Sr. Union Organizer

Sr. Organizer - Join the Fight for Justice with SEIU Healthcare IL IN MO KS!

Are you ready to make a real impact? SEIU Healthcare IL IN MO KS (HCIIMK) is a dynamic, action-driven union of over 95,000 healthcare and childcare workers across Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas. We’re fighting for social and economic justice—organizing for better wages, healthcare, and a brighter future for working families.

We’re looking for a passionate and experienced senior level union Organizer to help lead the charge in building worker power and join the fight for justice against the attacks on Federal workers. If you’re a strategic thinker, a fearless leader, and an advocate for workers' rights, with open shop organizing experience, this is the opportunity for you!

Location: Chicago, IL (assigned in Health Systems at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center; assignment subject to change based on need).

Purpose

The Senior Organizer’s primary responsibility is to build strong teams of staff and worker- leaders to implement HCIIMK’s internal and/or external field plan for an office, area, or division of the local. The Senior Organizer performs a wide range of duties that include staff training and support, member development, and organizing workers through building organizations and committees of workers that can fight for a voice on the job and in their communities through collective action.

Duties And Responsibilities

The Senior Organizer performs a wide range of duties, which may vary according to the needs of the overall program or a specific campaign. Examples of those duties and responsibilities are listed below:

• Challenge and move workers to action.
• Develop workers to ensure they have the chance to grow, learn and lead.
• Lead, inspire, and motivate others, setting high standards of commitment and approach to the work.
• Accountable for leadership development, including mobilization, training, mentoring and development plans
• Accountable for membership density, growth and activity.
• Take a lead role in building worker leadership structures.
• Formulate and deliver with a team on short-term and long-term campaign and project goals.
• Develop and lead campaigns with staff and worker-leaders around workers’ issues that include escalating action.
• Run team meeting, prepare and track turf, coordinate staff and worker-leader work plans, debrief organizers and worker-leaders, and prepare reports.
• Train, develop and mentor organizers and worker-leaders.
• Electoral and political organizing, including accountability to team COPE goals.
• Articulate union priorities at outside tables (community, political, etc).
• Assess and make recommendations for working with allied organizations based on common interests.
• Effectively communicate the Union’s vision and mission.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Scope and Nature of Supervision:

The Senior Organizer must be able to organize his or her time, and develop and carry out plans with minimal supervision. S/he must also be able to receive direction from and interact with his or her immediate supervisor and other coordinators/directors as needed.

Criteria For Evaluation

The Senior Organizer will be evaluated on his/her ability and skill in assisting HCII in meeting its goals of mobilizing and developing worker leaders, and representing workers successfully. The Lead Organizer will also be evaluated on his/her ability to develop and lead teams of staff and worker-leaders.

Other Expectations

Senior Organizers are expected to lead by example. Senior Organizers must be able to work with racially and ethnically diverse staff and workers in both cities and in rural areas. They must be able to respect, learn from, and lead women, people of color and low-wage workers and others. All staff are expected to respect the processes of the organization and to work within the framework of the organization to resolve internal disputes and issues.

Working Conditions

Senior Organizers may be required to work long and irregular hours and to work on weekends and holidays when necessary. Travel may be required and the Senior Organizer may work on remote campaigns for extended periods.

Key Qualification Criteria

• Minimum of one (1) year experience in successfully directing the work of teams of staff and members on organizing campaigns.
• A strong commitment to social justice and alignment to values of our union.
• A belief in workers’ ability to organize and collectively bargain and achieve desired goals together.
• Proven ability to effectively lead, inspire, train and develop experienced organizing staff and member interns to plan key union organizing activities even in the face of employer and political opposition and intimidation (i.e. building organizing committees, member to member organizing, actions, etc.).
• Must be flexible and able to handle multiple priority projects simultaneously and meet established deadlines and remain accountable to leaders, senior staff, and organizational goals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write reports, facilitate meetings, and conduct trainings.
• Sound interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to build teams with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Proficiency in Word and PowerPoint, as well as working knowledge of spreadsheets and database software. Must be proficient in organizing databases (i.e. VAN).
• Strong knowledge and experience in organizing practices and principles, including campaign strategies and developing and implementing organizing and/or contract campaigns.
• Experience in the legal, political, economic, and industry forces that impact worker organizing, including knowledge of labor laws relating to our industries.
• Ability to demonstrate self-motivation, initiative, critical thinking skills, responsibility and productivity.
• Valid driver's license, working automobile and valid auto insurance.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual (English/Spanish or English and another language of the membership) is a plus.
  
  

Salary and Benefits:

Salary: $71,411 - $75,696/ Annually.

Benefits & Additional Compensation: (Full-time) - Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes: Health (Medical), Dental, and Vision Insurance; Dependent Care and Commuter/Transit Flexible Spending Accounts; a Health Reimbursement Account; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance; Paid Parental Leave; Ancillary Benefits such as Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity coverage; Employee Assistance Program (EAP); Pension Plan eligibility once vested; 401(k) Retirement Plan; Paid Holidays; and Paid Time Off. Most benefits are available to full-time employees on the first of the month following the hire date.

SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana is an equal opportunity employer; people of color and women are encouraged to apply.