Let's Re-Balance Our Democracy huffingtonpost.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-stern/lets-rebalance-our-demo_b_32204.html

Let's Re-Balance Our Democracy (9 comments )
READ MORE: Jack Abramoff

Spent lots of time this week breezing down the West Coast and talking to SEIU members in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. I saw firsthand their enormous participation in this year's election - our union's greatest mid-term effort ever.

In our union we have adopted a more independent view of politics. SEIU members too often don't like their choices; they don't feel they have candidates to vote for who understand how hard it is when seven of 10 middle-class Americans say they are living paycheck-to-paycheck, have negative savings, and are one illness away from economic disaster.

I talked with some state employees who just negotiated a contract, but like too many Americans their raises are offset to some extent by ever-increasing health care costs.

I write in my book, A Country That Works, that too often I am confused about whether I am I a union leader or ATM machine, because of the calls I receive from politicians who say, "I need your help" (translation "money"), and rarely, "I need your ideas."

And politicians have to be accountable to the working families that put them office. They can't be after our votes the day before the election and after our throats the day after.

Electing candidates who care about working people is so important to the well-being of SEIU members, but we need to change the system so everyday Americans have a fighting chance.

FULL stroy at link above.