By Rosie Martinez
PHN retiree – SEIU 721
The 25th International Convention has just ended and I am deeply encouraged by the vision my union, SEIU, has proposed over the last four days. It brings clarity to our world turned upside down! My thoughts go back to the last four years and I often wonder how we could have survived the challenges and attacks on working families. But rest assured our union has a strategic plan that encompasses a clear and formidable direction.
I have attended many conventions, but this convention offers a vision unique in its design for creating a just and fair society for all. Through the ideas proposed in the Blue Print for the Future, we can LEAD, UNITE, FIGHT, AND WIN for our members and the communities we serve. The world will be changed because of our profound will to make the world better for all–and SEIU members will lead the way. Together we are forging alliances with the 99% to transform our union, our communities and our world.
Our path is clear and our transformation is real. We must re-elect President Barack Obama, end income inequality, organize millions into unions, engage our youth in action and leadership, elect champions with a mandate that reflects our vision, direct action to take our communities back, mobilize other members and build the 99% movement so that we all benefit–not just the 1%. We will embrace the ideals of human dignity and respect, worker rights, immigrant rights, civil rights, productive and quality work, solidarity with communities and allies and a transformation for a better future. THIS IS OUR MANDATE, THIS IS OUR VISION.