SEIU Members Discuss the Role Unions Serve a Pathway to the Middle Class at CarolinaFest

SEIU Agenda Below

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 100 members and leaders of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this week representing the interests and concerns of working men and women.

Today, members are participating in CarolinaFest, talking to attendees about how unions like SEIU give workers a stronger voice in the workplace. A stronger voice in the workplace also means a fairer share of the economic growth. And when the economy is doing well, there is more funding to maintain good public jobs and quality public services. Unions are an inherent and essential part of the solution.

One of the SEIU members in Charlotte as a delegate is Theresa Law, a homecare worker from Springfield, Ohio and member of SEIU District 1199. "In the past, I watched clients choose between paying the electric bill and their dialysis treatment, a choice that no American should have to make," she explains, "But President Obama closed the gap and improved the lives of millions of people in the process."

You can read more about why Theresa is in Charlotte after the events schedule.

SEIU'S DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION PROGRAM

(All Times Local / All Locations Charlotte)

Monday, September 3

SEIU Participates in CarolinaFest 2012: An American Celebration at Center City

• When: 12:00 pm – 6:15 pm
• Where: Main Stage at Tryon & Trade

Wednesday, September 5

Moving America Forward: Health Care Visionaries and Voices from the Front Lines (Joint Forum with SEIU and Families USA)

Confirmed speakers include U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA); Nancy-Ann DeParle, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President; Mary Kay Henry, President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU); U.S. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer; Victoria Kennedy; U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA); Vivek Murthy, M.D., President, Doctors for America; Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA); U.S. House Leader Nancy Pelosi; Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA; Governor Peter Shumlin (D-VT)

• When: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
• Where: NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum

400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Thursday, September 6

SEIU President Mary Kay Henry Participates in "Envisioning Prosperity" panel at PPL/The Big Tent

Ari Melber from The Nation moderates a panel on what an America for the 99% would look like. Can we achieve an economy that prioritizes the interests and financial security of working families first?

• When: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
• Where: PPL/The Big Tent, Packard Place

222 S. Church St

For more information on SEIU's schedule and media opportunities please contact [email protected].

One of the SEIU members in Charlotte as a delegate is Theresa Law from Springfield, Ohio. Theresa has been a home healthcare worker of more than 15 years, a member of SEIU District 1199, a newly elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention and, most importantly, a grandmother of three.

As a home healthcare worker, Teresa understands the critical nature of programs like Medicare and Medicaid, especially as it relates to seniors and people living with disabilities. According to Teresa, the changes that President Obama has made to Medicare have made life better for so many of her own clients. "In the past, I watched clients choose between paying the electric bill and their dialysis treatment, a choice that no American should have to make," she explains, "But President Obama closed the gap and improved the lives of millions of people in the process." On the other hand, Law is concerned about the damage that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would inflict on Medicare, "If we jeopardize the strength of Medicare, we jeopardize senior citizen's independence, you will make them insecure and take away their confidence."

"If grandma is sick and she cannot afford to go to the doctor, what will we do?" Teresa asks. "If Romney wins, too many people will fall through the cracks."

But as a mother of two grown sons who have felt the brunt of a down economy, Teresa knows that working people in this country cannot afford someone like Mitt Romney. "When I hear Republicans talk about working class people in this country, I am amazed that they can be so inhuman. They discuss policies with no thought of the man trying to feed a family of four on $7.40 per hour…none whatsoever," Teresa explains, "If Republicans really understood what working people were facing, you better believe they would find a way to fix it." Meanwhile, Teresa argues, President Obama has been a champion for working people from day one.

More than anything, what Teresa Law respects about President Obama most, is his enduring commitment to protecting equality, dignity and human rights for all Americans. From equal pay for women to the DREAM Act, voting rights to women's healthcare, Obama has been a true champion according to Law. Meanwhile, in her very own state of Ohio, Republicans have led the charge to disenfranchise voters, recently supporting a move to keep polling places open in conservative, suburban communities longer than in liberal, urban communities. "How many times have I heard Mitt Romney and other Republicans unfairly accuse Democrats of class warfare, only to turn around and discriminate against poorer, urban voters who are unlikely to vote for them?" Teresa wonders.

"It is simple, when it comes to basic, human rights, President Obama has moved us forward and Mitt Romney promises to move us backward," Teresa believes. "Our immigration system is broken, we know this, and President Obama has done the smart thing, the human thing, by creating options for undocumented immigrant youth...Republicans have just demonized immigrants," she explains, "President Obama has stood with women, empowered us to make decisions about our own healthcare…Republicans insist on trying to control women, tell us what to do."

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy. www.seiu.org

Note to editors and reporters: Interviews can be arranged with SEIU leaders and members at the DNC Convention as delegates or with members on the ground in Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Contact:

[email protected], (202) 812-2528

SOURCE SEIU