Member Strength Program

SEIU Scholarship Program

SEIUScholarship.jpgSEIU District 1199 has a long, proud history of helping Union members pursue their dreams through higher education. To continue that tradition, SEIU is offering 53 scholarship opportunities to support studies in various subjects. All scholarship opportunities are open to SEIU District 1199 members and their children.

To be eligible to apply for any SEIU scholarship, applicants or a parent must have been members of SEIU for three continuous years as of September 1, 2012. Scholarships will be awarded without regard to the sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability of any applicant. Scholarship awards are limited to one per household. All awards must be for the academic year(s) awarded. Graduate students are not eligible.

General Application Instructions

  • Applications should be filed online. Please see the individual scholarship information below for instructions. Applications can also be mailed to SEIU (name of scholarship), ISTS, PO Box 23737, Nashville, TN 37202-3737.
  • Applications must be postmarked or filed online by midnight March 1, 2012.
  • Winners will be notified in late spring and announced on http://www.seiu.org/a/members/fulfill-your-college-goals-with-an-seiu-scholarship.php.

    Download a Scholarship Brochure:
    http://www.seiu.org/members/2012_scholarships/14326.SchlrshpBroEngFinal.pdf

    Description of SEIU Scholarships

    SEIU'S Lottery Scholarships

    $1,000 Scholarships (Renewable)
    (To apply online, go to https://aim.applyists.net/SEIU)
    Program Key: SEIU (for lottery)

    There are 15 $1,000 scholarships available in annual installments for up to four years.

    Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must graduate from a high school or GED program by August 2012. They must be enrolled as a fulltime college student by the fall semester of 2012 at an accredited, two-year or four year college, trade or technical school.

    $1,500 Scholarships (Nonrenewable)
    (To apply online, go to https://aim.applyists.net/seiu.)

    There are 33 $1,500 scholarships; these are nonrenewable, one-time awards.

    Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be returning full time to an accredited college or university as a sophomore, junior or senior as of the fall semester of 2012; or attending an accredited community college, trade, or technical school as of the fall semester of 2012. Lottery scholarships are not awarded to the same person in two consecutive years.

    Selection Process: Selection for both of the lottery scholarships is by a drawing of qualifying applicants. All applicants must read the 2010 SEIU Annual Report and correctly answer all the questions on the SEIU lottery scholarship quiz and application to qualify for the drawing. The annual report is available only online at www.seiu.org/members, under SEIU Lottery Scholarship Program.

    SEIU Competitive Scholarships

    Moe Foner Scholarship for Visual and Performing Arts
    (To apply online, go to https://aim.applyists.net/MF)
    Program Key: MF (for Moe Foner)

    SEIU is proud to offer a scholarship that continues the life work of the late Moe Foner, the founder of the SEIU 1199 Bread and Roses Cultural Project. Foner used his energy and imagination to tap into New York's thriving artistic community and brought new resonance to union concerts, exhibits and publications. This is a one-time, $5,000 scholarship.

    Eligibility Criteria: Applicants for the Moe Foner Scholarship must be pursuing a degree or training full time in the visual or performing arts. Scholarship funding must be applied to tuition at a two-year or four year college, university, or an accredited community college, technical or trade school in an arts-related field.

    Jesse Jackson Scholarship
    (To apply online, go to https://aim.applyists.net/JJ)
    Program Key : JJ (for Jesse Jackson)

    For more than 20 years, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and SEIU have worked side by side for social and economic justice. This $5,000 renewable scholarship is given to a student whose work and aspirations for economic and social justice reflect the values and accomplishments of Rev. Jackson. It can be renewed annually for a maximum of four years.

    Eligibility Criteria: Applicants for the Jesse Jackson Scholarship must demonstrate a commitment to social and economic justice and agree to participate in some paid or course credit internship or work experience in social change during the four years they receive the scholarship. Scholarship funding must be applied toward tuition at a two-year or four-year accredited college, university or community college.

    The Bonnie Ladin Scholarship

    The Bonnie Ladin scholarship is available for SEIU members, their children and local staff who are attending the National Labor College. Bonnie Ladin was an organizer at SEIU for 20 years and played an integral role in building SEIU to make it the union it has become. She held several key leadership roles at SEIU and joined the faculty of the National Labor College in 2001 where her courses on organizing tactics and leadership skills helped prepare the next generation of organizers.

    In 2010, after a long battle with cancer, Bonnie passed away at the age of 59. In honor of her tremendous contributions to the labor movement, SEIU has created a scholarship in her name.

    Eligibility Criteria: Members, their children and local staff who have been accepted into the NLC's Bachelor of Arts program and are fully matriculated (which means they have earned or transferred 56 credits) are eligible to apply.

    Please go to http://www.nlc.edu/scholarships.html for more information and to apply.

    The National Labor College

    The National Labor College (NLC) is the only college in the United States with an exclusive mission to serve the educational needs of the labor movement. It is a fully accredited, upper degree completion program whose student body is made up of experienced, highly skilled working adults who have multiple commitments to family, job, union and community.

    The NLC's Bachelor of Arts program is an online program with minimal residency requirements, offers credit for prior training and experience, is 100 percent labor focused and is affordable. The college accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward a Bachelor of Arts degree. Transfer credits can come from a number of sources. For more information about the college, go to its website at www.nlc.edu.

    Nora Piore Scholarship
    (To apply online, go to https://aim.applyists.net/NP)
    Program Key: NP (for Nora Piore)

    This scholarship is in honor of the late Nora Poire. Born in 1921, Piore was a public healthcare pioneer whose career spanned more than 60 years. Nora Piore worked as a union organizer, labor educator, college professor, healthcare economist and healthcare activist who changed the face of public health in the United States. The scholarship is made possible by an endowment by the family of Nora Piore. It is for $4,000 and is renewable for up to two years.

SEIU's 90th Birthday Celebration: A Union is Born

SEIU_Birthday.gifNinety years ago this month, members of seven small flat janitor unions dared to dream they could build their strength by forming a single organization, the Building Service Employees International Union (BSEIU). A union of mostly immigrant workers, BSEIU was primarily organized by janitors and window washers in its early years - workers who were excluded from other unions at the time. BSEIU faced opposition from building owners, the courts, and even other unions, but managed to quickly grow from 200 members in 1921 to 250,000 by 1960.

 

From those humble beginnings, BSEIU became SEIU and grew to an organization of 2.2 million janitors, nursing home workers, nurses, child care providers, security officers, county and city workers and other workers. Today SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America, uniting workers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

 

Read more about SEIU's founding as a Union of Janitors.

Watch a short video detailing the union's early history.

Regional Executive Board Summary: April 15, 2011

WV/KY/OH Members Share Skills with Over 1,500 SEIU Member Leaders

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More than 1,500 of the top SEIU member leaders from across the United States met this weekend to kick off a three-day Member Leadership and Action Conference in Los Angeles California. The 12 members of SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH participating in the convention are Kim Mickles, Samara Knight, Rhonda Clark, Phyllis Ford, Scherhera Shearer, Kay Bishop, Anitta Bryant, Damon Core, Geneva Gray, Dana Samson, Contrina Lawson and Lyndsey Leffler.

The conference will prepare members to return to Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky and lead others in the fight for an economy that is fair for everyone, not just the super rich.

Click here to see photos of members and the event.

Workers are Taking Back Ohio

Meet a Member - Scherhera Shearer

Over 70 Members Trained in Grievances

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Seventy one SEIU Member Leaders gathered in Columbus on June 11 and 12 to for the Basic Grievance Chair Training.  Members learned about the grievance process and how to represent their brothers and sisters when there is a violation of their contract by their employer.  The training included an overview of members' legal rights, contractual rights and how we can ensure social and economic justice in our workplace.

Meet a Member - Sandra Forrester

Meet a Member





District 1199 Members Help Wis. Home Care Workers Organize

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Eight SEIU District 1199 members traveled to Stevens Point, Wis., in mid-April to help get out the vote in an election to organize 6,000 home care workers into SEIU.

These members were among 60 member organizers from SEIU healthcare locals across the country who campaigned across the state. Votes will be counted on May 6.

The members were: Carol Ford, Pattie Huckabee, Gwen Hinton, Chana Trimble, Vikki Tully, Vanessa Jones, Teresa Law and William Harper. Congratulations to each of them for their dedication to strengthening the Union and helping workers gain a voice!