AFL-CIO and SEIU Reaffirm Commitment to Worker Power with Historic Re-Affiliation
January 8, 2025 — On Wednesday, the AFL-CIO announced that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will re-affiliate with the federation, marking a significant step towards greater labor unity. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration and solidarity, the decision to join forces provides an opportunity to maximize worker power across every industry.
"Workers know it’s better in a union, and together we are stronger in our organizing and bargaining fights because there is power in unity," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. "CEOs and billionaires want nothing more than to see workers divided, but we're standing here today with greater solidarity than ever to reach the 60 million Americans who say they’d join a union tomorrow if the laws allowed and to unrig our labor laws to guarantee every worker in America the basic right to organize on the job."
SEIU International President April Verrett echoed this sentiment in a joint statement with the AFL-CIO. "SEIU members are ready to unleash a new era of worker power, as millions of service and care workers unite with workers at the AFL-CIO to build our unions in every industry and every zip code," Verrett stated.
The SEIU, which represents two million diverse workers across the healthcare, public services, and property services sectors, will bring the total AFL-CIO membership to 15 million members. This re-affiliation signals a renewed focus on building worker power at a time when organized labor faces increasing challenges.
New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech praised the re-affiliation as a pivotal moment for the labor movement. "At this critical moment for organized labor, the decision to join forces represents a pathway forward to working in solidarity that will put an end to union-busting and strengthen the right to organize," Wowkanech said.
Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan further emphasized the importance of unity in achieving future victories for working families. "This decision comes at a time when labor unity is more important than ever in order to meet the challenges of the next four years and secure key victories for working families," Brennan noted.
The AFL-CIO and SEIU will formally announce the re-affiliation at a roundtable discussion featuring workers who are currently fighting to form unions. The event will take place on Thursday, January 9, in Austin, Texas, at 1:30 PM CT / 2:30 PM ET. The announcement will also serve as a prelude to the AFL-CIO’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference, further highlighting the intersection of labor and civil rights in the ongoing fight for economic justice.