Winning Justice For All
Coming together in Puerto Rico, SEIU members and delegates have a unique opportunity to democratically chart the course of our union.
At a time when there is broad consensus that our society is off-balance with the super-rich becoming even more wealthy and working people falling further behind year after year our union will debate the choices before us for improving the lives of working people and creating a more just and humane society.
As public discontent and demand for change continues to grow, and with the election this year of a new U.S. president and Congress, we have a real shot at winning:
Affordable, quality health care for all.
- The freedom for all workers to form a union without employer interference.
- Quality services in our communities with fair, reliable funding.
- An economy that rewards all workers, not just a few at the top.
- Citizenship for hard-working, taxpaying immigrants.
Thanks to the strategic choices SEIU members and leaders have made over the past 12 years, we are now in a position to take advantage of this important moment in history. We are well-poised to help build the pro-worker political majority needed to turn these dreams into reality. But we have key choices to make to ensure our success. That’s why we’ve come together in Puerto Rico—to discuss, debate, and ultimately, decide the answers to the following questions:
- How can we best increase our unity to increase our strength?
- How can we stand not only for “Just Us” but for “Justice for All” workers in our industries and in our country, recognizing that we cannot seize this historic moment without uniting the nearly 90% of workers who have no union?
- As we grow bigger and stronger, how can we continue to build a responsive union in which more members take action, play a leadership role, and make and carry out democratic decisions?
- How can we build a permanent pro-worker political majority that can win and sustain a more just and humane society?
Our union has a long tradition of democratic debate and a proud history of stepping up, taking bold action, and making tough choices to change lives and win for working people. The decisions we make at the 2008 Convention will determine the work of our union for the next four years, but they will also reveal what kind of world we envision for our children and grandchildren. The choices are ours.
Please follow this link to view the recommendations that were passed at the 2008 International Convention.