WELCOME TO SEIU LOCAL 1
Make it official! Fill out your new membership card here.
As an SEIU member, you’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with your coworkers in order to win the things you need to support your families and deliver high-quality food and other services for schools across the state of Michigan. This year, more than ever, has highlighted just how essential your service has been, keeping children from going hungry and ensuring their health and safety in our schools.
Recently, the SEIU Local 517M Board took steps to look closely at whether there is a better, stronger path to represent your interests as a union member. As a result, we have made the decision to transfer your membership to SEIU Local 1.
Under SEIU Local 1, you will be joining 50,000 janitors, security officers, residential workers and other property service workers across the Midwest, including nearly 2,000 right here in Michigan. These janitors have been crucial in helping keep prominent buildings and arenas in downtown Detroit, Detroit Public Schools and DTW airport clean and safe.
In 2018 Local 1 Detroit janitors, launched the movement for One Detroit to ensure that all working people can thrive amid the city’s resurgence. In the movement’s first major victory, union janitors fought and won a historic new contract with a path to $15 an hour—a path out of poverty for 1,700 working families. As new Local 1 members, you have a powerful group of fellow workers ready to stand with and support you as you strengthen your power in the workplace.
Local 1 has a deep history of building worker power and is committed to improving the lives of members and all working people by winning real economic justice and standing at the forefront of the fight for immigrant, racial, and environmental justice. Local 1 possesses the strength and experience of engaging with public schools and has bargaining strong contracts with the same large food service employers within said schools.
In the transfer agreement, these are the key elements for you as a member:
Local 1 will work with you to ensure your role as stewards will continue to play a key role within your worksites just like other Local 1 member leaders in their structure;
You will be working with Local 1 staff to build a strong bargaining committee in your next contract; and
All Union functions for you - bargaining, representation, political, internal organizing and other Local work will now be carried out by your new Local.
It is our expectation that, with a majority of cards signed by employees, your membership in SEIU Local 1 will be effective by April 20, 2021 We will be notifying employers shortly about this decision so that employers will begin to engage with your new Local. Both Locals remain under the umbrella of our parent Union, SEIU.
Moving Forward:
Both Locals are sending you this letter to express how much we value your membership. There are some administrative steps that we need to take to ensure a smooth transition process with your employers.
SEIU Local 1 will reach out to you to ensure we have an updated membership card on file. Attached/enclosed with this communication is the card you will need to fill out and sign to update your membership. Please make sure you provide current contact information. If you have any questions, please contact: LaKyra Jackson at (313) 719-7902 or jacksonl@seiu1.org.
Your membership is critical to protecting and strengthening you and your coworkers’ voice on the job. We will continue to work together as sister Locals in our collective efforts to win higher wages and better benefits for Michigan families.
In Unity,
Tom Balanoff
President
SEIU Local 1