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From Los Angeles, to Minneapolis, to Portland, Maine, our siblings in the Service Employees International Union are fighting back against the attacks on our communities by Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Friday, Jan. 23, members of Minnesota’s SEIU Local 26, along with other unions, faith groups, and community organizations, called a statewide shutdown to protest the federal government’s ongoing attacks. Tens of thousands of Minnesotans walked off the job or out of school, and hundreds of businesses closed for the day.
“Minnesota family, we are here because something is happening in this country that demands our time, our attention, and our resistance,” said April Verrett, SEIU’s international president, at a rally in downtown Minneapolis, where 75,000 people marched in temperatures that dipped below 10 degrees. “We are here because our communities are under attack. We are here because we know exactly what we must do in moments like this, don’t we? We stand up and we fight back!”
In Los Angeles, SEIU 721 members joined community groups in a solidarity rally and march on Jan. 23. Starting at Placita Olvera, more than 1,000 people marched all over downtown, making stops at the Metropolitan Detention Center and the federal building where an ICE field office is located.
“Today, along with millions across the country, including thousands of SEIU members, we demand ICE and Border Patrol out of our communities,” said Jesus Garcia, SEIU Local 721 organizing coordinator.
Following the murder of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24, a Veteran’s Affairs nurse in Minnesota, by federal agents, SEIU 721 President David Green released a powerful statement.
“SEIU Local 721 members demand justice for Pretti, and we are outraged by the federal government’s lies slandering him,” Green said. “We vow to honor his memory and that of Renee Nicole Good by continuing to fight the state terror that took their lives.”
We’re proud to be members of a union that fights for social justice and takes meaningful, important stands. Fighting back against authoritarianism requires organization locally, and our faculty union is part of the movement fighting back!
That said, we must fight for our union! Sign your strike pledge today to fight back against the LMU admin and board’s union-busting!