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Service Employees International Union
| Service Employees International Union | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | 501(c)(5) |
| Top official: | April Verrett |
| Year founded: | 1921 |
| Website: | Official website |
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing over 2 million workers in the United States and Canada. The main divisions are healthcare, public services, and property services.[1][2][3]
Background
The SEIU was founded in 1921 in Chicago as the Building Service Employees International Union. Its original members consisted of janitors, elevator operators, and window washers. By 1968, the union expanded to include healthcare workers, public sector employees, and workers from other industries, which prompted the union to change its name to the Service Employees International Union.[4][5]
As of November 2025, the union said it was "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."[5] SEIU is based in Washington, D.C., and was an affiliate of the AFL-CIO as of January 2025.[6]
Leadership
As of November 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at SEIU:[5]
- April Verrett, President
- Rocío Sáenz, Secretary-Treasurer
- Joseph Bryant, International Executive Vice President
- Neal Bisno, Executive Vice President
- Heather Conroy, Executive Vice President
- Leslie Frane, Executive Vice President
Work and activities
In a press release detailing the January 2025 affiliation between SEIU and the AFL-CIO, SEIU outlined the organizations' joint work:[7]
| “ | SEIU and the AFL-CIO are uniting to take on union-busting and secure the right of every worker to safely join with their co-workers in unions to raise wages and improve their jobs. Together, our united 15 million hardworking union members will:
|
” |
Electoral activities and influence
In a guide directed at SEIU stewards, the union said, "There are many rights and benefits that are determined by laws passed at the national, state, or local level. To protect our members' interests, the union must be involved in electing candidates who will pass and enforce laws which will increase and protect our rights and benefits."[9] SEIU's political activities included: get-out-the-vote drives, candidate endorsements, education on candidates, lobbying, field programs, advertising, and community partnerships.[9][10]
According to The Washington Post, SEIU spent $150 million during the 2020 presidential election. It had pledged $200 million for the 2024 presidential election, the largest political investment in the union's history at the time.[10]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Affiliations
SEIU Committee on Political Education
The SEIU Committee on Political Education is a PAC affiliated with the SEIU. During the 2023-2024 election cycle, the PAC raised $74 million and spent $78 million.[11]
United We Can
United We Can is a super PAC affiliated with the SEIU. During the 2023-2024 election cycle, the super PAC raised $4 million and spent $4 million.[12]
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the SEIU revenues and expenses from 2015 to 2022. The information comes from the Internal Revenue Service.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $291 million | $264 million |
| 2016 | $308 million | $282 million |
| 2017 | $313 million | $260 million |
| 2018 | $287 million | $220 million |
| 2019 | $280 million | $228 million |
| 2020 | $264 million | $261 million |
| 2021 | $301 million | $260 million |
| 2022 | $254 million | $277 million |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ SEIU, "Home," accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ SEIU, "What type of work do SEIU members do?" accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ SEIU, "How is SEIU structured?" accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ SEIU, "A union of janitors is born." July 14, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 SEIU, "About," accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ SEIU, "SEIU just joined the AFL-CIO!" January 8, 2025
- ↑ SEIU, "SEIU Joins AFL-CIO to Build Unprecedented Worker Power, Win Unions for All Workers," January 8, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 SEIU, "The steward as political organizer," accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Washington Post, "Union to spend $200 million to get working-class voters to back Biden, Democrats," March 13, 2024
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "SEIU COPE: Financial summary," accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "United We Can: Financial summary," accessed November 20, 2025
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