SEIU Minnesota State Council Endorses Keith Ellison for Attorney General

St. Paul ­– The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota State Council announced Monday the endorsement of Keith Ellison for Attorney General ahead of the DFL primary on August 14th. Members from all three main Locals in Minnesota shared excitement in supporting Ellison’s campaign to become the “People’s Lawyer.”

Leslie Kaup of Albert Lea, who is a SEIU Healthcare Minnesota member and has worked at Mayo Clinic Albert Lea for four years, spoke about why she is supporting Keith on August 14th.

“For years, Keith Ellison has been speaking up for people who have no voice. I’m confident that, as Minnesota Attorney General, he will be an advocate for all Minnesotans,” said Kaup. “As a resident of Albert Lea, where Mayo is stripping our community hospital of essential health services, I know we need an Attorney General who will hold companies and corporations accountable for their actions. We need to support candidates who support our families and our values. I’m looking forward to voting for Keith to be our Attorney General.”

Another SEIU member excited to support Ellison’s campaign was Amanda Reineck, a pre-K teacher from Buffalo and member of SEIU Local 284.

“SEIU Local 284 brings together Pre-k teachers, special-ed paras, custodians and more from the metro, the suburbs and rural Minnesota. The thing that binds us together is our desire to protect and expand public schools for our families and communities. When the member leaders of our Union talked about this race, the result was a unanimous decision: we want Keith Ellison to be our next Attorney General,” said Reineck. “Keith has proven over the years that he will always stand up for working people and public education. We are incredibly excited to have Keith take on this new challenge and see him work as the People’s Lawyer.”

Abdi Haybe, a security officer from Minneapolis and member of SEIU Local 26, also shared why he was so excited to support Keith Ellison for Attorney General.

“We need an Attorney General who will stand up for our families against those in power who may be breaking the rules.  For me that means working with students and families to address the student debt crisis so many of us are facing,” said Haybe, a first generation immigrant from Somalia. “I’m confident Keith will work with those of us impacted to make sure corporations aren’t unfairly making profit off the desire to improve our education.”

SEIU is Minnesota’s third largest and fastest-growing labor union, representing over 50,000 workers statewide who provide care and support for your family in your homes, hospitals, public schools, nursing homes, hotels, universities and the Twin Cities’ largest public and private buildings, and who make and distribute products used by Minnesotans every day.  SEIU members are employed in a variety of occupations, including:

• Hospital, clinic, nursing home and in-home support workers with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota

• Public school and early childhood workers, and university faculty with SEIU Local 284

• Commercial and public building maintenance employees and security officers with SEIU Local 26

• Hospitality, commercial laundry, manufacturing and distribution workers with Workers United

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The SEIU Minnesota State Council coordinates the electoral, legislative and outreach work of the SEIU Locals in Minnesota to increase the effectiveness of their efforts to organize unorganized workers in critical sectors of our economy, improve wages, hours and working conditions, and build political and legislative power for all workers and their families.  The State Council’s board is comprised of elected leaders, SEIU members and staff of the various SEIU Local Unions in Minnesota, and that board, with the active participation and input of our broader membership, determines our endorsements.

This is an independent expenditure prepared and paid for by SEIU Minn State Council Political Fund, 2233 University Ave W, #422, St. Paul MN, 55114. It is not authorized by, coordinated with or approved by any candidate nor is any candidate responsible for it.