Indiana
Fighting anti-worker “right-to-work” laws in the Indiana Statehouse
As the legislative session heats up and the city of Indianapolis prepares for this year’s Super Bowl, Indiana Republicans are fighting to punch through so-called “right-to-work” legislation that would limit collective bargaining for workers as fast as they can.
But Indiana Democrats and SEIU members are working just as hard to stop this anti-worker, pro-corporate legislation, and to educate the public about the harm right-to-work laws have caused in other states. Yesterday, members from all over the state traveled to the Capitol to fight against legislation that puts corporate greed ahead of Indiana families.
Members came to the Capitol from all over Indiana to stand up for working families.
“We spent some time talking to state Democrats like Senator Vi Simpson and Rep. Peggy Welsh, thanking them for looking at things from the perspective of working people,” said home care worker Kelley Sims. “They thanked us for coming out to support them as they work to support us.”
“But we also talked to some Republican lawmakers who were either for right-to-work legislation or are on the fence about it. A lot of them said they support these bills because they might convince businesses to come to Indiana. I asked them, are we really making things better for Indiana if companies come here just because they know they can treat their workers however they want and pay them less than a fair wage?”
There is no solid evidence that right-to-work states attract businesses more than states without these laws: according to the Economic Policy Institute, “the evidence is overwhelming that right-to-work laws have not succeeded in boosting employment growth in the states that have adopted them.” However, studies conducted by the US Department of Labor, the US Census Bureau, and others have found that workers’ quality of life decreases with the passage of right-to-work laws. For example, Indiana workers currently earn a higher wage on average than workers in right-to-work states, and are more likely to have job-based health insurance and pensions.
As Indiana Democrats continue to fight to defeat this harmful legislation, our members will keep holding Republican lawmakers accountable to their constituents—not greedy corporations.
“We’ll stick together and keep fighting until we get our point across,” said Kelley.
Our members will head back to the Statehouse to keep working for the rights of working people on January 24th.
See home care worker Vicky Hernandez testify at the Statehouse:
MO and IN members team up to beat bad bill in Ohio
When Ohio Governor John Kasich followed in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s footsteps by signing a bill (SB5) decimating the collective bargaining rights of public sector employees, SEIU Healthcare members jumped up to stop him.
Members knocked knocked on almost 7000 doors in a week to educate Ohio voters about SB5. Their efforts helped the bill to be repealed!
Unlike Wisconsin’s, Ohio’s constitution allows for a citizen’s veto, giving residents a chance to bring a bad bill to a ballot–if they can gather enough signatures.
With help from fifteen of our members, organizers gathered 1.3 million signatures, giving voters the opportunity to send the message that working people aren’t going to accept attacks on our bargaining rights.
“These Republican governors all over the country are trying to cut out the middle class. We want the whole country to see what’s going on and say, enough is enough,” said McKinley Williams, a groundskeeper at Methodist Hospital in Gary, IN who spent a week in Cleveland knocking on doors to educate residents about the devastating impact of SB5.
“I met a lot of people in the area whose lives would have been immediately affected by this bill–teachers, state workers, city workers, and more,” said Ella Giles, a home care worker in St. Louis. “But even most of the people who weren’t going to be affected right away were on our side, because people know that once they start chipping away at working people, it’s only a matter of time before they start chipping away at you.”
Excluding Election Day, Williams, Giles, and other members knocked on 6842 doors and had 2152 conversations with voters in just one week, getting support from more than 90% of them and leading 61% of Ohio voters to repeal the bad bill. As Gov. Walker’s recall heats up in Wisconsin, this victory not only protects good jobs for thousands of Ohio residents, but will have a real impact on our efforts to protect bargaining rights for working people all over the United States.
“The most recent polls show that the majority of people in Wisconsin want to recall Scott Walker,” McKinley said. “I’m fired up and ready to go to Wisconsin next!”
Fighting for our safety net in Gary, IN
Health care workers, elected officials, patients, and allies joined the growing chorus of Americans speaking out to protect vital Medicare and Medicaid funding at a rally in Gary, Indiana earlier this week.
While Congress decides whether to invest in the health of working people by continuing to fund Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security or to continue granting tax breaks to big banks and corporations, people like home care worker Vicky Hernandez are fighting hard to help Congress understand the devastating impact that funding cuts could have on some of our most vulnerable citizens.
“Medicaid pays for my consumer’s medication and for me to be there to help with things like showering, eating, and going to the bathroom–things that we all take for granted. Our lawmakers don’t have to think about losing these things. They don’t realize what these cuts mean,” Vicky said.
Home care worker Vicky Hernandez speaks out for her consumer, who relies on Medicaid to pay for the program that keeps her safe and independent living in her home.
In addition to the impact cuts would have on consumers, Vicky and other speakers at the rally addressed the impact cuts could have on our economy.
“If these cuts happen, patients will suffer. But so will thousands of health care workers who will lose their jobs. Cutting programs that keep people healthy and employed is no way to fix our economy,” said Tony Marshall, a CNA at Methodist Hospital in Gary, IN.
More and more of us are getting together to tell Congress that vital funding for Medicare, Medicaid, and child care programs is the last thing they should cut. Read more about our upcoming National Day of Action and find out how you can get involved.
Hear more from Tony and Vicky at the rally:
ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress what federal child care funding means to your community!
Right now, Congress’ supercommittee is deciding how to reduce our nation’s looming deficit, and with it, the fate of Head Start programs that provide working families with the quality care they need to stay in school and got to work every day. Together, child care providers and consumers are working to make millionaire members of Congress understand that cuts to federal funding of state child care programs will make it harder for parents to take or keep the jobs they need to support their families as the economy struggles to recover.
“I’m a single mother juggling school, work, and motherhood. I and thousands of other parents depend on programs like Head Start to provide not just a safe place for my son to stay while I’m at work, but to give him a good education. Federal child care funding makes it possible for many families to improve their lives by working while going back to school in order to make it in this economy–if it weren’t for Head Start, I couldn’t make this work for my family.” –Candice Battle
It’s up to us to carry the voices of working parents to the representatives making decisions that affect their lives. Please talk to your child care parents about the impact that quality child care makes on their lives and families, and share their answers with us.
More Indiana Help At Home workers join SEIU
Nearly 600 new members at Indiana Help At Home offices united with SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana since December.
- December 3rd: More than 250 workers at Help At Home offices in Indianapolis and Lafayette
- February 14th: Nearly 300 workers in Bloomington and Seymour
“We’re already feeling the union difference,” Jennifer Christian, a Help At Home member in Indianapolis. “The morale among workers has really improved and we got raises that certainly would have been harder to get if we didn’t have a union.”
Members at these Indiana Help At Home offices join members from Merrillville, Valparaiso, South Bend and Michigan City Help At Home offices as new members of SEIU.
SEIU Healthcare members fight to protect working families
Members join largest rally ever in Indianapolis
Members of SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana have kept a constant presence in the State House in Indianapolis on a regular basis fighting back budget cuts to home care and attempts to strip private- and public-sector workers of many union rights.
Bus loads of SEIU Healthcare members joined a crowd of thousands outside the capitol building on March 9 to protest attacks on the middle class by mostly Republican legislators’ anti-worker legislation. It was the largest rally ever in the capital city. (more…)
Members celebrate victories, layout strategy at regional meetings
At the start of 2011, hundreds of members came together for regional meetings throughout Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. Members gave reports on our union’s strength, celebrated our victories and accomplishments and strategized for upcoming campaigns. Members recognized and accepted the challenges ahead of us, such as the “right to work for less” movements hitting Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and other states that threaten our rights to collective bargaining and state budget cuts that impact our jobs.