OurLifeAndTimes

AJournalof1199SEIU

NOVEMBERFOURTH IS

ABOUTUS

July/August 2008

Contents

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Our Life And Times,July/August 2008, Vol. 26, No. 4Published by 1199SEIU,United Healthcare Workers East310 West 43rd St.New York, NY 10036Telephone (212) 582-1890www.1199seiu.org

PRESIDENT:George GreshamSECRETARY TREASURER:Maria Castaneda

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS:Norma AmsterdamYvonne ArmstrongAngela DoyleMike FadelAida GarciaPatrick GaspardGeorge KennedySteve KramerPatrick LindsayJoyce NeilJohn ReidBruce RichardMike RifkinNeva ShillingfordEstela Vasquez

EDITOR:J.J. JohnsonSTAFF WRITER:Patricia KenneyPHOTOGRAPHER:Jim TynanPHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT:Belinda GallegosART DIRECTION & DESIGN:maiarelli studioCOVER PHOTOS:Jim Tynan, Belinda Gallegos

Our Life And Times ispublished 6 times a year by1199SEIU, 310 West 43rd St.,New York, NY 10036.Subscriptions $15 per year.Periodicals postage paid atNew York, NY and additionalmailing offices.ISSN 1090-3089.USPS 000-392.Postmaster: Send addresschanges to Our Life AndTimes, 310 West 43rd St.,New York, NY 10036.

July/August • Our Life And Times

Jennifer Klein

3 Easing the Pain November’s elections are about real people.

4 President’s Column You choose: Obama and a new future or McCain and four more years of Bush decline.

5 November Is Also About Equality Washington, D.C. member is on frontlines.

6 Redefining Poverty The majority of our nation’s poor are working people.

8 Shrinking Economy Raises Fears Niagara County hospital offers stability in declining region.

10 Home Health Aide Betty Ann Alexander Universal health care would ease the burden of thousands of homecare workers.

12 Rural Institutions Have Special Problems Healthcare funding equality is a major issue.

14 SEIU Launches Ambitious Campaign Change in Congress on agenda.

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It’s easy to view the Novemberelections as horse races handicappeddaily by media talking headsdissecting the electorate and going onabout red and blue states.

But as this issue of Our Life And Times(OLAT) attempts to illustrate, the comingelections are perhaps the most important indecades—because they are about the abilityof ordinary working people to get throughthe day. They’re about 1199ers, who aretypical of this country’s working people,wanting desperately to put an end to eightyears of pain.

This issue—presented mostly inphotographs—introduces you to memberswho give voice to their dreams and insome cases have already begun laying thegroundwork to change the administration.

In preparing this issue of OLAT, wespoke with a member in Brooklyn who losther home to unscrupulous lenders. Hermortgage payments rose so high that theyexceeded her monthly take-home pay.Because she is in the midst of legal actions,she is not ready to be interviewed. “Ieventually want to tell my story because Idon’t want this to happen to anyone else,”she says.

We spoke with Carmen Davis, asingle mother of three and aCNA at Amsterdam NH inAmsterdam, N.Y. “I would love to

have a car, but I can’t afford one,” she says.And there are 1199ers with cars who can’tafford to fill up their gas tanks.

Christine Watson, a billing clerk atIntercommunity Memorial Hospital inNewfane, N.Y., worries about her 24-year-

old daughter. “She lost her job to down-sizing,” Watson says. “She’s out therelooking for a job. There’s nothing full time”

Brooklyn Project OHR home health aideBetty Ann Alexander is one of thousands of1199ers who live in constant fear that theymight lose their healthcare coverage. Intenselobbying and member mobilization last yearaverted the cutoff of her coverage.

“It’s scary when our benefits are cut andworkers don’t have money to take theirchildren to the doctor,” she says.

Sadly, thousands of recentlyorganized 1199ers are amongthe nation’s 47 million withouthealthcare coverage. Also, childrenof 1199ers are found among the 37

million living in poverty in one of the world’srichest nations.

Alexander says she is supporting BarackObama because she believes he will helpmake universal health care a reality.

John Rusinko, a maintenance worker atCatskill Regional Hospital in Middletown,N.Y., counts ending the war in Iraq amongthe primary reasons he supports Obama.

Donna Payne, the associate director ofdiversity for the Washington, D.C.-basedHuman Rights Campaign, says she puts herhope in Obama because he offers hope foran America that embraces all.

Though many of the members in thisissue talk about the increasingdifficulty of making ends meet,many also express optimism about

finally being able to see some light at theend of the tunnel. They call that light aDemocratic victory and Pres. Barack Obama.

3 July/August • Our Life And Times

November’s elections are about real people.

Easing the Pain

OUR UNION

The coming electionsare perhaps themost important indecades—becausethey are about theability of ordinaryworking people to getthrough the day

Members at June’s SEIUconvention in Puerto Ricocheered Barack Obama’svision for progress for thenation’s working families.

That is a pretty stark choice facing our members and our families.Our Union has made the obvious one by not only endorsingBarack Obama but planning to do all within our power to sendhim to the White House, along with a worker-friendly andhealthcare-friendly Congress.

We will be sending hundreds of our very best leaders,organizers and Delegates into more than a dozen battlegroundstates to secure victory in November. As the election gets closer,those hundreds will become thousands of 1199ers door-knocking,phoning and getting out the vote of our Union brothers andsisters, and our neighbors and families.

But 1199SEIU is our 325,000 members, not our officers andour headquarters buildings. Our Political Action Fund is builtfrom your voluntary contributions of five or ten dollars a month.That is a small enough investment to make for our jobs, ourbenefits and our families’ security. It is little more than the cost ofa fast-food meal or a movie ticket, either of which is quicklyforgotten in 24 hours. But the results of November will be with usfor years to come and seriously affect each of our families and us.

Outside of pulling the right levers on Nov. 4, you will not bemaking any more consequential decision this year. We know youwill do the right thing.

The issues in this year’s elections—and the differences betweenBarack Obama and John McCain—could not possibly be clearer.The question for us is: What are we going to do about it?

OBAMA AND MY SON

History has been madewith the nominationof Barack Obamafor the presidency ofthe U.S.A. As a

young black woman who sees thedire need for change, especially forour black youth, I pray that thiswill be a new beginning.

My 12-year-old son,Dominique, while studying the his-tory of America’s past presidents,once queried why they were allwhite men. He was curious aboutwhy America never had a blackpresident. I introduced him to thepersona of Barack Obama and hewas elated.

However, I also informed himthat there was no guarantee thatBarack would be our next presi-dent. My precious son regrettablyshook his head, walked away andmuttered under his breath, “Well,to heck with them if they don’twant a black man to be president.”In my son’s eyes, Barack

would open a new stage of history.He would be “their” MartinLuther King, “their” MarcusGarvey. Barack Obama promisesa change, the change that my sonand all youths yearn for. It is achange that will show my son thatperseverance will prevail, thechange that will redirect ournation’s course. But in the wordsof my son, if his Barack loses, “toheck with them, they will neverknow the change that they missedout on.”

MAXINE McCARTHYIsabella NH, New York City

LESSONS OF CONVENTION

Iwas proud to be an1199SEIU delegate at theSEIU convention that washeld in San Juan, PuertoRico, in June. I was happy

to see that the convention’s themewas “Justice for All. Pass It On.”

I was also happy to meet andtalk with other SEIU memberswho work in for-profit nursinghomes. Our problems are manyand we need thorough discussionswithin our union and with otherSEIU members about how tocoordinate our struggles againstrich and powerful owners andabout how to finally achieve justice.

There were many resolutionsand discussions about how toachieve greater unity within thedifferent states and how to uniteSEIU members in the each of theindustries.

The most touching momentfor me at the convention was thespeech of Sen. Barack Obama,who mentioned our sister AudreySmith-Campbell, who died of an

asthma attack while she was onstrike fighting the heartless, greedyowner of Kingsbridge nursinghome, Helen Sieger.

Had Sieger not violated thecontract by cutting off theKingsbridge members’ healthbenefits, I believe Audrey wouldbe alive today. Sen. Obama inhis remarks also spoke aboutthe need for everyone to havehealth care regardless of whetherthey have a job. He said that noone in the world’s richest countryshould suffer because they can’tafford to pay for medical careor medication.

I believe that an Obama vic-tory would mean that we canfinally make universal health carea reality. I have confidence that wecan win. And more than that, theconvention gave me confidencethat we can begin to change ourcountry’s direction and really getjustice for all.

HUGO QUINTEROSBridgeview NH, Queens, NY

KINGSBRIDGE HEIGHTS(UNION STRIKE)By Coral Aquino, age 10

Breaks my heart when I see 220Workers striking outsideIf they don’t get their benefitsThen soon they would die

Snowing or raining, they’re alwaysoutside

And helping each other so theywill survive

Helen Sieger took all the benefitsaway,

Now I have to help my mom andNot go out and play

Maybe I should work today andMake a lot of noiseSo that Sieger could sign andI can have my toys

If the neighbors could help usMake this strike be doneSo then I could go outsideAnd have a lot of fun

I hope Helen signs the contractBut if this doesn’t happen, weAre not giving up!

Coral Aquino is the daughter ofKingsbridge CNA Dania Rojas.Kingsbridge workers (some of whomare shown below) struck Feb. 20 afterKingsbridge owner Helen Sieger vio-lated their contract and cut off theirhealth benefits.

THEPRESIDENT’SCOLUMN

4July/August • Our Life And Times

Letters

You Choose:Obama And A New Future Or McCainAnd Four More Years Of Bush Decline?

George Gresham

JOHN MCCAIN OFFERS US LITTLE MORE THAN A THIRD GEORGE BUSH TERM

• Thousands of more lives and billions of more dollars down thesinkhole of the Iraq occupation.

• The loss of millions of jobs—especially Union jobs—and the increaseof impoverishment and housing foreclosures.

• Inflationary prices of essential goods and services with some foodprices, gas and oil, and college tuition being placed beyond themeans of working families.

• Millions of more Americans without health care (under Bush, thenumber of uninsured has grown from 40 million to 48 million).

• The demonization and persecution of millions of immigrant workers.• The growing erosion of our basic Constitutional rights, such aswarrantless wiretapping, the invasion of homes, a secret prisonsystem, and the torture of prisoners.

• The widening gap between the billionaires who own and run ourbasic industries, banking and mass media, and the tens of millionsof hard-working Americans trying to stay afloat.

• The increasing degradation of our most precious natural resourcesthe air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat—and thereputation of the United States as a rogue nation that refuses to joinwith the rest of humanity to save the planet from human-madeglobal warming.

BARACK OBAMA OFFERS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SERIOUS CHANGE

• To end the Iraq war and bring our troops home.• To pass the Employee Free Choice Act, giving millions ofunorganized workers an easier road to joining a Union of their choice.

• To finally achieve healthcare reform that provides affordable healthcare for everyone.

• To secure real immigration reform that provides a path to citizenshipfor millions of immigrant workers.

• To restore an equitable tax system that relieves the burden onworking families and makes the corporations and the wealthy paytheir fair share.

• To take the money now spent on war and war preparation and investit in rebuilding the infrastructure of our cities and transportationsystems, and in alternative safe energy sources—thereby creatingmillions of jobs.

• To rejoin the family of nations and restore the good name of theUnited States by negotiating treaties aimed at safeguarding theplanet from climate change, weapons of mass destruction, andviolations of human rights.

Donna Payne is the associate director ofdiversity for the Washington-based HumanRights Campaign (HRC), the largest lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)lobbying group and political actioncommittee in the U.S. HRC staffers arerepresented by 1199SEIU.

“She is the quintessential advocate forequality,” emailed 1199SEIU HRC delegatesSascha Heller, Steffan E. DeClue and AmyHinze-Pifer. “Her easy ability to bringdisparate groups of people together informsher work daily and speaks to her effec-tiveness as a champion of the community.”

Payne works at HRC because shebelieves deeply in the old union motto, “Aninjury to one is an injury to all.” And she

devotes her life to building bridges ofunderstanding and support. Her HRCposition takes her from communitystorefronts to corporate boardrooms. Thephotos hanging on the walls of her officeattest to the breadth of her contacts. Theyinclude pictures of her with Bill Clinton,NAACP Chair Julian Bond and even Nation ofIslam Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Payne says she is proud that the HRCdoesn’t limit itself to LGBT issues. In Augustshe will represent HRC at the 45thanniversary observance of the historic civilrights March on Washington. From there shewill head to Denver to host the firstDemocratic Party convention reception forLGBT people of color.

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“We work withministers acrossthe country tochange theconversationabout faith andLGBT people.”

“My church is gay-inclusive, butexcludes no one.”

Civil rights and liberties loom large in November.

Towards Equal Rights for All

Payne with HarryKnox, director ofHuman RightsCampaigns’Religious Faith Unit.

THEWORKWEDO

6December • Our Life And Times 6July/August • Our Life And Times

In what is considered the richestnation on the earth, more than 37million people, or about one ineight, live in poverty. Of this total,about 13 million—about one in six—are children.

And it’s getting worse. In 1990,reports the non-profit United for aFair Economy, the typical CEO earned107 times as much as the averageworker. In 2005 that figure had bal-looned to 411. The richest one per-cent of U.S. households now owns34.3 percent of the nation’s privatewealth, more than the combinedwealth of the bottom 90 percent.

Women face additional hardships.Today women in the U.S. earn 77cents for every dollar men make;African-American women earn 72cents, Latinas 60 cents. While thegap is closing, it’s due more to thedeclining wages of men thanincreasing pay for women.

Unfortunately, many mistakenlybelieve that poverty stems from thefailures and deficiencies of theindividual rather than the failuresof our institutions and structures.Another mistaken belief is that thepoor don’t work. Actually, two outof three families with incomesbelow the poverty line include atleast one worker.

1199SEIU recently spoke withmembers at two institutions in eco-nomically depressed central NewYork—Amsterdam MemorialHospital and Nursing Home inMontgomery County and NathanLittauer Hospital in Fulton County.Many of these members hope thata change in the national adminis-tration can help lift them out ofpoverty and repair the brokensocial safety net.

REDEFININGPOVERTYLOW-INCOME1199ERS FEELECONOMIC PINCH.

“ I’m a single mom. I make less than $12an hour and I have three children to support.

I find the time to be an 1199SEIU Delegate becausewithout the union, we’re not going to improve.”

“I have to pay healthcare premiums and copays,and I even have to pay for my children’s schoollunches. I would like to have a car, but I can’tafford one.” Amsterdam CNA Carmen Davis.

THEWORKWEDOTHEWORKWEDO

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“Our patients are mainly poor ormiddle class. We need greater

support for health care. I used to be aHillary supporter, but I’ve been swayedby Obama.”Nathan Littauer Radiology TechnologistEdwena Brown.

“I love what I do, but in my yearsin our maternity ward, I’ve seen

things change for the worse. It’s alsosad to see all the money that’s spenton elections.Nathan Littauer LPN 2 Paula Pelosi.

“I have two kids and I’m told that I’msupposed to be middle class, but I

think the definition of middle class needs tobe changed. I’m fortunate that I’m able toget Children’s Health Plus insurance.”

“I’m a Union Delegate and I do local politicalwork. I’ve also volunteered for BarackObama because he’s the candidate who willhelp working people like us.”Amsterdam CNA Ruthie Rueda.

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8July/August • Our Life And Times

Intercommunity Memorial Hospitalis in western New York State’sNiagara County in a small town calledNewfane near Lake Ontario. The areawas once a center of manufacturingand good-paying, unionized jobs.Most industry is now gone from theregion and residents struggle to findfull-time work that pays enough tokeep up with the cost of living. As inmany towns and cities the localhospital— in this case, Newfane’sIntercommunity Memorial—providessome of the area’s most stable jobs.Other major employers in the regionsuch as Delphi Auto Parts andJamestown Container are downsizing.A recent organizing drive atIntercommunity brought five newmembers into the hospital’s 200-member bargaining unit. An Obamapresidency would bring tax cuts, aplan for business development, andrelief from the housing crisis to thearea. Our Life And Times spoke with1199ers at Intercommunity Memorialabout how they are faring in today’seconomy and their hopes for thefuture.

“I HOPE MY KIDSWILL BE ABLE TOSTAY HERE.”AS THEIR REGIONALECONOMY SHRINKS,WORKERS AT UPSTATENEW YORK’SINTERCOMMUNITYHOSPITAL EXPRESSFEARS FOR THEFUTURE.

Delynn Parlier “Every day I worry aboutmaking ends meet. There never seems to

be enough to go around,” says Parlier, amother of three who works in Intercom-munity’s billing department. “My husbandchanged jobs just to be a little closer tohome. I cut down on food and take fewer tripsto school. We take fewer vacations and wedon’t go as far from home. We got a wood-burning stove to cut down on fuel costs.”

Linda Andrews “It’s quieThere’s not a lot going o

Lockport resident Andrews, apharmacy technician. “I havesomething better; hope that pback. I’ve worked at the hospiyears. It’s a nice community. IEverybody knows your name. Wincentives for the little peopleshoot for, to keep a business oa business. I hope my kids wilhere and get good jobs.”

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THEWORKWEDO

99 July/August • Our Life And Times

Kim Sherwood “It’s tough because ofthe Delphi situation and Jamestown

Container’s downsizing,” says phlebotomistSherwood . “If my husband and I didn’thave secure jobs, we’d be out of here in aheartbeat. We’re taxed to death on gas,food—everything. It’s to the point wherepeople can’t afford anything because of thetaxes. They need to start looking out for themiddle class and revamp Medicaid andwelfare.”

et and small.n,” sayscertifiedhope for

people will moveital almost 14It’s like ‘Cheers.’We need moree, something toopen or to openl be able to stay

Robert Kudel, Jr. “I’ve lived in this areafor 51 years. The snow isn’t bad. The

summers are awesome. But as far as theeconomy, I’ve watched the Simons Steel Millgo. I’ve watched the Bethlehem Steel Mill godown. We’ve lost just about all of our auto andabout 95 percent of our steel industry,” saysstoreroom clerk Kudel. “The housing markethas completely deteriorated because of [thelack of] good paying jobs. And some of our kidsare upbeat about the future, but some of themare like, ‘What am I going to do now?’ becausethe jobs just aren’t there for them.”

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“When our benefits get cut, workers oftendon’t have the money to take their childrento the doctor,” says Alexander of the recentchanges to New York City’s homecareworkers’ benefits. “Before now we neverhad co-payments, we never had to pay to goto the doctor. Sometimes the reality is youjust don’t have the money to go to thedoctor or to buy your medication.”

“It’s very important that we win universalhealthcare coverage so we can havecoverage for all of our families,” addsAlexander. “I think it’s something that we’llsee. It’s the reason that I support Obama.I see that it’s something he wants for us.I know he supports home health aides.”

Betty Ann Alexander is a home health aide withProject OHR in Brooklyn, N.Y. She cares for clientLeon Fried, a survivor of a World War I I con-centration camp who contracted polio duringhis imprisonment. Alexander, a delegate, caresfor Fried 11 hours a day, four days a week. Shereceives healthcare coverage through the 1199SEIUHomecare Benefit Fund, but like tens of thousandsof homecare workers, lives with the threat of losingher benefits to government healthcare budget cuts.Last fall, tens of thousands of 1199’s homecareworkers and their families almost lost healthcarecoverage in New York State’s budget fight. Thoughmost coverage was at least partially restored,Alexander says universal healthcare coverage is theonly real answer to finally ending the healthcarecoverage crisis.

HOME HEALTHAIDE BETTY ANN

ALEXANDERUNIVERSAL

HEALTH CAREWOULD END

THE CONSTANTTHREAT TOHOMECAREWORKERS’BENEFITS.

THEWORKWEDO

1111 July/August • Our Life And Times

“I think it’s a terrible thing for there to be acountry like this and there are poor peoplewithout coverage,” says Alexander’s clientLeon Fried. “There has to be a system thatworks. There is a lot of corruption and fraud.There is plenty of money to go around. We’respending billions in Iraq. They’ve got all theoil in the world over there and we have nohealth care for people here. It’s shameful.”

“My grandson has healthcare coveragebecause he is three, but my son doesn’t andI worry,” says Alexander. “We went to try toget him signed up and they never got back tohim. I don’t know why. I don’t know what wewould do if something happened.”

12July/August • Our Life And Times

North Adams Regional Hospital sits in the Berkshire Mountainsin northwestern Massachusetts. It serves a community of small,largely rural towns. North Adams is a former mill town thatwas once home to Sprague Electric, which closed in 1985 andeliminated 4,100 jobs from the community. The hospital is thearea’s center of primary care and emergency services for thesick and injured.It is also a major employer. Health care provides10 to 15 percent of the jobs in many of the nation’s rural counties.And like many rural healthcare centers, North Adams Regionalstruggles with getting its fair share of funding and to attractqualified professionals. Members at North Adams Regionalrecently won inclusion in the 1199SEIU Pension Fund; a bigvictory for workers from a small town. Barack Obama haspromised more equitable Medicare and Medicaid disbursementfor rural healthcare providers and the creation of a loanforgiveness program to attract doctors and nurses to smaller,outlying hospitals like North Adams Regional. Members fromthe institution recently spoke with Our Life And Times abouttheir new pensions and the challenges facing small-townhealthcare providers.

NORTH ADAMSREGIONALHOSPITAL

“THIS IS ANIMPORTANT

HOSPITAL FORPEOPLE THAT

LIVE IN OURRURAL AREAS.”

“Most people don’t even know where westernMassachusetts is. They know Boston and Albany.

They seldom hear of North Adams. It’s a nice town. It’sa great place to bring up kids. There’s not much crime.Working here is like family. Everyone knows everyone.That’s true of the whole city,” says unit secretaryShirley Valotta. “At the hospital we need money and weneed technology. We need to keep the communityinvolved and informed about the hospital. We also needbetter reimbursement.”

“I like it because it’s a smallcommunity and people know each

other. They treat each other like familycompared to other bigger communities. It’snice because you see people you know in andout of here all the time,” says housekeeperSusan Campbell.

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THEWORKWEDO

“The hospital is recruiting. I’d like tosee the young people come in and the

new doctors coming in. I’d like to see themyounger and knowing that this is a reallygood place to start a family. It really is,” saysOR unit secretary Cindy Bird. “You are soisolated from some of the bigger crimes andthe bigger city things. We don’t do bigtraumas.”

“Our reputation isn’t as good becausewe’re a little hospital in North Adams,

but this is an important hospital for peoplethat live in our rural areas becausesometimes they don’t have time to get toone of these other hospitals,” says CNAJennifer Klein. “You’re talking 30 minutes or40 minutes. I don’t know what the answer isas far as getting recognized, but I knowthese people think we are a godsend andthey’ve been to bigger hospitals wherethey’re not treated personally. They’re just apatient number and they can’t wait to comeback here where they are Joe or Mary.”

“It was a lifesaver that 1199 wanted toexpand into Massachusetts with their

pension plan. I’ve been here for 30 years andI’ve got 30 years credit and it’s just going togrow as long as I continue to work,"says respiratory therapist Mike O’Brien, aNorth Adams Regional delegate. “Thehospital’s pension plan was voluntary. Ittended to be the ones that would need thepension the most who were the ones whodidn't have the pension. Now all 180 of us arein the 1199 plan. We’ve got past creditdepending on how long we’ve been here. It’snot costing us a dime.”

Ø Ø·

14July/August • Our Life And Times

Some 2,000 delegates atSEIU’s quadrennialconvention June 2-4 inPuerto Rico voted to extendthe 2008 political campaignthrough the first 100 days ofthe new administration to

win affordable health care for all and pass theEmployees Free Choice Act.

The political campaign is a keycomponent of the “Justice for All” programthat was approved at the convention. Underthe 100-day plan, SEIU has pledged todedicate a large percentage of its resourcesand to mobilize thousands of members tohold the 111th Congress accountable.

Delegates and guests also gave a rousingreception to Sen. Barack Obama during histelevised message to the convention. “This isour moment. This is our time,” the pre-

sumptive presidential nominee said. Hebrought the conferees to their feet when heeulogized Audrey Smith-Campbell, themartyred 1199SEIU striker from KingsbridgeNH in the Bronx.

Our Life And Times interviewed anumber of the 1199SEIU conventiondelegates.

“I’m optimistic about our newCongresswoman Donna Edwards and BarackObama. People are looking for change andgrowth. They will help realize my dream of aholistic community that heals body, mind andspirit,” said Mary Theresa Anderson, an RNfrom Prince George’s Hospital in Cheverly,Maryland.

“The resolutions we adopted regardinghealth care, immigration and the Bush war inIraq will have a real good chance of

becoming reality when Obama is president.But it’s going to take a lot of effort and hardwork to make that a reality. 1199 and SEIUwill have to get a veto-proof DemocraticCongress as well,” stressed John Rusinko, amaintenance worker at Catskill RegionalHospital in Middletown, New York.

“When I heard him (Obama) mentionAudrey (Smith-Campbell) I felt so muchemotion. I felt sadness and happiness. I washappy because now everybody will knowabout our struggle,” said Kervin Campbell, acook at Kingsbridge NH, in the Bronx, N.Y.

“When I started helping PCAs join theunion I never realized I would be part ofsuch a big nationwide effort to help allworking people. We will win,” said GloryveeSantana, a PCA from North Andover,Massachusetts, who spoke at the convention.

We’ll MakePoliticiansAccountableSEIU Convention backs ambitiouspolitical campaign.

“I never realized I would be part of such a bigeffort to help all working people.”—PCA Gloryvee Santana

July/August • Our Life And Times15

OUR UNION

Clockwise from left: Barack Obamaspoke via satellite to SEIUmembers at the Union’sinternational convention in PuertoRico. He vowed to fight for workersrights and recalled the late AudreySmith-Campbell, an 1199er whopassed away while on strike atKingsbridge NH in the Bronx, N.Y;(continuing clockwise) GloryveeSantana, a Massachusetts PCA;Dennesse Wray, a homecare workerwith United Cerebral Palsy in NewYork City; and Monique Johnson,left, a geriatric nursing assistantat Baltimore’s HarborsideHealthcare Center, who introducednew Maryland CongresswomanDonna Edwards.

THE BACK PAGE

Donna Payne, an associate director ofdiversity at Human Rights Campaign inWashington, D.C. and a leader in D.C.’sMetropolitan Community Church, is dedicatedto fostering change in our society.See page 5.

This Election IsAbout Equality

“The Obama campaignmakes us all feel included.”—DONNA PAYNE