The 170,000-plus members of the SEIU Illinois State Council endorsed Governor Pat Quinn for re-election, calling him the best candidate to take Illinois forward for working families.

Held at the headquarters of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, union members who serve communities as homecare, nursing, and hospital workers, as well as child care providers, janitors, security guards and public employees, among other vital services, said there is a clear distinction between the two candidates vying for the high office.

Workers applauded Quinn’s support to raise the minimum wage in contrast to his Republican Party opponent Bruce Rauner’s desire to push the Illinois minimum wage back to $7.25 an hour. They also said Quinn, a Democrat, has stood up for a fair tax system against the corporate tax dodgers who don’t pay their fair share and ship jobs out of state, leaving behind low-wage, poverty-level jobs.

Gov. Quinn’s commitment to working families is shown in his efforts to maintain access to quality healthcare in low income areas, as demonstrated through his work to save Roseland Hospital on the city’s south side and his support for the Affordable Care Act that makes healthcare more accessible to all.