Service Employees International Union

What Service Employees International Union does

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a 501(c)(5) labor union founded in 1921 as the Building Service Employees Union in Chicago and renamed SEIU in 1968. Headquartered at 1800 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, DC, SEIU represents approximately 2 million members across healthcare, the public sector, and property services in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Its membership spans nurses and hospital staff, home care workers (740,000+ nationwide, including 100,000+ in California), janitors and security officers (160,000+ janitors organized since 1990, 70,000 security officers), airport workers (155,000+ across 23 airports), public-school and university staff, and—most recently—gig-economy app drivers following the 2024 Massachusetts ballot initiative and a 100,000-driver Illinois win.

SEIU operates as a confederation of affiliated local unions (e.g., SEIU-UHW, SEIU 32BJ, Local 2015, Local 503 Oregon, SEIU 1021, Healthcare Pennsylvania) that conduct day-to-day organizing and collective bargaining under the SEIU brand. Its "products" are member services: collective bargaining representation, the SEIU Member Benefits program, member caucuses (Latino, African American, AAPI, Lavender, PWD, Retiree, SEIU Rise), political and advocacy campaigns, a local union locator, and an online store. The union is affiliated with the AFL-CIO and oversees the Property Services section of UNI Global Union (200+ affiliates worldwide). Underlying technology is commodity: digital organizing platforms, social media (BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, X), email/text broadcast systems, and NGP VAN-style member-management tooling—no proprietary AI or differentiated software stack.

SEIU's revenue model is membership-dues based, collected by affiliated locals with per-capita transfers to the international; the union does not publicly disclose revenue figures. Strategic priorities are set by International President April Verrett (elected 2024, first Black woman in the role), who announced a 10-year plan to add 1 million members. Political and legislative activity is a core operating expense, evidenced by $21M+ in California legislative donations since 2015 and $1.2M spent on a single DC lobbying trip to oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In 2024, SEIU-UHW also qualified a California wealth-tax ballot measure with ~1.5 million signatures, targeting ~200 billionaires and projecting ~$100 billion in state revenue over five years.

Name

Service Employees International Union

Legal name

Service Employees International Union

Website

https://seiu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SEIU is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing approximately 2 million members across U.S. healthcare, public-sector, and property-services workers through a federation of affiliated local unions that provide collective bargaining, member benefits, and political advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Representation Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Healthcare worker union
• Public sector union
• Property services union

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: SEIU generates revenue through membership dues paid by its 2 million members across healthcare, public sector, and property services sectors. Members pay dues as part of their union representation and collective bargaining representation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SEIU is a labor union that represents approximately 2 million members through collective bargaining, contract negotiations, workplace organizing, and political advocacy across healthcare, public sector, and property services industries. Its core products are union membership and representation services, supplemented by member benefits programs, advocacy campaigns, educational resources, and member engagement through caucuses and groups.

Product overview

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union organization with approximately 2 million members in healthcare, the public sector, and property services. SEIU operates as a membership-based organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist primarily of union membership services including collective bargaining representation, member benefits programs (SEIU Member Benefits), political advocacy campaigns, educational resources, and member engagement through various caucuses and groups. The organization provides members with tools to find local unions, access workplace bargaining agreements, participate in action campaigns, and purchase union-branded merchandise. The core value proposition centers on collective bargaining power, worker representation, and advocacy for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEIU Membership & Collective Bargaining Representation

Quantifiable outcome

• 24 million working Americans won wage increases through Fight for $15 movement
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU is affiliated with AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States. The partnership provides SEIU with access to AFL-CIO's political infrastructure, coalition resources, and national labor movement coordination.
• Caring Across GenerationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU participates in the Caring Across Generations coalition focused on improving care work conditions, ensuring affordable care, and building power for caregivers and care recipients across generations.
• UNI Global UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU oversees the Property Services section of UNI Global Union, which has more than 200 affiliates throughout the world, enabling international solidarity and coordination among service workers unions.
• Fight for $15 and a UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU backed and helped scale the Fight for $15 movement, which has pushed more than two dozen cities and counties and more than half a dozen states toward a $15 minimum wage, helping 24 million working Americans win wage increases.
• Economic Policy InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU leads a coalition with Economic Policy Institute, We Build Progress, AFL-CIO Tech Institute, and Workshop to urge Congress to center workers in federal AI legislation.
• Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU committed $50 million to continue building worker power across the South, scaling the innovative organizing efforts of USSW launched in 2022.
• Starbucks Workers UnitedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU supported and provided resources to Starbucks Workers United, the union movement that began in Buffalo, NY in August 2021 and sparked a wave of union organizing at Starbucks locations nationwide.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO): AFL-CIO is the parent federation to which SEIU is affiliated and the largest labor federation in the US. It coordinates 60+ affiliated unions across all sectors, making it a broad incumbent peer with overlapping political, organizing, and policy infrastructure.

Direct peers

• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): AFT is one of the largest US labor unions, representing 1.7M members across K-12 teachers, higher education faculty, healthcare workers, and public employees. It is the most direct peer to SEIU given overlapping membership in healthcare, public sector, and education organizing.
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): AFSCME represents 1.4M public sector workers across state, county, and municipal government. It directly competes with SEIU in public sector organizing and shares similar dues-funded revenue model and political advocacy orientation.
• National Education Association (NEA): NEA is the largest US labor union with 3M+ members, primarily in K-12 and higher education. It overlaps with SEIU in public sector and education organizing, with comparable dues-funded membership model and political spending capacity.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: The Teamsters represent 1.3M workers across transportation, warehousing, logistics, and service industries. It is a direct peer as a major dues-funded labor union with national reach, similar organizing infrastructure, and overlapping political advocacy priorities.
• United Auto Workers (UAW): UAW represents 400,000+ members across automotive, aerospace, and adjacent manufacturing sectors. It is a direct peer as a large industrial-sector labor union with comparable collective bargaining infrastructure and dues-funded operating model.
• UNITE HERE: UNITE HERE represents 300,000+ workers in hotels, gaming, food service, and airports. It is a direct peer to SEIU given overlapping membership in property services, hospitality, and airport worker organizing, with similar sectoral bargaining strategies.
• United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW): UFCW represents 1.2M workers in grocery, meatpacking, food processing, and retail. It is a direct peer as a service-sector labor union with comparable member-driven organizing, collective bargaining, and political advocacy capabilities.
• Communications Workers of America (CWA): CWA represents 700,000+ workers in telecommunications, media, and public sector. It is a direct peer as a large AFL-CIO-affiliated union with comparable organizing infrastructure, dues-funded model, and political mobilization capacity.

Emerging players

• National Nurses United (NNU): NNU is the largest US nurses' union with 225,000+ members focused exclusively on direct-care RNs. It is an emerging player that overlaps with SEIU's healthcare membership but specializes in a narrower nursing-only segment with more militant bargaining tactics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEIU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/seiu
• Facebookfacebook.com/seiu
• Instagraminstagram.com/seiu_org
• TikToktiktok.com/@seiu_org?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seiu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Service Employees International Union