Issued March 12, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Service Employees International Union International President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement today announcing changes to the format of the union’s quadrennial convention. The convention - which draws thousands of SEIU members, not yet-union-workers, staff and leaders - is the union’s highest governing body, setting the path forward and conducting official union business such as electing International Union officers and executive board members.
“As the largest union of service and care workers, SEIU has been on the front lines of the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), using our collective power to hold employers, big corporations and elected leaders accountable for keeping people safe and healthy. SEIU members and Fight for $15 and a Union leaders of all races are standing together as a powerful counter-balance to the failure of this Administration to face this healthcare emergency.
“As we fight for the health and safety of working people during this public health crisis and continue our fight for economic and racial justice, we are also committed to modeling the best practices that we demand from employers for our own members and for all working people by putting the health and safety of our members, workers fighting to win unions, and staff first. And at this critical moment, many SEIU member delegates across sectors are called upon to serve in their communities as frontline health care workers, security officers, janitors, airport workers, adjunct faculty, public employees and other key service and care jobs.
“SEIU has decided to change the format of our 2020 Convention from an in-person meeting, originally scheduled to be in Chicago from April 24-27, to an alternative that will allow us to protect the health and safety of our members while ensuring that member delegates have an opportunity to participate in a democratic process to elect our union’s leaders and make decisions on the union’s program and direction over the next four years.
“We are ready to engage and mobilize SEIU members and working people to turn this nation around in 2020 and drive our Unions for All agenda to ensure that all workers can join a union, no matter where they work and that all people can participate in our democracy, no matter where they are from or what color they are.”