Committee on Political Education (COPE)

COPE Donation

Recently, SEIU donated to two congressional re-election campaigns. These donations were made possible by the voluntary contributions SEIU members made to the Committee on Political Education (COPE), which is a fund to help elect pro-worker candidates.

» More on the COPE donations

The state budget deficit affects us all...
It affects us on the job. Thousands of good-paying public service jobs could be cut.

"In these challenging budget times the City of Chula Vista has already experienced $25 million in budget cuts. If the state starts taking money from cities, it could have a catastrophic impact on city employees and services."

-Richard Preuss, Chula Vista Police Department Employee

It affects our children. Teaching and support positions have already been cut and it is projected class sizes will increase.

"The state budget cuts are affecting my job because we are not able to replace positions once people are gone. This will affect all school employees because we will be taxed trying to do more with less, but we will try because we are dedicated."

-Doug Collins, Poway Unified School District Employee

It affects the services we rely on. The proposed cuts will limit services to the elderly, disabled and others in need.

" There are no new employees being hired to help with our workload. When we don't replace employees because of budget cuts, we become overworked and the services we provide begin to suffer."

-Laura Diaz, County of San Diego HSS Employee

COPE Dollars Fighting For You

We are fighting to save jobs and services!
The proposed state budget cuts will hit middle-income and lower-income working people and families the hardest. But, there is hope. SEIU Local 221 is fighting the proposed state budget cuts and working to ensure any cuts that are made are not at the expense of our members.

We are:

Lobbying our legislators both in Sacramento and locally:

Educating members;

Making our voices heard at council and board meetings;

Working to elect candidates that have a balanced approach to the budget crisis;

Helping our members identify wasteful spending at worksites;

Asking elected officials to "Walk a Day" in the shoes of members before they make job or service cuts;

Meeting regularly with elected officials to educate them on the budget crisis.

You can make a difference!
By donating to the Committee on Political Education (COPE) you help fund our effort to fight the proposed state budget cuts. COPE donations are voluntary and allow our voices to be heard by those who make the decisions about our jobs and our families.

Please consider giving to COPE today. For as little as a nickel an hour, you would be giving $4 every two weeks. To donate, download a COPE card and give it to your Worksite Organizer or Steward.

If you have any questions about COPE, please contact Jacob Regalado or Carlos Marquez at 858-560-0151.

"In the current budget, 22,000 inmates may be released. That's only going to make our jobs harder. I give to COPE to make sure our Legislators know how these cuts will affect us."

-Arnold Page, County of San Diego Probation Officer

"Giving to COPE allow us to influence the political system that affects our jobs."

-Omar Lopez, County of San Diego Child Protective Services

Why Give to COPE?

Our members believe in the value and necessity of the public sector. One that employs highly qualified individuals with dignified, reliable, living-wage jobs that provide essential services to the communities around us. By donating to the Committee On Political Education (COPE) fund, members are helping preserve public-sector jobs for themselves, their co-workers, and their families.

» Find out more

California is facing an $18 to $20 billion budget deficit.

For a perspective, please consider the following:

This amount is almost half of what the state spends on education every year;
This amount represents almost 20% of the entire General Fund;
We could not close a deficit of this size even if we let go of every state employee, closed every college, or closed every prison.

How did we get here?
The economy is bad, but that is not the only reason for the problem. With the real estate market, foreclosures, and all the other bad economic news, revenues are less than expected. But California would not be in trouble if legislators had faced our recurring budget problems with real, long-term solutions.

This problem has been years in the making. For years, politicians - and the public - have not faced the tough decisions about actually paying for the services and infrastructure we expect and demand. Instead we borrowed and shifted funds around, which allowed us to stay in denial for far too long. Instead of dealing with the problem in previous years, the legislature borrowed billions and shifted transportation and local government funds to pay for services. Our political leaders have done this year after year, causing the problem to balloon into today's crisis.

California cannot borrow any more money and we are now using the last of our deficit bonds.

Where do we go from here?
We need to demand that our legislators stand up for the things we depend on for a good quality of life and a better future:

Schools;
Healthcare;
Parks;
Higher Education;
Law Enforcement;
Taking responsibility for the elderly, people with disabilities, foster children and others who need help.

Ask your legislator…What is his or her plan to prevent these cuts that will hurt our communities?