COLUMBUS, OHIO - A dozen member leaders dropped in to the District office of republican Congressman Pat Tiberi (OH-12) with some tough questions about his voting record, highlighting the fact that Congressman Tiberi is in the Top 10 of those receiving large contributions from Wall Street.

• Republican Congressman Pat Tiberi voted to kill 300,000 American jobs. ("FFA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act of 2010: Roll Vote No. 518" The Library of Congress: Thomas, Bill Summary and Status, 111th Congress H.R. 1586 )

• Republican Congressman Pat Tiberi voted against the Wall Street Reform bill which would end corporate bailouts. ("Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010: Roll Vote No. 413" The Library of Congress: Thomas, Bill Summary and Status, 111th Congress H.R. 4173)

• Republican Congressman Pat Tiberi voted to protect tax cuts that ship American jobs overseas. ("FFA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act of 2010: Roll Vote No. 518" The Library of Congress: Thomas, Bill Summary and Status, 111th Congress H.R. 1586 )

These values do not represent Ohio's 12th Congressional District and working men and women all over central Ohio will be working to hold Congressman Tiberi accountable for his votes this November.

Click here to RSVP.

Click here to view an event flier.

August 10, 2010 @ 12:00 PM

1900 E. Ninth Street, Cleveland, Ohio
(Between PNC Bank & Huntington Bank)

Working people in Ohio have paid a huge price as a result economic crisis created by Wall Street greed.  Thousands have lost their jobs and/or taken pay cuts or forced reductions in hours because of the crisis.  Thousands more have lost their homes and their retirement savings.  Nearly everyone has seen the value of their property plummet.  Cuts to public services as a result of the economic crash have had devastating effects on health care, education, and public safety with a dramatically disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable in our communities - Seniors, people with disabilities, communities of color and the poor.

Wall Street Banks must be forced to do their part to fix they mess they created.  Specifically:

• Fix the Foreclosure Crisis
  - Banks should immediately reduce principal on outstanding loans of distressed properties to current market value as part of real loan modification
  - Banks should immediately clean up the blight they have created by allowing foreclosed properties to sit vacant and unattended and they should reimburse cities and counties for the costs they caused for nuisance abatement

• Stop Gouging The Public - Do Their Part to Fix the Fiscal Crisis
  - Banks should immediately re-negotiate toxic interest rate swaps which will put billions of dollars into essential public services
  - Banks should immediately agree to universal rating for bond under-writing
  - Banks should immediately agree to reduce interest on short term lending with public entities to reflect rates they receive from the Federal Reserve

• Invest in Job Creation
  - Banks should immediately restore business lending to pre-crash levels which will create thousands of jobs for our communities

Our elected leaders need to step up and demand that banks pay.  Politicians need to declare what side they are on and whether they support policies that will hold banks accountable in their community.  Our political opponents who refuse to take sides can and should be held accountable for the damage that their friends on Wall Street have done to our economy.

SEIU members and other activists held a rally for comprehensive immigration reform at the Columbus Statehouse on June 10. Participants then marched to Sen. George Voinovich's office to call for his leadership on these efforts while he still has six months left in office.

Wall Street banks are allowing their greed to threaten the proposed sale of Forum Health to Tennessee-based Ardent Health Services - also jeopardizing thousands of jobs and the safe delivery of healthcare for Mahoning Valley families and retirees.

Click here to sign an online petition objecting to this Wall St. greed.

These banks acting as secured lenders are insisting on far deeper cuts in the pay and benefits of hospital staff:

• JPMorgan Chase
• MBIA Insurance Corp.
• Fifth Third Bank
• U.S. Bancorp

Forum workers have already voluntarily sacrificed over $39 million in concessions to these parties.  As taxpayers, we've also given many of these banks billions more in bailouts.  Shrinking our middle class any further will only help prolong the economic crisis that Wall Street gave us. Sign petition.

Below is a video produced by the Youngstown Business Journal:

Two SEIU 1199 Head Start members marched on Wall Street banks and their lobbyists in DC in May to demand tough financial reform.

Nina Brown from Warren County Community Center Head Start Of Lebanon, Ohio, and Victoria Tully from Appalachian Council Head Start in West Virginia also joined 3,000 protestors in a 45-minute blockade of downtown traffic outside the bank lobbyists' offices.

My name is Mary Kay Henry and I am your newly elected president of SEIU.



As a young girl growing up in a family of 10 outside Detroit, I never would have imagined introducing myself to you in that way. But in my thirty years with the union, I've seen you do a lot of things you couldn't have imagined either.

I recorded a quick video introduction explaining my vision for the union and I'd like to invite you to share your vision as well.  

Please take a moment to watch while helping me to understand your key priorities for our union going forward.

Click here to watch video.

As I've talked with leaders and members across the country, what emerges is a real hunger to renew, refocus and restore.



Renew our commitment to uniting more workers in our union.



Refocus our political action on helping and improving the lives of people who work for a living.


And restore our connections with allies and the rest of labor to join SEIU's 2.2 million members with 14 million members in other unions to stand up for a better future for all working people and families. 



I look forward to using this next month - my first as SEIU President - to better understand your priorities for the union.

Please take a moment and share some of them today.

http://action.seiu.org/mkhannouncement

I want to thank Andy Stern - past president and now President Emeritus of the union.



We are all very proud of what the members and leaders of our union have accomplished together: uniting a million new members, helping elect President Obama, helping to pass healthcare reform, and so much more.

I am honored and humbled to have been elected president of SEIU, and I look forward to starting the conversation with you about the future of our union.

In solidarity,

Mary Kay Henry
President, SEIU

Read press release: SEIU Elects Mary Kay Henry to Lead 2.2 Million Member Union