All 41 members of the newly democratically elected SEIU 721 Executive Board Members were sworn in by SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on April 21, 2010. The executive board is charged with governing SEIU 721 consistent with the bylaws that members voted upon last fall.
“…It’s been a long road to get us here and I look forward to working with each of you on behalf of our members…“ Bob Schoonover, SEIU Local 721 President.
Congradulations all!
Bob is so very true:
This is a very unique experience – there will never ever be the 1st EB for SEIU 721 – This is it!
In my juvenile union life with SEIU 721, I also look forward to experiencing upcoming productive and good union work by & through our 1st SEIU 721 EB.
The drive from my home to SEIU 721’s headquarters lasted longer than the intended length of the S.S. Minnow’s “three hour tour,” and while for some of us this really is uncharted territory, we are not isolated on an island and there are no Gilligan’s or Thurston or Eunice Howell’s III (A Mary Ann or two, but no Ginger’s). Those who have worked for so long to make this election happened were not in the least insulted or offended that I’ve stowed away and joined the journey after they did most of the rowing. I was made to feel welcome and treated with respect (well, everyone at least pretended they were glad I was there) and left feeling humble but with a genuine sense of dignity. This election was not an end in of itself, however, because the challenges to us as public employees and as part of organized labor are as great as they have been in several decades. These are good, decent people trying to ensure that their co-workers are treated fairly. These are the people who care for those who cannot care for themselves: abused, battered and abandoned children, individuals from all walks of life ravaged by the demons of mental illness, families living out of cardboard boxes and hungry with no where else to turn. These are the people that fight the spread of dangerous diseases, ensure law enforcement or firefighters arrive promptly and to the correct address in your time of peril, who turn on your water and remove your sewage and try to provide you with books to read and a safe place for your children to play. These are the dedicated individuals who, against all odds, persuade at-risk youth that there are better alternatives than joining a gang or selling drugs. We are not the problem, we are the solution. We are not just union members, we are your neighbors and your customers and your family and friends. Please, if your are reading this, work with us, not against us.