A new type of union: SEIU members in Springfield, MA branch out to non-union residents through new civic group

November 1, 2011

SPRINGFIELD, MA – As the November 8 election approaches, members of the largest labor union in Springfield are empowering residents to get active in combating some of the community’s key challenges – such as foreclosures and unemployment – through a new approach that breaks with union traditions.



Through a robust door-to-door operation, rallies, and several candidate forums, members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have quietly succeeded in rapidly signing up more than 2,300 non-union Springfield residents for a new Springfield civic group called SEIU Community Action (SCA). While SEIU Community Action is affiliated with SEIU, organizers say you don’t have to be a union member to join.



SEIU members in Springfield, predominantly from Local 1199, have been going door to door, inviting non-union workers and the unemployed to join their ranks through the innovative new group which has helped connect residents to hurricane relief resources; backed city council initiatives to stem foreclosures; registered hundreds of new voters; and endorsed candidates who they say best understand the challenges facing low and middle income Springfield families.



The outreach, which just began in June, has been wildly successful, with an average of eight outreach participants per day expecting to knock on more than 30,000 doors by November 8.



“We’re branching out and embracing all of the issues in our community that need to be addressed – public safety, housing, unemployment, public schools. We’re encouraging residents to get involved whether they’re union or not, to stand up, to have a voice in the future of Springfield,” said SEIU Community Action member and Springfield resident Lydia Lebron. “It’s not just about one election for us. Whether the candidates we endorsed win or not, we’re helping our neighbors register to vote, and having thousands of conversations about the future of our city.”



This week, SEIU Community Action also kicked off an advertising campaign in English and Spanish with billboard, print, and radio advertisements (.mp3 file attached) scheduled on WMAS, WAQY, WPKX, WHYN-FM, WHYN-AM, and WSPR – all encouraging local residents to join the new civic group. SEIU Community Action has held several Springfield candidate forums and recently announced the following endorsements: Jose Tosado (Mayor), James Ferrara (At-large), Justin Hurst (At-large), Amaad Rivera (At-large), Zaida Luna (Ward 1), Michael Fenton (Ward 2), Melvin Edwards (Ward 3), Henry Twiggs (Ward 4), Timothy Allen (Ward 7), and Orlando Ramos (Ward 8).



SEIU Community Action members will be vigorously campaigning for their endorsed candidates, but have emphasized that their work will continue beyond the election. Their long term goals include expanding the reach of the labor movement in Western Massachusetts. They have already scheduled what they’re calling a “Community Accountability Forum” for the winners of the election, slated for Wednesday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. At that forum, members of the new civic group plan to press the winning candidates on how they will follow through on campaign promises – and on the community struggles that have united thousands of Springfield Residents, both union and non-union, in SEIU Community Action. In addition to the more than 2,300 new members of SEIU Community Action, SEIU includes 6,200 members in Springfield. 5,400 of those members are employed as Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) providing home care services for seniors and people with disabilities. The PCAs are members of the state’s largest healthcare union, 1199SEIU.



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SEIU Community Action, an organization of active Springfield residents, is dedicated to bringing neighbors together and making our communities a better place to live, work, and raise a family.