Service Employees International Union is one of the largest labor unions in the United States and Canada. The union, often called SEIU, consists of more than 300 local unions in the two countries. It represents service workers in over 100 occupations. These occupations are organized into five main divisions: health care, public employment, office and clerical, building service, and light industrial. Women make up half the membership. SEIU is affiliated with the Change to Win labor federation.
SEIU was founded in Chicago in 1921. In 1934, the union gained thousands of new members when it called a strike in the New York City garment district. In the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, its membership continued to grow with the development of new service jobs in the United States and Canada. National headquarters are in Washington, D. C. For membership, see Labor movement (table) .
