Senator Barack Obama Highlights Resurrection Campaign in Speech to AFSCME Convention

Presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States Barack Obama addressed the 38th AFSCME International Convention on July 31st via satellite to voice support for the union and particularly the for Resurrection workers in their struggle to organize with AFSCME Council 31.  Senator Obama has spoken at two rallies in support of Resurrection workers and signed a letter to Resurrection CEO Joseph Toomey urging him to dialogue with employees. 

To view a video of Senator Obama's speech, click here.   

In his speech to the AFSCME International Convention, Senator Obama said:

"There is one fight in particular that I will always remember.  In March of last year, a green-clad AFSCME army barring signs declaring "It's Time for Justice" rallied in Chicago for the 8,000 healthcare and service workers at Resurrection Health Care who didn't have a voice.  They've been trying to form a union with AFSCME Council 31 but were met again and again with resistance from management. 

It was there where I met a remarkable woman named Shirley Brown.  Shirley, a housekeeper employee in a Resurrection hospital, helped lead that fight.  But she wasn't just fighting for her fundamental right to form a union, she was fighting her own battle against cancer.  When I met her that day she was still weak from the radiation and chemotherapy, but she was determined to speak.  And as she reached the podium, something changed.  With her back straight and her head held high, her eyes clear, she told 2,000 AFSCME members why she fought.  She said she fought because she had coworkers who couldn't afford the Resurrection healthcare plan, who didn't receive the wages they deserved and who were fired just for publicly supporting the union.  Resurrection refused to guarantee her a full-time position once she recovered.  But because her coworkers rallied around her, because they all came to work wearing buttons with her face on them, management recanted and gave Shirley her job back when she finally beat her cancer."

In addition to showing continued support for AFSCME and the workers at Resurrection Health Care, Senator Obama renewed his commitment to making sure the Employee Free Choice Act becomes law.  The Employee Free Choice Act would allow employees to form a union through a fair and streamlined process.