The local Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — think of security officers, maintenance workers, home health aids, and public school paraprofessionals — has made endorsements in the St. Paul City Council Ward 1 race. They’re backing Dai Thao… and Noel Nix.
Why pick two candidates for one seat? Ranked choice voting, for starters. On the November ballot, voters will be able to pick up to six candidates for the council seat, ranked in order of preference. So the state council of SEIU has issued its stated support in similar fashion, with Dai Thao picking up the major endorsement and Noel Nix getting a nod for second. They’re the first union in the race to toot that horn twice.
Says Javier Morillo-Alicea, President of SEIU Local 26, in a prepared statement: “We’re proud to be the first labor union to embrace rank-choice voting with a second-choice candidate and help educate our members about this process.”
They’re also backing Chris Coleman for a third mayoral term and the three DFL-backed school board candidates. (Meanwhile, in other endorsement news, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Nix.)
Read for yourself, here:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 30
Kate Brickman | 612-460-1219
SEIU Minnesota State Council Announces Endorsements for St. Paul Mayor, City Council, School Board
St. Paul, Minn. – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota State Council is excited to announce its endorsements for a number of races in St. Paul, including mayor, city council and school board. Following a member-driven screening process, SEIU has endorsed a number of candidates with long histories of advocating for the rights of working families, who will continue to pursue equality for all St. Paul families through both social and economic justice.
The following is the list of endorsements to date:
Mayor: Chris Coleman
Ward 1: Dai Thao
School Board: John Brodrick
School Board: Jean O’Connell
School Board: Chue Vue
“Under Mayor Chris Coleman’s leadership during the past eight years, our communities have been strengthened through strong schools and safe neighborhoods. He has made good-paying jobs for the average worker a priority and helped St. Paul build a thriving middle class. The people of St. Paul will continue to thrive with the re-election of Mayor Coleman,” said Javier Morillo-Alicea, President of SEIU Local 26 and long-time St. Paul resident.
“Among a range of candidates, Dai Thao has emerged as the clear choice for SEIU members in Ward 1. He is a champion of the values working families hold dear – diversity, equality, dignity and courage. Listening to Dai speak of his vision for Ward 1, I was awed and inspired. He is a born leader and someone who wants to bring the whole community together, to find strength through diversity, to pursue opportunities for our children. Dai has stood up for working families and the working poor for years through his work as an organizer, and he is exactly the partner Ward 1 needs in the City Council to realize progress for all of its people,” said Jigme Ugen, Executive Vice President of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota.
SEIU has also decided to endorse Noel Nix as its second-choice candidate for Ward 1.
“The voters of St. Paul made it clear they want a new system for electing their leaders,” said Morillo. “We wanted to respect the voters by ranking our choices when it made sense to do so. In St. Paul’s Ward 1 race, there are a range of candidates – some new faces and some familiar ones. While Dai Thao is the clear first choice for SEIU members, they see Noel Nix as a complimentary candidate who they’d like to give their stamp of approval to as their second choice. Both candidates are working to unify and empower this diverse ward. We’re proud to be the first labor union to embrace rank-choice voting with a second-choice candidate and help educate our members about this process.”
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Around 2,000 SEIU members live in St. Paul, cleaning and protecting some of Minneapolis’s largest commercial and public buildings, and working in hospitals, clinics and public schools. With approximately 30,000 members statewide, SEIU is Minnesota’s fourth largest and fastest-growing labor union. Our members are employed in a variety of occupations at facilities throughout the state, including:
· Hospital, clinic, and nursing home workers and in-home support (SEIU Healthcare MN)
· Paraprofessionals in Public School and early childhood education systems (SEIU Local 284)
· Commercial and public building maintenance employees, security officers and other employees (SEIU Local 26)
· Minneapolis Public School maintenance employees (SEIU Local 63)
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SEIU is the workers who provide care and support for your family in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and the Twin Cities’ largest public and private buildings. The SEIU Minnesota State Council coordinates the electoral, legislative and outreach work of the SEIU Locals in Minnesota to increase the effectiveness of their collective bargaining and new member organizing campaigns. By building the political involvement of approximately 30,000 SEIU members throughout the state, the State Council is working to improve the lives of all Minnesotans. The State Council’s board is comprised of elected leaders, members, and staff of the four SEIU Local Unions in Minnesota.