SILVER SPRING, MD  — Maryland gubernatorial candidate and former Maryland and U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez today announced that he received the support of the 1199SEIU  United Healthcare Workers East Maryland/DC Division, which represents over 10,000 members who work in major academic medical centers, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community-based organizations in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

“As former U.S. Labor Secretary for President Obama and Labor Secretary for the state of Maryland, Tom Perez has a track record of fighting to protect workers and their families,” said Lisa Brown, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU, the largest healthcare union in the Baltimore region and nationally. “We know Tom Perez and Shannon Sneed will continue to make decisions that will ensure Maryland’s workers thrive for years to come. We are proud to endorse Tom Perez and Shannon Sneed to be Maryland’s next governor and lieutenant governor.”

With over 450,000 caregivers, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in the nation. 1199SEIU is a leader on social justice issues in Maryland, moving successful campaigns to raise the minimum wage, create marriage equality and expand rights for new Americans.

“When unions succeed, Maryland succeeds and as governor, I’ll always ensure that workers have a seat at the table as we work together to create a Maryland where no one working a full-time job lives in poverty, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, where families can access high-quality health care, and where workers are able to organize and collectively bargain,” Tom Perez said. “I’ve fought for working families at every level of government and I’m honored to have the support of 1199SEIU in our campaign to bring jobs, justice, and opportunity to every community across Maryland.”

1199SEIU is the latest labor organization to endorse the Perez-Sneed ticket, joining the vast majority of unions, including 32BJ SEIU and SEIU Local 500 as well as the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO, the state’s largest federation of unions which represents over 700 union locals, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT-Maryland), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), American Federation of Teachers (AFT-MD), Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Communications Workers of America (CWA), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, United Association and more.

Throughout his career in public service, Tom Perez has developed significant experience taking on big fights and winning for working families. As Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, he implemented the nation’s first statewide living wage law, fought corporate wage theft, and rebuilt the agency to protect homeowners across the state facing foreclosure and fraud, making the state a national bellwether for accountability early in the housing crisis.

During his tenure as U.S. Labor Secretary in the Obama administration, Perez enforced laws protecting workers on the job, advocated for nationwide paid sick and family leave, and created more than 125,000 apprenticeship opportunities. Perez fought for fairer wages, spearheading efforts to protect workers’ retirement savings and to ensure overtime protections. He also helped resolve a massive six-week Verizon strike involving over 37,000 employees. They reached an agreement that included protections and benefits for Verizon’s retail workers.

In addition, the Perez-Sneed campaign has received support from major community groups, including CASA in Action and a rapidly growing coalition of  national, state, and local officials, including Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi; Former President of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards; State Senator Joanne C. Benson, Prince George’s County; State Senator Cory McCray, Baltimore City; State Senator Ben Kramer, Montgomery County; State Delegate Luke Clippinger, Baltimore City; State Delegate Bonnie Cullison, Montgomery County; Delegate Carl Jackson, Baltimore County; Delegate Mary Lehman, Prince George's County; Delegate Robbyn Lewis, Baltimore City;  Delegate Lesley Lopez, Montgomery County; Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr, Montgomery County; Delegate Shane Pendergrass, Howard County; Delegate Kirill Reznik, Montgomery County; Delegate Dana Stein, Baltimore County; Delegate Vaughn Stewart, Montgomery County; Delegate Veronica Turner, Prince George's County; Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner, Frederick County; Charles County Commissioner President Reuben Collins; College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn; Mount Rainier Mayor Celina Benitez; Baltimore City Councilmember Antonio Glover; Baltimore City Councilmember Kristerfer Burnett; Baltimore City Councilmember Ryan Dorsey; Baltimore City Councilmember Danielle McCray; Hyattsville Councilmember Rommel Sandino; Former State Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews; Former Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, and more.

To learn more about the Perez-Sneed campaign, please visit tomperez.com