MN-02 Democrat Announces Two More Union Endorsements

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Steve Sarvi, DFL candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 2nd District, has today announced two more key endorsements: those of the Service Employees International Union Minnesota State Council and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49. Sarvi already enjoys the endorsements of Teamsters Joint Council 32, Teamsters Local 120, the UAW Minnesota State Community Action Program Council, two veterans’ organizations, and numerous elected officials and other individuals.

SEIU Minnesota State Council
SEIU includes more than 14,000 hospital, clinic and nursing home workers (SEIU Healthcare Minnesota), more than 8,000 bus drivers, food service workers and other public school service employees (Locals 284 and 63), and almost 6,000 property service workers (Local 26). SEIU is united with more than 28,000 members statewide and is a powerful voice for Minnesota’s working families.

“Steve Sarvi is a leader and a fighter. He showed these skills in the U.S. military in Kosovo and Iraq, and he’s shown them here at home as a mayor and city government official. Now he’s ready to lead and fight for us in Washington,” said Scott Anderson, member of SEIU Local 284 and Sarvi’s neighbor in Watertown for the past nine years. “In Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, we’ve had five long years without leadership on the issues working families care about. I look forward to helping get Steve elected, and I know my SEIU brothers and sisters do as well.”

IUOE Local 49
IUOE Local 49 was formed in 1927 and today comprises more than 13,000 men and women in Minnesota, North and South Dakota. Union members work for highway/heavy and building contractors, well drillers, equipment repair shops, welding shops, sand and gravel suppliers, counties, municipalities, hospitals, school districts, cemeteries, and more.

IUOE Local 49’s sole purpose is to advance the welfare of workers and working families. The union’s mission, as stated in its Constitution, is “to organize all persons working in the jurisdiction of this International Union without regard to race, creed, color, sex, religion, age, or national origin.”

Said Glen Johnson, business manager of IUOE Local 49: “From the very beginning, Steve Sarvi has impressed us with his knowledge of the issues, particularly his understanding of the crucial role safe, modern transportation infrastructure plays in our ability to compete in the 21st century. And Steve’s experience in local government means he appreciates how important it is for federal, state and local government to work together to get things done. In Minnesota’s 2nd District, there are bridges in notorious states of disrepair and projects that have been inexcusably delayed – and a Congressman who refuses to do anything about it. Minnesotans deserve better; someone who will be their advocate in Washington. Steve Sarvi will fight for Minnesota in Congress.”

Steve Sarvi
“These unions’ strength will be my campaign’s strength – and I’m so pleased to have them with me, working for victory,” Sarvi said in response to the two endorsements. “With the help of these men and women, we will succeed in November and bring greatly needed change to the 2nd District’s representation in Congress. I will work hard in Washington for the people who work so hard for their families here in Minnesota.”

Steve Sarvi is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard who served in both Kosovo and Iraq. He’s a former three-term mayor of Watertown, Minn., who has worked in local government for more than 13 years, currently serving as the administrator for the City of Victoria, Minn. For more about Sarvi and his vision for changing our country’s course, visit www.stevesarvi.org.

About the 2nd Congressional District
Trends in Minnesota’s 2nd District are favorable to Democratic candidates like Steve Sarvi. In 2006, Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) U.S. Senate candidate and now-U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar outperformed former Senator Mark Dayton’s 2000 election results by 10 points, winning every precinct in four of the district’s five largest cities and winning the district overall with 53.3 percent of the vote. The DFL Party has picked up 11 formerly Republican state legislative seats in the district since 2004, giving it a majority of the district’s seats.