DETROIT — Nearly 32,000 Michigan home care workers have won their union — voting by a margin of 73% to join SEIU Healthcare Michigan in one of the largest union elections in recent U.S. history. Thirteen years after their union rights were stripped away, these essential workers are reclaiming their voice and showing the country what’s possible when working people fight back and organize.

“We all need a bit of hope at a time when our communities don’t feel like our communities, when we don’t recognize our democracy, and when it feels like our freedom is on the line, ” said SEIU International President April Verrett. “Right now, in Michigan over 30,000 home care workers are taking back what was taken from them. They are taking back their union, their organization, and their power. These workers, mostly women, mainly women of color, who do the work of caring for those who need care the most, are saying, ‘This is our moment. This is our time to build our power, to have a say in our lives, and the lives of the people we care for.’ I can’t think of anything that’s more hopeful."

In 2012, then-Gov. Rick Snyder reclassified the workers as private employees, taking away their union voice. It wasn’t until September 2024 that the state legislature passed a bill allowing them to again organize, which culminated in their vote this week.

Their victory is one of the largest in SEIU history, with Michigan caregivers joining nearly 800,000 home care workers represented by the union across the U.S. and Canada. It follows other recent high-profile union elections, including the Volkswagen factory workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., who joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) in April 2024 and the nearly 10,000 Amazon workers who have joined the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters.

“This is a proud day for Michigan. If anyone needs a union, it’s home care workers. When the union was stolen from us, I was devastated. But I didn’t lose hope. I knew we would reclaim our union one day — and that day has finally come.” said Phyllis Pride, a home care worker from Ecorse. “This all happened because we took a stand: home care workers and the people we care for deserve better. We deserve respect and dignity. That starts with a union. Together, in SEIU Healthcare Michigan, we can now build the long-term care system Michigan deserves.”

The careworkers’ victory is all the more remarkable given the Trump administration’s attacks on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act through its Big Ugly Bill, which will result in 16 million Americans losing access to affordable healthcare. Nearly $1.2 trillion in pending cuts from our nation’s healthcare to pay for billionaire tax breaks will make life harder for home care workers, who not only depend on Medicaid for their own healthcare, but also care for people whose services are funded by the program.

The administration has also proposed a federal rule that would take away home care workers’ basic rights, including minimum wage and overtime protections, which could affect workers across the country who are not unionized.

Today, Michigan home care workers have shown what is possible when workers choose solidarity over division, and hope over fear.

“Winning our union sends a clear message that home care workers will no longer work in the shadows of our communities,” said Erika LaFountain, a caregiver from Jackson. “We know our worth. We won’t be divided. And we’re part of a movement of working people across this country demanding good union jobs so we can take care of ourselves, our own families and our communities.”

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