Dear SEIU Family,
As leaders of SEIU, we are proud and excited to proclaim our support for April Verrett to be the next International President of our union. We know that April is the right leader to succeed Mary Kay Henry, build on her strong legacy, and lead our union boldly into the future.
Our union is at a critical moment. We have incredible opportunities, as young people are embracing unions like never before and we’ve seen working people exercising our collective power by striking in record numbers, winning standard-setting contracts, and demanding Unions for All. We also face many challenges, from the 40-year attack on unions to rising white supremacy and authoritarianism, climate change, and attacks on immigrants, women and our democracy. We know that April will inspire SEIU members—of every race and from every place—to rise up and meet the moment.
April Verrett has committed her life to building worker power. She grew up in our union, as her grandmother who raised her was an SEIU member, working in Chicago Park District. April started out as an organizer, helping healthcare workers join together and build power. She was a founding officer of both SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana and SEIU 2015. As president of SEIU 2015, the largest union of long term care workers in the U.S., April led home care workers in California to win $20 an hour, a groundbreaking victory. As chair of SEIU’s Home Care Council, April has helped home care workers across North America win major raises, lift standards, and transform their lives.
From her experiences in life and in our union, April knows what it takes to overcome challenges and to build power for service and care workers against the odds. She knows how to bring people together to get things done in organizing, politics, and in our culture when the stakes are high.
April is a visionary leader. As Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU, April has led our union’s planning process, chairing the Committee on the Future and creating our strategic framework for the future. Because of her leadership, we are united behind a clear vision and mission and an inspiring ten-year goal of uniting a million new members in our union.
April leads with love and hope, and a lot of heart. She is willing to say the hard things and call it like it is, while calling us all in to solve tough challenges together. April brings people together across differences by building strong relationships. Her leadership is full of joy.
April is ready to lead our union forward so that we can win now and win the future. She’s committed to building powerful locals, increasing our member strength, and investing in core industry organizing, while staying focused on winning big breakthrough sectoral victories that will raise standards and grow our union on an unprecedented scale. April is ready to lead us into
a new era of worker power where we have the strength to transform the lives of service and care workers and win our fights for racial, economic, immigrant, climate, and healthcare justice.
April Verrett is the right leader to build the powerful cross-racial, multi-generational, future-forward SEIU that we need. Please join us in supporting April as our next SEIU International President.