Felicia Andrews, a certified nursing assistant at
Prairie Manor Health Care Center and MPO in
Joliet, is focused on using her experience and the
MPO opportunity to elect pro-worker candidates
like Debbie Halvorson in Illinois' 11th congressional
district, and put Obama in the White House. She’s
ready to take her past experience organizing home
care workers in other states and use it to be an
effective MPO. “I’ve always been interested in
campaigning and I do have experience working in
other states,” she explains. “We have come a long
way, but as a country we could really go so much further under the right leadership. I’m getting involved because I really think that now is the time for real change here in Illinois and across the country.”

Posted By: SEIU HCII on 9/18/2008 3:34:00 PM

MPOs

    For Cassandra McKnight, an MPO who works as a ward
    clerk at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital, getting involved
    in politics has never been so important. “We finally have
    a candidate who stands for working families and working
    class people,” she explains. “If we don’t get involved
    now, we’re going to miss a chance for real change.” By
    making the most of her energy and commitment to
    electing Barack Obama, Cassandra hopes to learn as much
    as she can about what happens on the ground so she can spread the word and make an impact in the Gary communities where she is registering voters. “By doing this work, I can make my vote mean more than just one ballot in a box – I can turn it into hundreds of votes and hope that they multiply too.”

Posted By: SEIU HCII on 9/16/2008 4:44:00 PM

MPOs

Clarise Evans of Chicago is a certified nursing assistant
at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital who will soon be
registering voters in Gary. Voter registration is a large
part of our effort to elect Barack Obama for president –
and the key to making sure working people have a voice
in the election process. Clarise connects working as an
MPO with the strength of the union. As she explains: “I’m
hoping that through the MPO program and work that we
do, that we can make our union stronger and really
develop political skills and knowledge. That’s what I’m trying to do personally, and I think we will all be stronger because of it. How are we going to make a difference if we don’t know what’s going on and we don’t get out there and do something about it?”

Posted By: SEIU HCII on 9/15/2008 5:41:00 PM

MPOs

    Over the past two months,
    14 members have dedicated
    their time to registering
    voters and educating
    communities on candidates’
    records. These Member
    Political Organizers (MPOs)
    are turning their commitment
    to working families
    candidates into action, and
    making the winning
    difference in tight races.

The MPO program allows members who are ready to take their interest in politics and commitment to electing pro-worker candidates to a new level by spending a few weeks to a few months working on voter registration drives or election campaigns. This election season, members of SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana are joining with SEIU members throughout the country to do both. In addition to our large bus trips to Gary, Indiana, to register voters in preparation for a massive get-out-the-vote campaign for Barack Obama, we have MPO leaders working hard to connect with voters in Joliet and Waukegan, Illinois, and Gary, Indiana.

In the coming weeks, we will bring their stories to you right here at On the Campaign Trail.

Posted By: SEIU HCII on 9/15/2008 3:08:00 PM

MPOs