CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Service Employees International Union District 1199, representing nearly 30,000 members, today endorses Ward 10 Councilman Jeff Johnson to be the next Mayor of the City of Cleveland. 

“Councilman Johnson has demonstrated a real commitment to the people of Cleveland, standing up to corporate and political opponents to lift up the voices of people throughout the city,” said Becky Williams, President of SEIU District 1199. “The failed leadership of Frank Jackson has left too many people without good jobs, safe neighborhoods and struggling to survive in the most impoverished city in the nation.”

“With Frank Jackson as Mayor, Cleveland now has the highest homicide rate in 10 years, he has risked millions of taxpayer dollars by closing public square to bus traffic, willfully denied nearly 40,000 Cleveland residents their right to vote on a citizen initiative for higher wages, and spends money in downtown that would be better served in our neighborhoods,” continued Williams. “Jeff Johnson’s vision for Cleveland will mean less working people having to struggle to provide for their families and will solve the challenges that face our community head on.”

In addition to the endorsement for Johnson, SEIU District 1199 has launched a grassroots ‘justice team’ that will work independently of the Johnson campaign to activate, communicate and educate Cleveland voters about the real issues facing working people in the upcoming election with a focus on voter registration and empowerment.