As part of SEIU’s nationwide “Walk a Day in My Shoes” program to ensure that candidates running for political office experience firsthand what life is like for working people in America, U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken on Oct. 23rd walked a day in the shoes of SEIU member and nursing home worker Ulysses Bridges in Minnesota.
Franken’s time with Bridges began with an early morning breakfast and continued with rounds at the nursing home in Robbinsdale where Bridges works.
About Bridges:
He’s a member of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. He’s been a Certified Nurse Assistant for nearly 13 years. He recently moved from another nursing home to his current workplace, Robbinsdale Rehabilitation and Care Center, because of concerns about inadequate staffing and excessive work loads. He enjoys working at Robbinsdale because he has more opportunity to spend time with residents. Service to the elderly is a family vocation for Bridges. He was recruited into long term care work by his brother and is married to a long term care worker. He and his wife are the parents of three children, and they have three grandchildren. In his spare time, Bridges maintains a rental housing property he owns in Minneapolis.
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- SEIU’s video on YouTube
- Bridges’ reaction to the day
- Press release
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune blogger coverage
Ulysses Bridges: “It means a lot not just to me, but to my patients too, that a candidate for the U.S. Senate chose to work an entire shift with me. Now that he’s spent time on the job caring for residents, I hope Al Franken has a better understanding of what it’s like for workers like me.
“At my nursing home, workers united on the job to make a difference for our residents by setting standards for safe staffing. I made sure Al Franken knew that most healthcare workers don’t have a voice on the job and because of that patient care has taken a hit. Healthcare has to be a top priority for everyone running for political office.”
TELL CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR POLITICAL OFFICE WHAT LIFE IS LIKE IN YOUR SHOES »
Candidates for Political Office Invited to Walk A Day in a Member’s Shoes
Franken is the first Senate candidate to walk a day in the shoes of an SEIU member. SEIU members across the country have begun inviting candidates for political office – from Mayor to Governor – to learn what it’s like to work and raise a family in America.
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