SEIU Healthcare IL IN MO KS President Greg Kelley made the following statement in response to the announcement that President Joe Biden was stepping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in his stead (the SEIU International endorsement release can be found here):  

On behalf of the 90,000 care workers in our union, I want to express our deep appreciation of President Joe Biden—both for his unfailing commitment to working families over the years and for his grace and determination to serve the public good in what is a uniquely challenging time for him and for the country. 

We commend President Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. I am excited to add our union’s endorsement to that of the President and the possibility of electing someone who understands and appreciates the importance of care jobs, as Vice President Harris so clearly does, has already resonated throughout our union.

Vice President Harris has long championed issues of deep concern to those who provide hands on care in this country—a workforce that is disproportionately Black, brown, female, underpaid and underrepresented. Not only have our members’ voices been reflected in the policies of the Biden-Harris administration—from groundbreaking nursing home safe staffing measures to wage increases to address the home care workforce shortage—but our members have been welcomed to the White House in recent months to better share their concerns. 

As a woman of color who advocated for maternal health care as a Senator, and who has long been a passionate defender of reproductive rights, we know that Vice President Harris understands our challenges and has always had our backs. 

While former President Trump has repeatedly fostered division and hatred, exacerbating existing fault lines for personal gain, Vice President Harris has taken the time to walk in the shoes of care and service workers. She shares our understanding that we all do better, when we ALL do better. 

That’s why our members are ALL IN for Kamala Harris—the candidate who can beat Donald Trump and unite our nation to continue the advancements begun in the Biden-Harris administration. 

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