Information Density: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

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We are the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union of about 2 million diverse members in healthcare, the public sector and property services who believe in and fight for our Vision for a Just Society: where all workers are valued and all people respected—no matter where we come from or what color we are; where all families and communities can thrive; and where we leave a better and more equitable world for generations to come.

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Latest Updates

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#Juneteenth

Share about the legacy worth fighting for

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Latest Updates

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100,000 rideshare drivers across Illinois won the right to form a union!

Share the news on the Rideshare Drivers’ Union Bill

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Latest Updates

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We Celebrate with Pride!

AMPLIFY! LOUD AND PROUD!

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Latest Updates

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App Drivers Union: the largest private sector workforce to win union recognition since 1941!

Check out MA drivers showing the country what’s possible!

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Latest Updates

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5,000+ Penn State faculty members who just WON their union!

Shout Out On Instagram

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Latest Updates

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Minimum Wage IS PATHETIC in every State

Take A Look

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Local Union Locator
Find your SEIU Local to get connected, learn how workers are organizing near you, or access your workplace bargaining agreement.

Local Union Locator

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Press
SEIU unites 2 million diverse members fighting for dignity, safety, and respect at work and in our communities. Our press team provides statements, releases, and resources on the issues shaping workers’ lives and our collective fight for justice.

Press

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Union Difference
Together we are winning higher pay, better benefits, job security, and a retirement we can count on.

Union Difference

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Champions Don’t Fly ICE Air

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Hands Off Our Vote!

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Somali caregivers didn’t ask to be targets. They asked to care for kids, and now they’re being treated like suspects in their own neighborhoods.

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Valuing Care Work: Caring for Caregivers Through Respect & Understanding

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Member Stories
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[IMG: Jordan Sillito]

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Jordan Sillito, Paraeducator,
We figured out that everyone had been cheated out of training pay. Because we stuck together in our union, we won back pay – going back three years.

Continue Reading

[IMG: Demetrus Dugar]

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Demetrus Dugar, Security Officer,
We set a new benchmark nationwide, winning a $15.65 minimum wage, good healthcare, and up to 4 weeks of vacation.

Continue Reading

[IMG: Tami O’Marro]

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Tami O’Marro, RN, BSN,
As nurses we are caretakers for our patients, but we also have to be able to care for ourselves and our families. Having a union allows us to do both.

Continue Reading

Read More Stories

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In The News

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UCLA doctors and nurses rallied to bring attention to overcrowding conditions and more

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UK campus workers, labor unions hold on-campus rally against job outsourcing

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Rain, sleet and low pay: Charlotte Douglas airport workers say they’ve had enough

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Who We Are

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Every day, the 2 million members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) save lives, care for the sick, help seniors and people with disabilities live independently, educate children, and keep our communities clean, safe, and healthy. We work in a wide variety of settings including hospitals and nursing homes, public schools, universities, airports, libraries, law enforcement, and commercial office buildings, just to name a few.

SEIU 2024 Constitution and Bylaws

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Resources for immigrant workers and their families

READ

SEIU Member Benefits: An exclusive program for SEIU members.

READ

The complete stewards manual

READ

All about retirement security.

READ

Learn about workplace safety and health sites.

READ

SEIU Online Store: Quality Apparel and Products to Display Our Union Pride.

VISIT STORE

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Being a Union Member Makes a Big Difference

Dive Deeper

Together we are winning higher pay, better benefits, job security, and a retirement we can count on. As union members, we have a say in the important decisions that affect our jobs and because we have a voice, we do significantly better than people who aren’t part of a union. Because we are united in a union, we can negotiate with our employers for better pay, health benefits, paid time off, retirement security, job security, and many other critical issues. The result is that we make significant improvements in our overall compensation and working conditions and these gains are protected by the union contract we have with our employer. Without a union, the employer makes all these decisions without any input from the people getting the work done on the frontlines. So it’s no wonder that workers without a union earn less and have fewer benefits than those of us who are union members.

Dive Deeper

[H4] A few examples
Here are just a few examples of how SEIU members have changed their families’ lives by sticking together:

Adjunct faculty at Fordham University won incredible raises – between 67-90% – in their first union contract and adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago won 51% raises in their first contract.

Caregivers in WA state won an increase to their retirement fund, the first of its kind in the nation for people who provide in-home care. In San Francisco, home care providers won wages of $18.75 per hour, which set a new standard for people in the profession.

Chicago window washers won $26 in their recent union contract and doubled their life insurance, an important win for the very dangerous work they do.

Healthcare providers in hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices at Dignity Health in California won 13% raises, fully-paid healthcare, bonuses, fully-paid retirement, and a training fund for frontline workers.

SEIU member nurses who work at county facilities in Los Angeles won raises plus better patient-to-staff ratios so they can do their best for the people in their care.

SEIU members who work in New York and New Jersey airports as cleaners, baggage handlers, and security officers won $19 an hour–the highest minimum wage in the country.

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[IMG: Jordan Sillito]

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Jordan Sillito, Paraeducator,
We figured out that everyone had been cheated out of training pay. Because we stuck together in our union, we won back pay – going back three years.

Continue Reading

[IMG: Demetrus Dugar]

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Demetrus Dugar, Security Officer,
We set a new benchmark nationwide, winning a $15.65 minimum wage, good healthcare, and up to 4 weeks of vacation.

Continue Reading

[IMG: Tami O’Marro]

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Tami O’Marro, RN, BSN,
As nurses we are caretakers for our patients, but we also have to be able to care for ourselves and our families. Having a union allows us to do both.

Continue Reading

Read More Stories

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People Working with Disabilities (PWD) Caucus

PWD Caucus is a union-wide community of SEIU members with disabilities, allies, and caregivers united in the fight for workplace accessibility, inclusion, and equity. We work to ensure that disabled workers are fully represented at every level of the labor movement—from contract negotiations to leadership development—while challenging the systems of ableism that still persist in many workplaces.

Learn More

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Latino Caucus

The Latino Caucus’s goal is to organize, educate and develop the Latino people in order to achieve power, respect and social justice for the working class. El objetivo del Caucus Latino es organizer, educar y desarollar al pueblo Latino para lograr poder, respeto y justicia social para la clase trabajadora.

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SEIU Rise

The vision of RISE is to build the next generation of labor leaders. We are a comprehensive A-Z leadership development program for members ages 18-35.

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African American Caucus

The National African American Caucus is committed to enhancing opportunities for education, training mentorship, leadership development and networking for SEIU members and staff of African descent.

Learn More

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Asian-Pacific Islander Caucus

The SEIU Asian Pacific Islander Caucus aims to collaborate with community organizations to address social, economic, housing, working conditions, climate, health and other issues of concern to the API community. We also aim to identify and develop community activists and leaders within the labor movement and in the community.

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Lavender Caucus

The Lavender Caucus’ purpose is to facilitate open and respectful communication between the LGBTQ community and the labor movement.

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Retiree Council

SEIU retirees volunteer helping SEIU organize new worksites, electoral campaigns, to fight for healthcare reform and other issues important to working families.

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[H2] About Us

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We are the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), an organization of 2 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide — and dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society.

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1921:
Workers Form the Building Service Employees Union
When the Building Service Employees Union (BSEIU) first formed in Chicago in 1921, it was far ahead of its time. Unlike most unions of its day, BSEIU was integrated. In fact, Black, immigrant and women members already held leadership roles. As William Quesse, the union’s first president and son of German immigrants said, “we are composed of all creeds, colors and nationalities, and do not allow anyone to use prejudice in the organization against each other.”

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1934:
New York Building Workers Strike & Win Their Union
Building service workers formed 32-B in April of 1934 and went on strike in November. Manhattan’s skyscrapers were largely inaccessible without elevator operators, but even by the standards of the Great Depression, building service workers’ wages were low and they were treated poorly.  Building workers in around 400 buildings in midtown Manhattan’s garment district went on strike and won union rights.

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1941:
Healthcare Workers Join BSEIU and Win Ground-Breaking Contract
Inspired by the 1934 general strike in San Francisco, healthcare workers organized their hospital. They then joined BSEIU and won a groundbreaking first contract with the San Francisco Hospital Conference, covering 11 hospitals. This laid the groundwork for present-day SEIU to eventually become the country’s largest healthcare union.

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1953:
Public Workers Join BSEIU
Elinor Marshall Glenn, the first woman to become General Manager at SEIU Local 434, helped organize thousands of public hospital workers in LA County.

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1961:
BSEIU Fights for Civil Rights
BSEIU President David Sullivan established a Civil Rights Committee and created an action plan to support the fight against segregation and racism. In 1963 President Sullivan, and many other BSEIU members, attended the March on Washington.

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1968:
BSEIU Officially Becomes SEIU

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1975:
Working Women’s Movement 9 to 5 Joins with SEIU
In 1972, women office workers banded together to form 9to5, National Association of Working Women. After three years, their founders realized they needed a way to hold their bosses accountable. They joined SEIU and formed Local 925 in Boston. The movement inspired the box office success comedy, 9 to 5, starring Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.

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1980’s:
Home Care Workers Win Their Union
SEIU began organizing home care workers in the early 1980s. SEIU currently represents over 740,000 home care workers across the country, including over 100,000 in CA alone.

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1984:
As Healthcare Members Fight HIV/AIDS Crisis, Union Advocates for LGBT Members
Considered radical at the time, as SEIU healthcare members cared for HIV/AIDS patients, the union worked to raise awareness and spread information about the need for compassionate care. SEIU also advocated for its LGBT members, adopting a resolution supporting benefits for LGBT members and their families. The documentary, 5B features SEIU member Mary Magee.

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1990:
Janitors Rise Up for Justice
In the 1980s, janitor wages stagnated and workers were losing their benefits. Janitors working in Los Angeles began to organize. On June 15, 1990, members of the janitor’s union in Los Angeles launched a strike & peaceful protest to win much needed workplace improvements. The janitors—predominantly underpaid immigrant women & men—were up against a powerful business community & multinational corporations. On that day, janitors, their families and supporters marched through the high-rise buildings of Century City, where they were met with aggressive force at the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department. News cameras captured baton-wielding police officers striking custodians—including men and women lying face-down on the ground. Janitors were injured. Some very badly. More than 60 would end up in hospital rooms. Two of the hospitalized were pregnant women - one who would miscarry.

This event sparked the Justice for Janitors movement that spread across the country. Since the movement began in 1990, more than 160,000 janitors have won their union and their determination inspired the film Bread and Roses.

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1992:
SEIU reaches one million members.

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1999:
Airport Workers in Los Angeles Unite, Leading to Nationwide Campaign
Airport workers, including baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants and cabin cleaners, first united and won their union at Los Angeles International Airport. Contracted airport workers, who are primarily immigrants and people of color, joined together across differences to confront corporate power and have since won higher wages and other benefits for more than 155,000 airport workers at 23 airports across the country. They continue to be part of the fight for $15 and a union.

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2000:
First Security Officers Win Their Union with SEIU
Security officers united across the industry — from hospitals, schools, parks, transportation hubs, businesses, libraries and government institutions — to raise work standards. Today, SEIU is the nation’s largest Security Officers union, with 70,000 union officers in cities like Philadelphia, New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and more.

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2005:
Childcare Workers Win a Union & Launch a National Campaign
After a decade of organizing for the right to collectively bargain, 49,000 family child care providers in Illinois win their union election and begin bargaining a ground-breaking contract that will increase their pay by as much as 35%, provide access to health care for the first time, and improve the quality of care for the children they serve.  This ushers in a wave of child care organizing across the country, improving the lives of tens of thousands more child care workers and bringing them into the movement for a better child care system for all working families.

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2010:
First Woman Elected to Lead SEIU
In 2010, Mary Kay Henry became the first woman elected to the office of International President of SEIU). Under her leadership, SEIU members have won major victories to improve the jobs of healthcare, property services and public sector workers across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Henry’s decision to back the courageous fast-food workers and other service and care workers in the historic "Fight for $15 and a Union" movement has helped 24 million working Americans win wage increases.

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2012:
Fast Food Workers Help Ignite Low-Wage Worker Movement
200 fast-food workers went on strike in New York, helping to ignite a conversation on low wages, inequality, race and corporate power in America. Soon thereafter, the movement adopted the name “Fight for $15 and a Union.” Their movement has pushed more than two dozen cities and counties and more than half a dozen states to move toward a $15 minimum wage and many more to increase wages. The group continues to demand accountability for low wages and poor working conditions from employers throughout the industry, most notably McDonalds.

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2013:
Higher Education Workers Begin to Organize
Despite years of education and doing much of the same work as their tenured counterparts, adjunct professors in Boston, as the rest of the country, faced precarious working conditions, no benefits and low pay. They began to organize their unions at schools across the city. The movement spread across the country, to graduate workers, non-tenure track and professional staff, with workers at more than 70 campuses nationwide winning their union and improving working conditions.

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2020:
SEIU Members Led on Covid Front Lines
Amid early COVID-19 devastation, brave SEIU members such as healthcare providers risked their lives working long hours on the front lines. Additionally, members found the energy to lead demands to protect workers with safety standards such as regular and no-cost testing, proper personal protective equipment (PPE), paid sick days, and double-time hazard pay.

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2021:
We Celebrated 100 Years!
On April 23, 2021, SEIU members and allies celebrated 100 years of SEIU. On that date in 1921, janitors, elevator operators, and window washers formed what was then called the Building Service Employees International Union.

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2021:
Starbucks Workers Ignited a Movement
In August 2021, baristas from Starbucks stores in Buffalo, NY banded together to advocate for a voice on the job and real, material changes for their workplace. Baristas filed petitions to unionize and successfully started Starbucks Workers United (SBWU).

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2024:
Gig Drivers Won Historic Organizing Victory
In November 2024, workers in the exploitative rideshare industry won a groundbreaking right-to-unionize victory with a successful Massachusetts ballot initiative, the first of its kind.

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2024:
Southern Workers Ramped Up Organizing Efforts
In September 2024, as part of the transformative 10-year plan, SEIU committed $50 million to continue building worker power across the South, taking the innovative organizing efforts of the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW), which launched in 2022, to a bold new level.

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2024:
CA Fast Food Workers Won Historic Minimum Wage
On April 1, 2024, the minimum wage for over half a million fast food workers in California rose to $20/hour, the highest minimum wage in our nation to date.

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2024:
Members Elected First Black Woman SEIU President
In 2024, April Verrett became the first Black woman elected to SEIU's office of International President. President Verrett immediately unveiled her 10-year plan to grow the union by 1 million members by winning groundbreaking sectoral organizing victories that → Raise standards for workers across industries and → Lift those who've historically been excluded due to racist and sexist laws. Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Verrett was raised by her grandmother, a Union Steward for SEIU Local 46.

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April
Verrett, President

Biography and Photos

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Rocío
Sáenz, Secretary-Treasurer

Biography and Photos

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Neal
Bisno, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

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Joseph
Bryant, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

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Heather
Conroy, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

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Leslie
Frane, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

[H4] General Phone Numbers

General Inquiries

202-730-7000

Toll-Free

800-424-8592

Member Concerns & Complaints

202-730-7684

Media Inquiries

202-730-7162

SEIU pension questions for SEIU Benefit Funds

800-458-1010

[H4] Department Phone Numbers

NIPF and Affiliates Pension

800-458-1010

Ethics Office

202-730-7184

Finance

202-730-7160

Political Action

202-730-7112

Communications

202-730-7162

To contact health and pension funds, please visit https://www.seiufunds.org

[H2] Connect

To connect with us for general inquiries, fill out this form.

For media inquiries or to arrange interviews with workers and/or SEIU spokespersons, please contact SEIU’s Media Department at 202-730-7162.

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About Us

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SEIU unites 2 million diverse members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. SEIU members working in the healthcare industry, public sector and property services believe in the power of joining together on the job to win higher wages and benefits and to create better communities while fighting for a more just society and an economy that works for all of us, not just corporations and the wealthy.

June 10, 2026

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Working people respond to Reconciliation 2.0 Bill

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May 14, 2026

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SEIU’s Verrett, Thomas, and Contreras: Governor Spanberger has betrayed her promise to Virginia’s workers

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May 8, 2026

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Statement from SEIU International President April Verrett on the Passing of George Gresham

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April 29, 2026

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SEIU President April Verrett Condemns Supreme Court Decision Gutting the Voting Rights Act of 1965

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April
Verrett,

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President

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April, Verrett, President

Biography and Photos

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Rocío
Sáenz,

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Secretary-Treasurer

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Rocío, Sáenz, Secretary-Treasurer

Biography and Photos

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Neal
Bisno,

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Executive Vice President

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Neal, Bisno, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

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Joseph
Bryant,

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Executive Vice President

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Joseph, Bryant, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

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Heather
Conroy,

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Executive Vice President

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Heather, Conroy, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

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Leslie
Frane,

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Executive Vice President

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Leslie, Frane, Executive Vice President

Biography and Photos

[H2] Connect

For media inquiries or to arrange interviews with workers and/or SEIU spokespersons, please contact SEIU’s Media Department at 202-730-7162 or use the form.