by 2015.

Dawn Forks (right), a home care workers from the 27th district says, “Laurie Jinkin's healthcare background makes her the best candidate in the 27th district. She's committed to walking a day in our shoes and will fight for us after she is elected.”

Nick Harper: A Leader for Snohomish County

Friday, August 6

Nick Harper Earlier this year, one Senator stood in the way of closing a tax loophole on big out of state banks to help fund services like home care and nursing home services.

Now we have an opportunity to hold “Big Banks Berkey” accountable by electing Nick Harper to represent the 38th district.

Nick Harper is a progressive champion who will represent the working families of Snohomish County.

Nick is committed to standing up for long-term care workers.

He will fight to make sure long-term care services are funded in the state budget and will help create good jobs in the 38th district.

Bargaining Team to State Officials: We will take it all the way

IP Bargaining Update #5 (August 6, 2010)

Last week, over the last two days of bargaining with state officials, we made three things perfectly clear.

All caregivers deserve:

  • Affordable quality health insurance
  • Cutting-edge training, and
  • A living wage

As our Bargaining Team held strong on these values, state officials started modifying some of their positions in anticipation of what came next - a series of meetings with an Independent Arbitrator.

State officials don't want to keep up with spiraling health insurance costs - which would hurt all of us - the people who care for our State's neediest citizens. They don't want to fund the caregiver training that 2 million Washington voters demanded and that we fought so hard for. And State officials want us to accept a pay freeze - despite the fact that the cost of living keeps going up.

We will not back down. We are not done yet.

» 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.

» Read more

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.

» Read more

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.

» Read more

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.”

» Read more

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.

» Read more

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.

» Read more

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

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.

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.