Andy Stern Quotes
The most frequent visitor to President Obama at the White House, working on a “global organization”, “workers of the world unite”, persuasion….power
There are opportunities in America to share better in the wealth, to re-balance the power and unions and government are part of the solution. But we need big answers, not small ones. Workers of the world unite. It’s not just a slogan anymore. It’s the way we’re going to have to do our work. – Andy Stern, President of SEIU
The politics aren’t complicated. You know, people are making investments in politics, and they expect a return on their investments. There’s not ideology involved in corporations. They’re looking for return on their investment. – June 20, 2007
I’m totally involved in distorting the political system you know, with contributions. You know, that’s what we’ve become in America so we have to do that. – June 20, 2007
We are at a historic crossroads, we are at the historic crossroads I think economically in my lifetime in terms of what a new president is trying to do in a different way we are going to try to evaluate the economy. So all of a sudden we are witnessing new American economic plan led by the government not necessarily led by the private sector – Stern, April 2, 2009
We now have a new metric, you know, the President wants to judge the new economy whether it increases the number of people in the middle class, whether we have share prosperity, not just whether we have growth. Which is a fundamental different philosophy than we’ve seen in our country up to date. – Stern, April 2, 2009
And clearly the government has a great opportunity to distribute wealth through the EITC, through tax policies, through minimum wage, through living wages…the government has a role in distributing wealth through social benefits like Medicare, Medicaid and children’s health insurance. – April 2, 2009
From Stern’s statement entitled: “Working Women and Men Will Not Be Silenced by Right Wing Attack Dogs; We Will Win the Change America Needs” – September 18 2009
“This is a moment of profound change for this country–from kitchen tables to town halls to the floor of the Senate, this nation is engaged in a vigorous and heated debate about how we rebuild our economy, solve our national healthcare crisis and restore the American Dream.
As has always happened when progressive change is in the air, the backlash gets fierce, ugly and anti-American. This time is no different. Right now, there is an insidious and coordinated effort on the part of the extreme right to target individuals and grassroots community groups as a way to silence the voices of women and men who have suffered the most under 8 years of right wing policies.
These extremists will attempt to shut down and shout down anyone with a different point of view.
Let’s be clear who we are talking about–call them attack dogs, call them Teabaggers, call them Glenn Beck–these are the same folks who cheered the policies that crashed our economy. Who make up lies about death panels to try to kill healthcare reform. Who scream about democracy while denying workers a voice on the job. Who target anyone who poses a threat to a status quo that for too long has rewarded greedy CEOs while leaving people who work out in the cold.
This is not the America we believe in. Their lies, their stunts and their smears will not silence us. Glenn Beck, FOX News and their pals have demonstrated that they don’t care about what janitors, security officers, nurses, teachers, and other hardworking Americans go through each day trying to give their kids a better future. But make no mistake–these hardworking women and men will not be the next casualty of the cruel and cheap attempts of a loud and venomous minority to silence people who want to restore the American Dream.
We are going to make sure healthcare is affordable and accessible for every man, woman and child in this country. We are going to demand transparency and accountability in the financial industry. We are going to create a fair and just path to citizenship. We are going to make sure workers get a voice on the job. And we will protect our democracy by calling out those extremists who would silence the voices of women and men who work each day.”
Andy Stern’s Health Care “Pledge” at the 2008 SEIU Convention in Puerto Rico
