King of Beers Cutting Costs on the Backs of Workers

Nov 06, 2009 - Cleaners at Anheuser-Busch breweries in Newark and Rochester recently found themselves without jobs, despite years of loyal service to the "King of Beers." The brewing behemoth has brought in cleaning contractors who seem bent on cutting costs for the $23 billion dollar multinational on the backs of the working people who keep their plants running and profitable. Read more...

LA Security Officers Win Their Union

Oct 30, 2009 - After several months of organizing to demand livable wages, health insurance, training and better working conditions, 850 Securitas workers at Los Angeles County and other public facilities will be officially recognized as members of SEIU SOULA. Read more...

Turning the Big Apple into the Big Green Apple

Oct 11, 2009 - The energy consumption of our nation's large buildings is inextricably linked to the talent, training, and hard work of building operators. Teaching our building operators to maintain our large structures is the highest-impact way to address the climate crisis, at the lowest cost. The Urban Green Council (United States Green Building Council of New York) and SEIU Local 32BJ have released a report detailing the essential role that building workers play in improving energy efficiency and discuss how 32BJ's training initiative will help New York City's building superintendents go green. Read more...

In the Pursuit of Truth: Protecting the U.S. Census

Oct 09, 2009 - Yesterday, in yet another attempt to marginalize U.S. immigrants and inject hate into politics, Senator David Vitter (LA-R) introduced an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that would require questions in the 2010 census on immigration status. If passed, Vitter's amendment would throw a monkey wrench into the U.S. Census, making it completely unreliable as the one document that is supposed to paint an accurate picture of who we are as a nation. Read more...

San Francisco Residential Service Workers Ratify New Contract with Building Owners

Oct 08, 2009 - On Thursday, October 8, more than 300 residential service workers announced that they have ratified a new three-year union contract with the owners of more than 50 San Francisco residential buildings. The new contract maintains current benefits, decent wages, as well as ensuring wage increases for the residential workers. Read more...

Appreciation for the workers who help your children make healthy food choices

Oct 06, 2009 - Two new "trends" are helping to make over school lunches in many schools across the nation--nutritional awareness and the local foods movement. As a kid, you don't make meal choices yourself and unfortunately, not all adults care to prepare healthy snacks and lunches for their children, or have the means necessary to do so. Thankfully, there are men and women out there who are encouraging your children to make healthy foods choices at lunch time: food service workers. Read more...

Tell Congress: Get It Right on Child Nutrition!

Oct 02, 2009 - Click here... Read more...

Tell Congress: Get It Right on Child Nutrition!

Oct 02, 2009 - On September 30th, the Child Nutrition Act expired. The Congressional Committee on Education and Labor, which oversees the Act, had the opportunity to improve the lives of our children and those that feed them. But rather than pass a bill that would create a program that works far better, they simply decided to simply take a pass for the next few months. Read more...

Fun Video: Students Want Better Food

Sep 28, 2009 - When food comes to you wrapped in plastic, you just know it's going to be delicious, right? Students in San Francisco are begging to differ. Assisted by the SFUSD Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, these students have produced a short film about the state of school lunches and what's being served to them as "food." Read more...

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

Sep 28, 2009 - Read more...

How Poverty Jobs Are Created

Sep 23, 2009 - In this month's American Prospect, David Moberg writes an exposé on how government contracts are creating poverty-wage jobs. Through the story of New Jersey school cafeteria worker Ada Iglesias, Moberg personalized the connection between the federal dollars and a struggling family. Read more...

Washington Post Editorial: "School Lunch Punch"

Sep 21, 2009 - The Washington Post has published an excellent editorial piece on the Child Nutrition Act. In it, the newspaper's editorial board preaches the "wisdom of spending more money to provide healthier meals." Read more...

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

Sep 18, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

Sep 15, 2009 - In a few weeks, the Child Nutrition Act is set to expire. Now is the time to get the word out. Today, we're releasing a new video that explains the Child Nutrition Act and why it's important - in a retro style that you might remember from your own days at school. Read more...

Thanking John Sweeney for his years of service to workers

Sep 14, 2009 - Today, SEIU President Andy Stern thanked outgoing AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for his 50+ years of service to working families, and congratulated his successor, Richard Trumka. Read more...

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid?

Sep 10, 2009 - Each and every day, security officers go to work and put themselves on the frontline protecting the safety of others and the nation's key resources, and serve as first responders when needed. Yet despite their hard work to ensure the health and safety of others, they and their families might not be insured. Read more...

Scare Tactics? They Don't Faze Us.

Sep 10, 2009 - Click here.View imageView image... Read more...

Share your Labor Day photos and video

Sep 08, 2009 - One hundred and twenty-seven years after the first Labor Day parade, we still take a day to honor America's workers. Did you attend a Labor Day celebration, march or rally with SEIU members or any of our coalition partners? We want to know! Use this form to upload your photos, audio and video capturing your Labor Day experience. Read more...

Miami Beach Security Officer Loses His Job for Speaking Out About Forming a Union

Sep 01, 2009 - Security guards employed by Security Alliance in the Miami Beach area have been experiencing intimidation, scare tactics and harassment at the hands of their employer for exercising their rights to organize. And when one officer went on the record to express frustration over he and his coworkers' unsuccessful efforts to form a union in their workplace, his reward for having the courage to speak up was...losing his job. Read more...

Senator Kennedy Walked the Picket Line for Justice for Janitors

Aug 31, 2009 - In 2002, Senator Ted Kennedy walked the picket lines, held a press conference, and rallied public support for 10,000 Massachusetts janitors fighting for their first contract. His dedication and continued presence throughout the long negotiations helped some of Massachusetts hardest-working and most underpaid workers win a livable wage and access to healthcare----even for part-time janitors. Read more...

LA Times: "Congress May Bolster School Lunch Nutrition"

Aug 28, 2009 - First Lady Michelle Obama's White House garden, says the LA Times, is giving nutrition advocates "increased hope that Congress would bolster the school lunch program" when "it takes up renewing the Child Nutrition Act." Read more...

Leslie Williams, Food Service Worker

Aug 24, 2009 - Read more...

Support an Improved Child Nutrition Act

Aug 24, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...

"Back To School" Puts Focus on Healthy School Meals

Aug 24, 2009 - With young students and their parents fully in "Back To School" mode, local papers have started to swirl around the topic of school lunches and the Child Nutrition Act, which is set to expire at the end of September. Read more...

Economy Causing More Kids to Enroll in School Meal Plans

Aug 21, 2009 - Record job losses and high unemployment will "push thousands more children into poverty," many for the first time. The change could amount to a record number of children in the United States that will rely on free and reduced-price meals at school. Read more...

Grist Magazine: Let's (Re)do School Lunch

Aug 17, 2009 - Published today in Grist is a fantastic commentary by Kurt Michael Friese, a chef in Iowa City and a member of the board of directors for an organization called Slow Food USA. His article discusses how, in the last 50-75 years, we've moved from an "understanding of foods, of cooking, and of the pleasures of the kitchen" and replaced it with "the language of the drive-thru, the shopping mall, and the convenience store." Read more...

The Vanguard of an American Clean Energy Revolution

Aug 10, 2009 - The benefits of green buildings cannot be overstated--and one of the most cost-effective ways to "green" a building is to ensure that it has a knowledgeable and well-trained workforce. SEIU 32BJ's Training Fund has developed the first-ever Green Buildings Initiative to train building superintendents in the latest, state-of-the-art, best practices in energy efficiency. Read more...

Local Paper: "Lunch Ladies Go To D.C."

Aug 05, 2009 - The SouthtownStar, a local newspaper in Chicago, has an excellent article about our "lobby day" from a few weeks back, where we told our members of Congress that an improved Child Nutrition Act is needed to ensure that millions of children get the type of food that they need. Read more...

Childhood Obesity Rates Triple

Aug 04, 2009 - Childhood obesity rates in the United States have tripled,according to a new study by the Academic Pediatrics journal. Using data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Survey, researchers looked at 12,384 children aged from 2 to 19 years, and were able to conclude that found that 3.8 percent of the children within the sample meet the criteria for "severe obesity." Read more...

Meet Leslie Williams, a School Food Service Worker

Jul 28, 2009 - Leslie Williams, a school food service worker, has been at the job for 20 years. When she talks about her job, she lovingly refers to the children as "her babies." They rely on her to take care of them and cook them a wholesome meal during lunch. Sometimes, it's the only hot meal that they get that day. Read more...

First-ever national union contract for security officers

Jul 27, 2009 - On Saturday, 2,000 security officers who guard Kaiser Permanente facilities in five states ratified a three-year contract with security contractor Securitas that includes family healthcare and a 40-cent per hour wage increase each year of the contract. The victory by officers at Kaiser holds historic national significance--it is the first-ever national contract for private security officers. Read more...

SEIU Security Officers Who Protect Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Nationwide Vote Overwhelmingly to Ratify First-ever Union Contract

Jul 25, 2009 - Security officers with SEIU who protect Kaiser Permanente hospitals nationwide voted overwhelmingly today to ratify their first-ever union contract. The three year contract with private security company Securitas includes family healthcare and higher wages. Read more...

US Senator Gillibrand: Increase Reimbursement Rate for School Lunches

Jul 22, 2009 - Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is using her clout to back legislation to make school lunches healthier. Among her ideas is to increase the federal reimbursement rate for the National School Lunch Program, which currently stands at $2.68 for a free lunch. Read more...

Video: Janitors protesting Cisco Systems end hunger strike

Jul 17, 2009 - On June 9, dozens of janitors laid off from Cisco Systems in San Jose, CA ended a 7-day hunger fast protesting the company's corporate greed, unfair treatment and laying-off of 40 percent of its total janitorial workforce. Check out this new video SEIU United Service Workers West created documenting the breaking of the fast. Read more...

Recognize the important role food service workers play in your kids' health

Jul 16, 2009 - Yesterday, Service Workers United cafeteria workers from across the country went to Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress for stronger USDA Child Nutrition Programs. Watch Illinois food service worker Marlon Taylor discuss why he loves his job working with kids and why it's important to improve the Child Nutrition Act. Read more...

School Food Workers to Members of Congress: We're Hungry for Change

Jul 15, 2009 - For the first time in the 63-year history of our nation's School Lunch Program, front-line food service workers are on Capitol Hill today to petition their government to strengthen the program that serves food to more than 30 million children every day. Read more...

32BJ Endorses Mayor Bloomberg for Re-election

Jul 15, 2009 - Yesterday, SEIU Local 32BJ endorsed Michael Bloomberg for re-election. Why? Because Bloomberg has proven his commitment to working families, raising security industry standards and taking action to make sure out-of-work New Yorkers have the resources necessary to find employment. Read more...

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 to Protest Scheme to Outsource Students' Health and Safety

Jul 14, 2009 - Members of the CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 chapter that represents the Connecticut Windham Public Schools' food service workers will speak out against outsourcing food services at Board of Education public forum tonight. Read more...

Free Summer Lunch Program A Rousing Success in NJ

Jul 13, 2009 - During the school year in New Jersey, school lunch is provided at a reduced cost or for free to thousands of poor students to help eliminate at least one significant and widely recognized barrier to an education: hunger. Read more...

New Report: Nation's Buildings at Risk

Jul 09, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...

New Report: Nation's Buildings at Risk

Jul 09, 2009 - A new government report released yesterday has dropped a bombshell on the state of private security and its ability to protect our nation's most important buildings. In a routine check on the state of private security for our nation's federal buildings, investigators were able to sneak explosive materials inside - get this - a total of 10 out of 10 times. Read more...

Higher Worker Wages on the Table in NJ

Jul 08, 2009 - In a move that "could have a major effect on public school food service workers' wages," the New Jersey State Legislature is considering a new bill that would make sure that workers are paid the prevailing wage. Read more...

Living wages are in Con Ed's Power

Jul 06, 2009 - Con Ed employee Fernando Cruz is one of more than 28 million people--about a quarter of the working-age workforce--who work full time yet still earn less than the income that marks the federal poverty line for a family of four: $9.04 per hour, a full-time salary of $18,800 a year. Read more...

AP Covers Philly Schools' Pilot School Meals Program

Jul 06, 2009 - Today, the Associated Press published an interesting profile on the Philadelphia, PA school district and its pilot program for feeding its hungry children through school meals. Key to the program is the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act later this year. An improved Child Nutrition Act is a top priority for the thousands of school food service workers that SEIU represents Read more...

Support Sick Days for Food Service Workers

Jul 06, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...

SEIU Member Killed in DC Metro Tragedy

Jun 25, 2009 - 32BJ member Ana Fernandez was one of the nine confirmed dead after the tragic Metro crash in Washington this week. To help make ends meet for her family of six children, Ana was on her way to her second job as a cleaner at a building downtown when the crash happened. Read more...

Stand for Security

Jun 22, 2009 - Read more...

Service Workers United

Jun 22, 2009 - Read more...

Campaign for Quality Services

Jun 22, 2009 - Read more...

Justice for Janitors

Jun 22, 2009 - Read more...

WashPost Opinion Piece: "Lessons From The Holocaust Museum Shooting"

Jun 22, 2009 - Last week, the Washington Post published an opinion piece authored by Valarie Long, the Vice President of SEIU Local 32BJ. In the piece, Long recognizes the importance of the job that security officers perform each and every day, raises the need for improved standards on the job, and offers her condolences to the family of Officer Johns. Read more...

Study Depicts Tough Times for Food Service Workers, Offers Recommendations

Jun 22, 2009 - Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new study from Rutgers University's Center for Women and Work. The study, authored by Dr. Mary McCain, addresses the scope of the problem in general, and then offers recommendations to fix these problems. Read more...

What was your Dream?

Jun 19, 2009 - Remember what it was like when you had a dream? For many immigrant students their dreams of pursuing higher education can't be realized because of their immigration status - even though they may have lived here most of their lives. Read more...

Documentary "The Philosopher Kings" portrays culture of janitors

Jun 18, 2009 - In the new film "The Philosopher Kings," eight extraordinary janitors throw off the cloak of invisibility to give us an extraordinary look into their lives. Read more...

Officer Johns: A True Hero

Jun 11, 2009 - No doubt, you've likely heard about yesterday's tragic shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where security officer Stephen T. Johns tragically lost his life. The event is a bitter reminder about the importance of these brave men and women who serve as the "first line of defense against a terrorist attack," and the methods that can be taken to ensure their safety while on the job. Read more...

When did layoffs become 'acceptable'? Put working families above Cisco profits

Jun 08, 2009 - As janitors and community supporters continue their hunger strike outside of Cisco Systems corporate headquarters in San Jose, Mercury News columnist Mike Cassidy has written a thought-provoking column about the corporate strategy of treating layoffs as 'par-for-the-course' events that are the cost of doing business in this downtrodden economy. Read more...

Janitors in midst of 7-Day hunger strike protesting Cisco Systems

Jun 05, 2009 - For two days now, dozens of janitors janitors, members of faith and community supporters have had absolutely nothing to eat, only drinking water as they determinedly camp out outside of Cisco's corporate headquarters in San Jose. The janitors at Cisco Systems first began protesting the corporation--which currently has more than $34 billion in cash assets on hand--when contractor ABM Industries Inc. laid off more than 40 percent of its total janitorial workforce in February. Read more...

Victory for New York City Security Officers

May 20, 2009 - After months of negotiations with national security contractors Allied Barton and FJC Security Services of Long Island, SEIU Local 32BJ security officers have won new union contracts that provide significant wage increases, employer-paid family health care and benefits for some 3,000 city-contracted security officers over the course of three years. Read more...

Big Banks Liquidating Your Company? Let Us Know

May 15, 2009 - Today, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched a toll-free hotline and website--Keep America Working--to support small business owners and workers facing job loss because of frozen credit and liquidation at the hands of bailed-out banks. Visit www.keepworkinghotline.org if your company is facing liquidation threats from big banks. Read more...

Report shows NJ food service workers get low pay, few benefits

May 08, 2009 - Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new report commissioned by SEIU Local 32BJ, which found that the average hourly wage for food preparation workers in educational services was only $8.15, and that most had no health benefits. Read more...

Mayor Bloomberg walks a day in the shoes of SEIU 32BJ security officer

May 08, 2009 - "For me and for so many of my co-workers, the main issue is our healthcare," said Annie Davis, a 54-year-old New York security officer and SEIU Local 32BJ member during her day-long visit with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read more...

Illinois Workers United Suit Makers' Jobs On the Cutting Table

May 05, 2009 - Workers United members at the Hart Schaffner & Marx (known as Hartmarx) menswear factory in Des Plaines, IL, make suits for President Obama, but their jobs may not make the cut. Read more...

"Remembering King, Realizing the Dream" March and Rally in LA April 4th

Apr 02, 2009 - The 5,000 member SEIU-SOULA (Security Officers United in Los Angeles) Local 2006 will join community organizations in a three-mile march to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's death on April 4th in LA. Read more...

Security Officers nationwide hitting the streets in support of the Employee Free Choice Act

Mar 20, 2009 - After attending the National Worker Mobilization in Washington D.C. March 8-11, security officers returned to their home cities and spread out to talk to non-union security officers about the Employee Free Choice Act. Hundreds of security officers represented by SEIU spoke with more than 500 officers who currently don't have a union in 12 cities, signing them up to take action on the important worker legislation. Read more...

Congressman Boren and Cintas Hanging You Out to Dry

Mar 17, 2009 - Corporate special interests are spending *millions* of dollars on lies, propaganda and twisting arms -- all in a desperate, greedy bid to keep hard-working Oklahomans like you from sharing in the American Dream. And Rep. Dan Boren is more than happy to help those corporate interests. Read more...

Janitors Call On Banks to Use Taxpayer Money to Create Jobs, Not Reward CEOs

Mar 09, 2009 - On Thursday, hundreds of Chicago janitors and supporters rallied at Fifth Third Bank in Schaumburg to call for good jobs and an economic recovery that works for everyone, not just the people at the top. Janitors marched from Woodfield Mall to the bank, chanting loudly and holding purple banners reading "Value Work." Read more...

Can My Boss Do That?

Mar 06, 2009 - When workers face job loss, they often don't know where to turn for answers. They may be improperly denied their last paycheck, not given the proper amount of notice, or told by their employer that they cannot collect unemployment benefits. New website "Can My Boss Do That" will act as an online clearinghouse to help people understand their rights and protections on a state-by-state basis. Read more...

More than 3,000 Chicago Janitors Rally for Good Jobs to Strengthen Our Economy

Mar 02, 2009 - On Sunday afternoon, over 3,000 SEIU Local 1 janitors and community supporters crowded into the historic Chicago Theater and then marched to LaSalle Street in an effort to call attention to low-wage workers struggling to keep afloat in a time when corporate CEOs are still getting bonuses. Read more...

Green Jobs: "Clear Path to a Stronger Middle Class and a Stronger American Economy"

Feb 27, 2009 - The world is facing a historic opportunity to rebuild our global economy through investments in sustainable projects that will create new jobs, reduce our dependence on oil and protect our planet after decades of mismanagement. Read more...

Celebrating Black History: special edition computer desktop wallpapers

Feb 12, 2009 - As part of SEIU's 12th annual celebration of Black History Month, our talented SEIU Creative Services team has designed four special-edition computer desktop wallpapers for use on your Mac or PC. Download them now and you can celebrate Black History Month all month at work or at home. Read more...

Introducing SEIU's Member Lobbyists

Feb 11, 2009 - Nine SEIU members and workers from key states across the country have relocated to Washington, DC for a three-month long stint as a grassroots lobbyist on Capitol Hill. Stay tuned for updates, as our members report to us on what they're hearing about health care, the Employee Free Choice Act and restoring economic strength to Main Street. Read more...

Good Jobs, Green Jobs: Help Wanted

Feb 05, 2009 - Green job creation and training is happening right now, all over the country, fueled by the belief that it is possible to ease the intensity of our climate crisis and employ more people to work in better jobs (all at the same time). Read more...

Obama and Biden Launch Middle Class Working Families Task Force

Jan 30, 2009 - Today President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden announced the creation of the Middle Class Task Force, which the White House blog says is "targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America." Read more...

In 2008, More Than 88,000 Workers United in SEIU

Jan 29, 2009 - The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual union membership report yesterday that showed an increase in union membership nationwide for 2008 -- the largest growth rate on record since 1983. Growth in SEIU -- 88,926 members -- accounted for nearly 21 percent of the national growth. Read more...

CA Security Officers win historic victory as Kaiser Permanente replaces irresponsible contractor

Jan 23, 2009 - Security officers who work for Kaiser Permanente medical facilities won a big victory over irresponsible security contractor Inter-Con. -- a company that used threats, intimidation and termination tactics for three years against struggling officers supporting efforts to join a union. Read more...

Security Officers Seeking to Form Union With SEIU Score Major Victory Over Irresponsible Contractor

Jan 16, 2009 - Security officers responsible for protecting patients and staff at Kaiser Permanente medical facilities nationwide won a major victory over an irresponsible security contractor after a three-year struggle where officers seeking to join SEIU faced threats, intimidation and termination for union support. Kaiser Permanente replaced the irresponsible contractor, Inter-Con, with a new contractor called Securitas, a company that is union in many industries and client sectors throughout California. Read more...

Hilda Solis Will Stand for Justice, Open Doors for Millions of Workers in America

Jan 09, 2009 - "At this critical juncture in our great nation, I cannot think of anyone more qualified than Representative Hilda Solis to re-establish the U.S. Labor Department's priorities of justice, fairness, and equal opportunity for all workers," said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina today, in his statement of support for Representative Hilda Solis's confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Labor: Read more...

SEIU Janitors and Business Leaders Unveil New Model for Making Health Care More Accessible And Affordable for Thousands of Low-wage Workers

Dec 17, 2008 - In a city where one in three residents live without health care, the unveiling today of a new clinic in Houston that will offer low-cost, quality care to over 5,300 of the area's commercial office janitors is an innovative step in the right direction. Read more...

Houston Janitors and Responsible Corporate Leaders Help Address Crisis for Thousands of Low-Wage Workers with Groundbreaking New Health Clinic

Dec 17, 2008 - Houston janitors are joining elected and community leaders today to unveil the "Houston Service Workers Clinic"--a partnership between janitors, responsible corporate leaders and health care providers that offers a groundbreaking model for providing low-cost, quality health care for low-wage workers. Read more...

SEIU Reaches Agreement with Wackenhut

Dec 16, 2008 - SEIU has reached an agreement with The Wackenhut Corporation, the second-largest security company in the United States and a subsidiary of G4S plc. The agreement brings an end to a long dispute and establishes an agreed upon framework to work together in interest of security officers. Read more...

Reporter Wins Media Award for Coverage of Security Officers' Fight for Affordable Health Insurance and Fair Wages

Dec 09, 2008 - At the first annual Minnesota Ethnic and Community Media Awards last week, a reporter won top honors in the Community Services division for her three-part series in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder that covered the contract battle and groundbreaking one-day strike waged by SEIU Local 26 security officers in Minneapolis in early 2008. Read more...

Student Petition Backs Janitors at College

Dec 05, 2008 - A delegation of students at Langara College delivered a petition to the school's administration yesterday demanding the school intervene to protect the rights of workers who clean the campus. Read more...

Award-Winning Video on SEIU Labor Leader Eliseo Medina Shows Evolution of Immigrant Rights Movement

Dec 04, 2008 - Today, the Santa Fe Film Festival will screen Tribute to Eliseo Medina, a short film documenting SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina's remarkable career. From a 19-year-old grape picker to his leadership today as one of the most important labor and immigrant rights leaders in the country, Medina's story shows us the power of "yes we can" thinking and reminds us how grassroots campaigns can change the course of history. Read more...

Security Officers Protecting Downtown Boston Towers and Office Buildings Reach Agreement

Nov 26, 2008 - Over a thousand security officers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 615 in Boston announced a tentative agreement yesterday after opening negotiations last July with the three of the largest security companies in the area, Allied Barton, Securitas and Northeast Security. Read more...

Who We Are

Nov 12, 2008 - [youtube video] Read more...

SFO Workers Vote to Authorize Strike

Oct 28, 2008 - Airline service workers at San Francisco International Airport voted overwhelmingly yesterday to authorize a strike at one of the busiest airports in the country. Read more...

Service Worker Unions Call for Stronger "Nutrition Safety Net" for America's Children

Oct 15, 2008 - As the historic economic crisis forces more American families to rely on school-based food programs, SEIU and UNITE-HERE, which together represent more than 250,000 workers in early care and education settings nationwide, are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress today to strengthen the nutrition safety net for our nation's children. Read more...

"Dear Sarah..."

Oct 01, 2008 - My name is Marshall Clemons and I'm a school custodian in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I've been a custodian for 16 years and I'm proud of the work that I do to ensure that our students have a clean and safe place to learn. Read more...

Justice for InterCon Security Officers

Sep 24, 2008 - [youtube video] Read more...

Story on Public Services

Sep 14, 2008 - This text is in the Excerpt field. Pellentesque nibh felis, eleifend id, commodo in, interdum vitae, leo. Praesent eu elit. Ut eu ligula. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. Maecenas elementum augue nec nisl. Proin auctor lorem at nibh. Read more...

Janitors Strike Against Cleaning Contractor to Defend Civil Rights at Two General Growth Properties Malls

Sep 09, 2008 - Low-wage mall janitors at Park Meadows Mall in Littleton, Colorado, and Southland Mall in Hayward, California, are walking off the job today to protest unfair labor practices committed by the Millard Group, which cleans malls owned by General Growth Properties, the nation's second largest mall owner. Read more...

SEIU Members Get Ready to Mobilize for General Elections

Jun 24, 2008 - Nurses, child care and home care workers, janitors, security officers and other SEIU members across the country are already talking to voters and hitting the streets in key states and races across the country. Read more...

Strike Spreads in Silicon Valley, Bay Area

May 21, 2008 - Striking janitors are demonstrating outside the Intel shareholder's meeting this morning in Mountain View as concerned investors inside question the company's policies on issues that affect working families. Read more...

Day 1: Silicon Valley Janitors Walking Off the Job Today

May 20, 2008 - Janitors who clean some of the area's highest-profile corporations are trading their brooms for picket signs today. Hundreds of janitors are walking off the job at Cisco Systems, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and other high-tech and bio-tech corporations throughout the Silicon Valley. As the strike expands, it could spread to other parts of the Bay Area. Read more...

OBAMA: CLEARLY THE PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

May 06, 2008 - "Senator Obama's commanding win in North Carolina and close showing in Indiana means he is clearly the Democratic nominee for President,"said Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer. "We've had a long process and the outcome is now clear. The Democratic Party should come together to focus on winning in November." Read more...

Justice for Janitors Launches New Website TheIrvineCompanyWatch.org as Thousands Demonstrate Outside Buildings Owned by The Irvine Company in LA

Apr 30, 2008 - As contracts covering more than 16,000 California janitors expired this week, thousands of janitors marched and rallied outside buildings owned by The Irvine Company in Century City and in Orange County's Fashion Island while playing drums, waving brooms and chanting. Read more...

Security Officers Win First-Ever Union Contract

Apr 14, 2008 - -D.C. City Council Members and clergy joined with Local 32BJ today to announce agreements with the four top private security contractors in Washington D.C. on 4-year contracts providing nearly 1,500 private security officers with the higher wages, health care and other benefits they need to support their families Read more...

SEIU Members Endorse Sen. Barack Obama

Feb 15, 2008 - Nurses, childcare workers, janitors and other service workers endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president today, calling him the candidate with the best vision, best plan and best strategy to lead the country to a new American Dream. Read more...

Security Officers Reach Ratified Agreement on Historic Union Contract in Los Angeles

Jan 25, 2008 - SEIU Security Officers United in Los Angeles Local 2006 announced Jan. 26th they have achieved a ratified agreement on their first union contract. The contract will be the best-ever of its kind in the country, raising total compensation--wages and healthcare--by nearly 40 percent for more than 4,000 hard-working Angelenos. Read more...

1,000 Aramark Workers and Their Supporters March on Aramark's World Headquarters to Demand Company Do Better for Customers, Taxpayers, and Workers Across the Country

Nov 14, 2007 - More than 1,000 Aramark workers and their supporters who provide food and cleaning services at facilities across the country came together in Center City with public school parents, clergy and elected officials to call on Philadelphia-based Aramark to improve its treatment of workers and customers at Aramark facilities. Read more...

MEDIA ADVISORY for Nov. 17th: Activist Armada of Small Boats to Take "Private" Beach of Exclusive Fisher Island Public

Nov 13, 2007 - An armada of decorated boats will carry hundreds of activists on Saturday, November 17 to the sheltered and until now thought to be off-limits beaches of Fisher Island-named the nation's most expensive zip code by Forbes and labeled "Fantasy Island" by the New York Times-to protest discriminatory and abusive treatment of the workers that clean, maintain, and protect the island. Read more...

Service Workers Call on Aramark to stop leaving Houston Families Behind

Nov 09, 2007 - Last year, thousands of Houston janitors and their families won, for the first time, better wages, access to affordable health care, and dignity on the job. But there are thousands more service workers in Houston who still struggle to make ends meet at dead-end, low-wage jobs with no path toward health insurance. Read more...

SEIU's Efforts to Improve Private Security Industry Standards Are Challenged by Wackenhut Lawsuit

Nov 02, 2007 - "In the last month alone, Wackenhut security lapses were confirmed at one nuclear power plant, and Wackenhut guards were caught sleeping on the job at another nuclear power plant. Instead of addressing the problems that led to the lapses, Wackenhut has chosen to fight its employees' efforts to improve security. Read more...