For Immediate Release:
June 1, 2022
SEIU PA State Council Endorses John Fetterman for US Senate
Harrisburg – The SEIU Pennsylvania State Council today announced its endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate, Lt. Governor John Fetterman.
“While we don’t yet know the outcome of the Republican primary, we know one thing for certain – John Fetterman has an unimpeachable record of standing with working people wherever and whenever he can. With the U.S. Senate majority in the balance, we know that John Fetterman will use his voice and his vote to advance union rights, not merely protect the status quo,” said Matthew Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and Secretary Treasurer of the SEIU Pennsylvania State Council.
As Lieutenant Governor, John Fetterman stood on the frontlines with SEIU members and not yet union workers as they fought for fair contracts, better wages, and to rewrite the rules to take back power from major corporations and other powerful bosses. He stood on the picket lines with food service workers fighting for their union at Kutztown University, and with striking workers at Pennsylvania’s largest private-sector employer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UMPC) -- even getting arrested on behalf of workers and patients when UPMC worked to close down a Braddock hospital in 2009. He has joined teachers, Kellogg’s workers and iron workers on the picket lines, demanding better wages and fairer contracts.
“When the Kutztown University administration was caught trying to block the unionization effort of its food service workers, John Fetterman did not hesitate to stand with us,” said David Melman, Manager of the Pennsylvania Joint Board of Workers United. “John Fetterman doesn’t just say the right things, he shows up when workers’ rights are on the line. That is the kind of senator Pennsylvania needs.”
As senator, Fetterman will stand strong with SEIU members on key federal priorities, including securing a major investment in the homecare workforce and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to SEIU Pennsylvania for your endorsement. I’ve stood side-by-side with workers across Pennsylvania on picket lines many times over the past year, and I will never hesitate to show up and have workers’ backs,” said Fetterman. “The union way of life is sacred for me. As your Lt. Governor and next Senator, I have always fought to expand and protect the union way of life and not just defend the status quo. When I get to D.C., I will be an unwavering vote for working people to pass the PRO Act, a $15 an hour minimum wage, and other policies to put more power directly into the hands of workers across this country.”
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