1199SEIU member leaders from across Florida gathered in Port St. Lucie on July 13 to strengthen their skills as political delegates and develop a plan of action to lead 1199SEIU Florida’s political activism into the future on important issues like healthcare expansion and comprehensive immigration reform.



For months, political delegates have dedicated their efforts to convincing Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Florida legislature to accept $51 billion of our federal tax dollars to expand healthcare to 1.2 million Floridians. They have made significant progress by convincing the governor and Florida Senate to approve healthcare expansion, with bipartisan support, but extreme members of the Florida House are continuing to block healthcare for hardworking families in our state who cannot afford health insurance.



A similar scenario is playing out in the U.S. House of Representatives, where extreme members of Congress are attempting to block comprehensive immigration reform, despite the support of a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and President Obama - support that was largely generated as a result of the efforts of our members.



Recognizing the need to take their political activism to the next level to get these priority issues passed, 1199SEIU political delegates are developing new structures and teams of political delegates to improve communications, lobbying and grassroots political action.



Political delegates are taking on leadership roles within these teams to increase pressure on lawmakers who are not only hurting our economy by blocking healthcare expansion and comprehensive immigration reform, but are also denying healthcare to hardworking Floridians who desperately need it and breaking apart families who love this country dearly.



1199SEIU Florida political delegates are more ready than ever to meet this challenge following their most recent statewide meeting, and left Port St. Lucie with official “1199SEIU Florida Political Delegate” pins excited to take their political activism to the next level.