OurFuture.org Blogs: SEIU Member Voices

We Deserve Better (Response to President Bush's SOTU Address)

SEIU Member Voices — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:13:24 -0800

Raquel Mack, a 22-year-old member of SEIU Local 32BJ, is a full-time security guard for Allied Barton Security on K Street in downtown Washington, D.C. Raquel also works part-time in retail and plans to re-enroll at the University of District of Columbia (UDC) this fall.

Last night Raquel joined SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger and five other SEIU members to watch the president deliver his last State of the Union address. Below is Raquel's response:

I work two jobs and live pay check to pay check. When you look at your child’s face and they say they’re hungry and the only thing you can feed them is hot dogs and pork and beans, it hurts. You have to live below the poverty line to put your kids in day care. Politicians don’t see that.

I work hard to provide a better life for my child. This fall, I’ll be working two jobs, going back to school, and caring for a newborn. It’s killing me to work two jobs just to make ends meet. You look at your paycheck and think, ‘What am I going to do with this?’

They need to walk in our shoes, see what we see and experience what we experience. They should see what it’s like to get up everyday at 6 a.m., come home at midnight and not spend time with your child. My son literally waits up to see me every night when I get home.

On education:
No child left behind? Bush talked about the DC opportunity scholarships to enroll in private schools and increasing Pell Grant funds across the country. Pell Grants don’t cover entire tuitions—only a percentage. People can’t afford that. He said nothing about college tuitions either. I want my child to get the best education he can get. This year, DC schools scored amongst the lowest in the nation. We’re in the nation’s capital — we should be scoring highest in the nation!

We need to prepare the next generation. We have to rebuild school systems, show children positive things, keep them involved so they don’t feel left out, so they understand how to make changes in their future.

Hopefully the next president will step up and try to implement programs for the youth. The Bush administration and states cut out funds for extra curricular activities. We had all types of things growing up, free of cost for the parents. Kid used to have things to do and places to go, but now it’s terrible and paying for anything is tough. Kids don’t have anything to get involved in but hanging out on the street corner.

We deserve better.

I Just Don't Think It Interests Him (On President Bush's SOTU Address)

SEIU Member Voices — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:04:18 -0800

Annette Scurry is a family child care provider and leader in SEIU Local 500 Kids First Maryland. Ms. Scurry has been a provider for 7 years and cares for up to 8 children ages six weeks to 12 years. Annette is a proud parent of 2 children and 4 grandchildren, all of whom were cared for in her center.

Here Annette responds to what she heard in the president’s last State of the Union address:

My whole life is about children. I raised two of my own, and now I care for my four grandchildren. Last night the president didn’t even really mention kids.

He talked about making healthcare more “affordable”—whatever that means—for everyone. But he didn’t talk about the SCHIP bill he vetoed last year. He didn’t talk about healthcare for kids at all. I just don’t think it interests him.

He didn’t talk about the gas prices. I need the gas to heat my child care center. It needs to stay warm enough for the kids, and if it’s not warm enough, they’ll come in and shut down my facility. But I don’t get extra money to pay for the more expensive gas. Already it takes my income and my husband’s both to heat the house. I don’t know what I’ll do if the prices keep going up.

There are poor families in this country that can’t keep up with the energy prices, and so they’re using candles at home. There are kids who have died in fires that started because they were trying to do their homework by candlelight. And last night, the president didn’t talk about the gas prices.

What I Wanted to Hear Last Night

SEIU Member Voices — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:31:23 -0800

Leonard Green is an evening floor technician at Georgetown University Hospital and a member of SEIU 1199 United Healthcare Workers East. Originally from Guyana, Leonard has lived in the United States for eight years and is currently waiting to hear from USCIS about when he can take his oath for U.S. citizenship.

Last night he joined SEIU Secrteary-Treasurer Anna Burger and five other SEIU members to watch the President's last State of the Union Address. This is Leonard's response:

I’ve been listening to this President since the time he was canvassing for the position back in 2000. Last night, I was hoping that he would speak the truth, but I just heard the same old political talk and empty promises. Here’s what I wanted to hear:

Affordable Health Care
My father is living in a nursing home and it makes me cringe to think about those hard working people who care for him, but who can’t afford to care for themselves or their families. Out healthcare system should be set up so that healthcare workers are fully compensated. In the richest country in the world, no one should be denied the necessities.

New Foreign Policy Based on Bilateral Relations
We’ve got to build a foreign policy program based on bilateral relations and not just a big stick. We need the kind of diplomacy that the Democratic Presidential candidates are talking about, where we talk to the United Nations and other countries, rather than just going out there on our own.

Speedy Immigration Reform
I’d like to see us have a speedy immigration reform. We’ve had this problem for years and years and if we are not going to do anything to fix it, it will never change. We need to stop focusing on building a wall along the border, and pass policies that give people a fair opportunity to come here legally to and work.

Justice for American Workers
All workers must have a right to bargain. It cannot be that some people have it and others don’t. We all need it.

Election 2008 and America’s Future
I’m going to be knocking on doors. I’m going to be phone banking, and going the extra mile to ensure that we have a Democrat in office next year. We’ve got to educate people about the power of their vote. We’ve got to stop talking about majority and minority in this country, and start realizing that we’re all in this together.

The Fight for a Change from President Bush Starts Now

SEIU Member Voices — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:15:31 -0800

Kevin Hills has been a daytime janitor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a member of SEIU 32BJ for over five years. Last night, Hills joined SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger and a group of five other SEIU members to watch the President’s last State of the Union Speech. This is his response.

President Bush talked a lot about Iraq and the fumbles in the Middle East, but he didn’t talk enough about his plans to reinvest in America. If you are not about home, how can you be about anything else?

It’s great that we’re rebuilding roads and setting up schools in Iraq and Afghanistan, but what about the roads that are falling down here at home? We’ve got higher gas prices and higher fuel bills than ever before. Our education system is falling apart. The Democratic Congress finally raised the minimum wage, but we still don’t have high enough salaries to pay our bills.

Last night, I didn’t hear President Bush say anything about giving health care to every man, woman and child. And where have all these great jobs been created that he talked about?

I’ll tell you what I did hear the President say. He talked about being fiscally responsible, but he hasn’t been. President Bush started that war in Iraq, and we’ve been spending our dwindling budget on it every month since. Now we’ve got a bigger debt than ever before, and we’re stuck in a war without an end.

It’s a shame that we have to wait a whole year to get something better than Bush, but it’s exciting that the fight for a change starts now. We need to get this message out there—from SEIU local unions and beyond—that we can make a real change in our country for 2009. If we don’t work hard—knocking on doors, talking to our fellow members, and getting out the vote— we’re going to hear the same person in office, saying the same things, eight years from now.

If you’re not in it, we’re not going to win it. So, let’s get to work. We have the numbers on our side, and lord knows the outcome is vital to our futures. It’s up to us to take advantage of this election and build a better future for our families and for our country.

The President Gets You All Hyped, But Then He Leaves You Hanging

SEIU Member Voices — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:09:44 -0800

Gloria Knight is a family child care provider and leader in SEIU Local 500 Kids First Maryland. She has been a provider for 8 years and cares for up to 8 children ages 2-12 at any given time. Gloria is a proud mom of 2 children and 3 grandchildren whom she raised in her child care center.

Here Gloria responds to what she heard in the president’s last State of the Union address:

Did he talk about the things that matter to me? Well, housing, wages, healthcare—I heard him mention them, but I didn’t hear solutions. He gets you all hyped up, but then leaves you hanging.

He talked about foreclosures, but he didn’t get to any real solution. I know people who couldn’t keep up with the interest rates and so now they’ve had to give up their homes and move into rental apartments. But he didn’t talk about the interest rates. He didn’t say how he’s going to help people keep their homes.

I have to record all my expenses and income very carefully for the invoices I make. At the end of last year, I did the math and I realized that my total income for the year—after the expenses I cover for my child care center—was the same as what I was making 40 years ago, when I was in high school. I have two children and they both help support me. If my children weren’t depositing money into my bank account, I wouldn’t be able to keep my center open. The president didn’t say anything tonight to make me think that this is going to change.

He said he wants to make healthcare “affordable” for all Americans. But what does that mean? I need a system where what’s deemed “affordable” is based on what I make, what I personally make. Because what’s an affordable share for another worker—even for another child care worker who brings in a steady $2,000 a month—is not affordable for me when I make 4- or 5- or $600 a month.

There were a few things I heard him get specific on, though. He said outright that congress needs to make his tax cuts for the rich permanent. He said congress must not fail to pass his free trade agreement with Colombia. I heard him say these specifics, so I know he knows how.