Chicago--With the goal of increased bargaining power and organizational strength, the members of SEIU Locals 4, 20 and 880 announced today that they will unite in SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana-- a single, 90,000-member union representing hospital, long-term care and child care workers in two states. Members voted overwhelmingly to create the new union, which will be the largest in Illinois, with more than half of its membership in Cook County.

“There has never been a more important time for workers to unite our strength and amplify our voices to raise standards for working people and to deliver quality care to families in Illinois and Indiana,” said Keith Kelleher, president-designate of the new local. “As the economy falters and budgets tighten, SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana will mobilize the combined strength of 90,000 union families to safeguard quality services for patients, long-term care consumers and children.”

Earlier this year, the three locals uniting SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana leveraged their combined membership strength to press members of the Illinois General Assembly to safeguard services for working families, seniors and people with disabilities. The House and Senate both passed SB 1863, which released much-needed and overdue Medicaid funding to hospitals serving low-income and uninsured working families. The General Assembly also approved HB 4144 with the Amendatory veto to improve wages and provide healthcare benefits for thousands of Illinois home care workers caring for seniors.

“Our elected officials listened to working families and took action this year to fund the safety-net hospitals serving Illinois’ most vulnerable residents and to raise standards for home care workers with higher wages and healthcare,” said Hal Ruddick, secretary-treasurer of the new union. “As a single, stronger voice for caregivers across two states, we will make it a priority to hold elected officials accountable and elect champions for working families in November.”

The creation of the new, combined union will be effective upon signing of a merger order by SEIU President Andy Stern, which is anticipated in mid- to late-June of this year.

The new union follows the June 2007 formation of SEIU Healthcare, a nationwide initiative of SEIU that brought more than one million healthcare workers in separate locals across the country under one umbrella in the international union.

Like its national counterpart, SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana will fight for improved care delivery throughout the healthcare and child care industries, and will work to improve conditions for caregivers by prioritizing growth—working to unite the more than 500,000 healthcare and child care workers in two states that aren’t yet SEIU members.

“In the past decade, we’ve united tens of thousands more long-term care, child care and hospital workers for a stronger voice in the delivery of quality care and to raise standards across our industries,” said Byron Hobbs, who will serve as executive vice president of the new local. “Together, as SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana, we will unite thousands more healthcare and child care workers to strengthen our fight to raise standards and ensure access to quality care for all families.”