There’s less than a week to go until Election Day on November 5th, and New Jersey 1199SEIU members are in the home stretch of what has been a remarkable election season. With a fellow 1199er on the ballot—the union’s Executive Vice President Milly Silva— members see this election as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their union pride while making a real impact in the lives of New Jersey’s working families.

For the past several weeks, 1199SEIU members have volunteered to become “Weekend Warriors,” devoting their days off to educate their neighbors about the importance of voting for Barbara Buono for Governor and Milly Silva for Lt. Governor. Since late September, 1199 volunteers have made over 30,000 phone calls and door knocks to registered voters in cities and towns across the state.

Jamir Gaston, a dietician at Bristol Manor Health Care Center in Rochelle Park, NJ, says that education is the issue that motivated him to get active. “Every kid should have a good school to go to,” he says. “We can’t keep taking money away from public schools and expect them to get better. Senator Buono and Milly understand that.”

Raising the minimum wage is another critical issue that has been on the minds of 1199SEIU members. New Jersey currently has the lowest minimum wage allowed by federal law—just $7.25 an hour—and last year Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have raised it by a dollar and tied it to yearly cost of living increases. On Election Day , voters have the chance to override Gov. Christie’s decision by voting yes on Ballot Question 2, raising the minimum wage to $8.25 on January 1.

“For the past 5 years, my mother has been working at McDonalds,” said Gillian Dookie, a certified nursing assistant at the Wanaque Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation is Haskell, NJ. “Earning minimum wage, she tries to support herself financially while also sending money to her children living in Jamaica, but it’s really hard for her. We need leaders who understand that all working people should have a dignified wage.”

1199SEIU members are now preparing for a final push to get the word out for the Buono-Silva ticket during the last days before November 5th. On the day of the election, hundreds of 1199ers have pledged volunteer before or after their work to get out the vote in their neighborhoods and make sure the voices of New Jersey’s working families are heard.