FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 8th, 2016

Media contact: Elizabeth Fernandez, elizabeth.fernandez@seiufl.org, 954-652-9897

Miami, FL — In response to President-Elect Donald Trump’s attacks on United Steelworkers President Chuck Jones, which has led to threats directed at him and his family, SEIU Florida has released the following statements:

Monica Russo, SEIU Florida president and executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers, said:

“Donald Trump’s vicious attacks on United Steelworkers Local 1999 President Chuck Jones are a direct threat to our freedom. For the President-Elect of the United States to attack a good man for simply telling the truth is sickening and completely anti-American. The Carrier deal is a smokescreen that won’t save the jobs Trump has promised. Chuck Jones is right. Trump did not deliver for Carrier workers and he’s not going to deliver for working people. This is a clear indication of the kind of President he’s going to be and the perfect example of how Trump isn’t going to strengthen the middle class – he’s going to eliminate it. He’s made his intentions clear by picking a fast food executive as Labor Secretary who lines his pockets while leading a company that pays poverty wages.”

Hector Figueroa, president of 32BJ SEIU, said:

“The attacks on Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999, must stop immediately. Jones was doing his job defending working men and women and the families that depend on them by speaking out and telling the truth about the deal with Carrier brokered by Donald Trump. To attack Jones and his family is not only beyond the pale but anti-worker and un-American. To speak the truth is a freedom generations of Americans died for, and more than worth defending today and forever. We call on those who cherish that freedom, including those in positions of influence, to join us in standing with Chuck Jones, loudly and publicly.”

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SEIU Florida represents over 55,000 active and retired healthcare professionals, public employees and property service workers in the state of Florida. SEIU members provide vital public services in Florida’s hospitals, nursing homes, public schools, community colleges, municipal and county governments, malls, and universities. With over 2.1 million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America.