Below is a press release from the Tram Nguyen For Congress campaign:
ANDOVER, MA — The Massachusetts Service Employees International Union State Council has voted to endorse state Representative Tram Nguyen, calling her the “clear choice” to represent the Sixth District in Congress.
The SEIU State Council brings together some of the most active and engaged labor organizations in the state: 1199SEIU, SEIU Local 509, SEIU Local 32BJ and the SEIU Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR). Last week, the Council enthusiastically voted to endorse Nguyen in the six-person Democratic primary for the 6th CD.
“The vote of support from the members of the SEIU State Council is incredibly gratifying and a game-changing moment for our people-powered campaign,” said Nguyen. “Supporting workers has been at the center of my life and work since my parents brought us from Vietnam with $100 to our name to work multiple jobs and scrape by in Lawrence public housing. I have always stood by the working people, always fought for them in the State House and will always fight for them in Congress.”
In endorsing Nguyen, the labor leaders called her the clear choice in the race and highlighted her experience in the Legislature, her work on behalf of working people and her priorities for working families and around affordability in this campaign.
“The 85,000 members of 1199SEIU are proud to endorse Tram Nguyen for Congress,” said Cari Medina, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU. “Tram’s record and background highlight her commitment to the issues healthcare workers face at work and in their communities. She is the fighter we need to take on the challenges impacting Massachusetts and our nation.”
“Tram Nguyen embodies the values and principles that guide the work we do at 32BJ. Not only has she fought for the working class, consistently, over the last eight years in the legislature, but she has centered her campaign on everyday people and addressing the affordability crisis that has hurt too many of our members and their families,” said Kevin Brown, Executive Vice President and District 615 State Director, 32BJ SEIU. “We are confident that she will continue to stand up for workers in front of Congress and deliver on an affordability agenda, a workers’ rights agenda, and above all, a labor agenda that serves us all.”
“Tram Nguyen has been a champion for SEIU Local 509 in the state legislature, helping to lead the charge for family child care funding to improve the lives of working families and standing with fellow union members,” said Dave Foley, President of SEIU Local 509. “We’re thrilled to support her campaign for Congress, and we know that she’ll be an excellent advocate for Massachusetts communities.”
“We are proud to stand with Tram because she is undaunted by the task ahead,” said Dr. Jamie Ye, Regional Vice President, New England Committee of Interns and Residents. “She has long been committed to the vision of Medicare for All, and we know she will continue to be a fierce advocate for universal healthcare once in Congress. Throughout her career, she has been a committed ally for healthcare workers, and we know she will fight for safety, dignity, and fair contracts for all of us as the next Congresswoman from Massachusetts’ 6th District.”
The SEIU State Council is only the latest endorsement of Nguyen’s surging campaign, a growing list led by strong support from her colleagues in the Legislature, from city and town leaders, and from other labor organizations throughout the district and state. Her labor endorsements include United Auto Worker International (UAW), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 1505, IBEW 2321, IBEW 2325, Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589, and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 328, 791, 1445, and 1459, all four UFCW locals in Massachusetts.
ABOUT 1199SEIU: Representing over 80,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the most politically active union in the Commonwealth. 1199SEIU caregivers have won higher job standards for healthcare workers in hospitals, health centers, nursing homes and in homecare, including a pathway to $25/hr for personal care attendants.
ABOUT SEIU 509: SEIU 509 represents over 23,000 human service workers and educators throughout Massachusetts. Our members provide critical social services to elders, children, and individuals with mental health needs or developmental disabilities, as well as educational services in both public and private sectors. From mental health clinicians and social workers to early childhood educators and university lecturers, SEIU 509 members are committed to improving living standards for working families and ensuring the quality and affordability of the services we provide.
ABOUT SEIU 32BJ: With 190,000 members in 12 states and Washington D.C., including 20,000 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 32BJ is the largest building service workers’ union in the country.
ABOUT SEIU CIR: The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) represents over 40,000 resident physicians and fellows across the country, including over 5,000 in Massachusetts. CIR members are dedicated to improving medical residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for the communities they serve.
ABOUT TRAM T. NGUYEN: State Representative Tram Nguyen has overcome tough challenges her entire life. At just five years old, Tram came to the United States as a refugee after her family fled Vietnam’s authoritarian regime with only $100, a few suitcases, and a dream. She has always been a fighter, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college, and as an attorney with the Greater Boston Legal Services standing up for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, veterans, immigrants, low-wage workers, and people with disabilities. In that role, Tram became a member of UAW Local 2320. In 2018, Tram took on a deeply entrenched Republican incumbent and won by ten points, making history as the first Vietnamese American woman elected to public office in Massachusetts. Since then, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a bold champion for climate action, affordable housing, workers’ rights, and economic opportunity for all.
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