SEIU and the Obama Victory

Agreed: Question 1 Was Reckless

This was an historic, transformational election.  Americans of all different backgrounds from all over this nation have sent a clear message: it is time to create a new American Dream.

At its foundation, this was a victory for working people and by working people.  For SEIU, this election was always about the economy.  It was about fixing our our national healthcare system.  It was about rebuilding the middle class.  It was about giving workers the freedom to join a union without intimidation.  It was about putting the American Dream back within the reach of middle class and low income people who work hard and want nothing more than to provide our kids and our grandkids with a better future.

No single organization did more than SEIU to make sure that Barack Obama was elected to be our next president:
• SEIU endorsed Barack Obama in February—after previously endorsing him in his Illinois State Senate and his U.S. Senate campaigns—because he has always been a champion for working families.
• 100,000 nurses, janitors, child care providers, and public sector workers volunteered after work, on weekends and on Election Day to earn this victory.
• 3,000 SEIU members, staff, and local leaders took extended time away from their homes and jobs to go to more than 20 Battleground States to ensure Barack Obama and Joe Biden won on Election Day.
• SEIU spent $75 million for our election efforts and committed $10 million to our accountability campaign. We’ve invested heavily in direct contact with swing voters over the phones and at the doors.
• SEIU helped thousands of immigrant members become citizens and register to vote.
• SEIU members and staff engaged union voters and the general public one-on-one throughout the election. Together they knocked on 2,435,645 doors; made 16,137,541 phone calls; sent 5,125,378 pieces of mail; registered 102,156 new voters; helped 10,992 voters vote early or by absentee; and held 658 earned media events.

Dozens of SEIU Local 509 members and staff worked in New Hampshire on weekends from August through Election Day to ensure that this "battleground" state went "blue" this year.  It did, in every critical contest.

SEIU Local 509 was also a critical  partner in the coalition that sent Question 1 down to a much-deserved defeat, with over 70% of Massachusetts voters agreeing that it was in fact a reckless idea that would have destroyed the fabric of our communities.