Service Employees International Union
This union represents 2.1 million workers in the health care, public services and property services industries.

What They Want
The SEIU has five priorities for health care reform legislation: affordability, inclusion of a public option, employer responsibility, investment in health care workforce training and investment in long-term patient care.

The union's demand for a public option puts it at odds with other influential groups involved in health care discussions, like the Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business and America's Health Insurance Plans, that are vehemently opposed to it.

A public option "is the only way we're going to have true competition," SEIU spokeswoman Lori Lodes said. "It's the only way we can drive down costs."

As the representative for workers, the SEIU is also on the other side of the table from business groups on the employer mandate. The union says employers should either have to provide coverage or pay into a fund, though small businesses should receive tax credits or be exempt.

Deal Breakers
The SEIU has not taken a stance against any particular measures, though the union will continue to evaluate proposed legislation, Lodes said.

How Much They've Spent
The SEIU spent $1.4 million on all lobbying activities in the first half of 2009, according to lobbying disclosure forms. Lobbying expenses are not broken down by activity, and the SEIU has lobbied for non-health care related issues this year. The union spent about $960,000 on all lobbying activities in the first half of 2008.

During the 2010 election cycle, the SEIU's PAC has donated $446,100 to federal candidates and committees, compared to about $2.9 million during the 2008 election cycle, according to Federal Elections Commission records. In both election cycles, nearly all donations -- 100 percent this year and 94 percent in the 2008 cycle -- to candidates went to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The union has not spent money by itself to run advertising related to health care reform, but the SEIU's name has been attached to several ads running through coalitions, including Americans for Stable Quality Care and Health Care for America Now.

The SEIU reported about $233 million in total revenue for 2007, according to IRS forms.

Key Players
Andy Stern, president, Dennis Rivera, health care chair, and Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer, have been the public faces of SEIU during health care discussions.

They have met with members of Congress and administration officials to express the union's priorities for health care reform.

"By bringing together Democrats, Republicans, insurance companies, labor, doctors, employers, business leaders and patient advocates, President Obama is getting the best ideas on how to make real reform happen from those who work on the front lines of this issue every day," Rivera said in a statement after attending the White House health care reform summit in March.

Stern, Burger and Rivera are not registered lobbyists. The union has 26 registered lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The union's biggest emphasis has been on its grassroots presence. The SEIU currently has 400 organizers and staff members working on reform campaigns in 14 states. They are encouraging members to speak up on issues like the public option by attending town halls and contacting their representatives.

Lawmakers have taken note of the importance of union members' voices. SEIU members have joined legislators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sens. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., at multiple press conferences promoting reform legislation on Capitol Hill this summer.

Links
SEIU Health Care Page
SEIU Local Health Care Events