SEIU Local 1 is a union built on the belief that when working people stand together, they have the power to transform their workplaces, their communities, and society. We fight every day to improve the lives of our members and all working people by winning economic justice and leading the fight for immigrant, racial, LGBTQ+, and environmental justice.

That work is powered by members. Through education, leadership development, and organizing, we equip members with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to lead campaigns, build worker power, and shape the future of our union. Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive labor movement capable of creating lasting change.

Who is SEIU Local 1? SEIU Local 1 represents 50,000 working people across five states and 10 cities throughout the Midwest. Our members are janitors, security officers, airport workers, school service workers, factory workers, window washers, maintenance workers, door staff, and many others who keep our buildings, schools, airports, and communities running every day.

Founded in Chicago in 1921 by residential maintenance workers, Local 1 is the founding local union of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). For more than a century, our members have organized, marched, bargained, and stood together to win better wages, stronger benefits, safer workplaces, and greater dignity on the job. That legacy continues today as Local 1 members take on some of the nation's largest employers and corporations, proving that when workers unite, there is no challenge too great and no fight unwinnable.