SEIU Historical Records

Accession Number: 
LR001924
Extent: 
5 linear feet (10 MB)

The Service Employees International Union has been in continuous existence since 1921, although its roots extend back to 1902. Originally chartered by the AFL, it became a member of the AFL-CIO when those two organizations merged in 1955. In 2005, SEIU disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO to lead a coalition of other unions to form the Change to Win Federation. In its early years, SEIU primarily organized janitors and window washers. In addition to these, it eventually organized a range of other service workers, including doormen, elevator operators, nonacademic school employees, health-care workers and public employees as well as service workers based in bowling alleys, stadiums and cemeteries, to mention just a few. Originally called the Building Service Employees International Union, the organization changed its name in 1968 to reflect a membership increasingly based in areas other than buildings. The SEIU Historical Collection comprises a variety of records documenting the union's history. Record types include correspondences, memos, reports, biographical material, obituaries, speeches, banquet and souvenir programs, arbitration decisions, meeting minutes, agreements, clippings, press releases, and reports.

Date: 
1905-1996
Attachment(click to download)
LR001924.pdfLR001924_guide.pdf291.32 KB