“Early Wednesday morning, when the senate races in Georgia were called for Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, essential workers around the country celebrated the payoff of years of relentless organizing.
Thanks to record turnout across the state by black, Latino and AAPI voters, the people of Georgia elected two pro-worker candidates and flipped the balance of power in Washington, setting the stage for an end to four disastrous years that have made our country sicker, poorer and meaner.
This is a victory for the essential workers who have carried us through this pandemic, as we now have an opportunity for an effective, science-led federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as relief for the state and local governments who are experiencing severe budget shortfalls in the face of this pandemic.
SEIU members and Fight for $15 and a Union workers, along with our partner organizations, were instrumental in winning these victories, knocking on more than 10 million doors, making two million phone calls and sending more than 7.5 million texts.
Over the course of this election season, our own SEIU 721 members contacted thousands of voters across the country, including special outreach to swing states like Arizona and Georgia and our members even traveled to Georgia in advance of the special election to knock doors.
This is the power of solidarity. Working people from every corner of the country working together to create the change that we all so desperately need.
Today, we celebrate and look forward to a brighter future, but we know that our work doesn’t end once the ballots are counted. This country still needs unions for all, a $15 an hour minimum wage, voting rights for all, immigration reform, and immediate relief for state and local governments that have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We won’t rest until we win them. As this election showed us, when we fight, we win.”
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