SEIU PA Members Endorse Dan Onorato for Governor, Scott Conklin for Lieutenant Governor

SEIU PA Members Endorse Dan Onorato for Governor, Scott Conklin for Lieutenant Governor

SEIU PA Members Endorse Dan Onorato for Governor,
Scott Conklin for Lieutenant Governor
Unions members get ready to hit the streets for endorsed candidates

Harrisburg - The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Pennsylvania today announced their endorsement of Dan Onorato for Governor and Scott Conklin for Lieutenant Governor. The union represents nearly 100,000 workers across Pennsylvania in health care, public service, building service, food service, laundry and hospitality industries.

"It's getting harder for working Pennsylvanians to provide for their families," said Gabe Morgan, President of the SEIU PA State Council and Western Pennsylvania Director for Local 32BJ. "As Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Dan Onorato has seen the challenges that working families face and has worked to bring good jobs into the community. SEIU will work tirelessly to ensure that Dan Onorato is our next Governor so that hard-working Pennsylvanians have an advocate leading the state."

“Our members see the state’s health care crisis from the front lines every day,” said Neal Bisno, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and Secretary-Treasurer of the SEIU PA State Council. “From registered nurses in hospitals to home care attendants in seniors’ homes, health care workers want a leader who understands that high quality affordable health care is part of the solution to our economy. Dan Onorato and Scott Conklin have both shown strong support for health care reform and we know they will continue to lead on this critical issue in Harrisburg.”

“I am enormously pleased to receive the support of SEIU,” said Onorato. “SEIU has been a force for progressive policy and with their support, I hope to not only win this year, but to begin to make the fundamental change that Pennsylvania, its workers and families need, expect and deserve.”

SEIU, known for its strength in mobilizing members and voters to support endorsed candidates, is promising a large-scale voter outreach campaign, including mailings, door-to-door canvassing outreach and member mobilization in support of Onorato and Conklin’s election. During the 2008 elections, SEIU staff, volunteers and members in Pennsylvania door-knocked and called more than 1 million households in support of President Obama and other progressive candidates.
Eileen Connelly, Executive Director of the SEIU PA State Council, said, “We are ready to put our ‘boots on the ground’ and activate our membership in support of Dan Onorato and Scott Conklin. This is a critical election for working families, and our members are ready to go out and educate voters about why this team is the best choice to improve our economy and bring jobs back to Pennsylvania.”

During the Primary Election, Onorato was endorsed by three major SEIU local unions. Dozens of SEIU members volunteered to mobilize voters in support of Onorato on primary day. In areas where these volunteers were active in Allegheny County, voter turnout was as much as 16 points higher than neighboring areas and the support for Onorato was as much as nine points higher than the county average.

The fastest-growing union in North America, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and its 2.2 million members are uniting workers to improve their lives and the services they provide. The Pennsylvania SEIU State Council represents nearly 100,000 members statewide in the areas of health care, public services, building services and hospitality. It is the fastest-growing union in the state.