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Nearly 32,000 home care workers in Michigan have voted to join SEIU Healthcare Michigan, with 73 percent in favor. This represents one of the largest unionization efforts in the U.S. Midwest since the 1940s and is a significant milestone for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The workforce is largely made up of women, immigrants, and people of color who provide essential support to seniors and people with disabilities.
Alan Sable, Head of UNI Global Union’s Care sector, commented on the outcome: “This is a historic win for care workers everywhere. When home care workers in Michigan stand up and win back their union, it sends a powerful message to the world: care workers are uniting and demanding that their work be valued and respected. Their courage strengthens the global movement for dignity and decent jobs in care. The homecare workers in SEIU, are inspiring care workers from Colombia to the Philippines that when we fight, we win.”
The decision follows more than a decade after legislation had removed collective bargaining rights from these workers. Erika LaFountain, a caregiver from Jackson, stated: “Winning our union sends a clear message that home care workers will no longer work in the shadows of our communities. We know our worth. We won’t be divided. And we’re part of a movement of working people across this country demanding good union jobs so we can take care of ourselves, our own families and our communities.”
