SEIU Local 500 is a local union of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) representing government and nonprofit employees in Maryland and Washington, D.C., including employees of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Media Matters for America, People for the American Way, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Public Citizen, and other left-of-center organizations. ^{1 2}

The union claimed to have 20,000 members as of 2025, ¹ though it reported only 10,558 members to the federal Department of Labor at the conclusion of its 2025 fiscal year. ³

Background

SEIU Local 500 was created in the 1970s by non-classroom support employees in the Montgomery County Public School system in Maryland. With the support of the Service Employees International Union and other labor unions, the Montgomery County Council of Supporting Services Employees (MCCSSE) became the first non-teacher local-government labor union in Maryland.  ⁴

The MCCSSE successfully lobbied the Maryland legislature and governor to pass a 1976 law forcing all school employees in positions covered by the union contract to pay dues to the union as a condition of employment. ⁴ In 1978, the MCCSSE affiliated with the SEIU to become Local 500. ⁴

In January 2025, Local 500 affiliated with the AFL-CIO when the national SEIU rejoined the labor federation after a 20-year hiatus. ⁵

Notable Organized Employers

SEIU Local 500 represents workers at a number of Democratic Party-aligned and left-of-center organizations in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. These include ActionAid USA, American Bridge, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Democratic National Committee, EarthRights International, Media Matters for America, Oxfam America, People for the American Way, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Public Citizen, and Democratic digital campaign firm Rising Tide Interactive. ^{6 7 8}

In November 2025, Local 500 opposed the Democratic National Committee’s requirement that Washington-area employees return to full-time in-person work in the DNC’s offices.  ⁹ Local 500 representatives called the DNC’s decision “shocking” and “especially callous considering the current economic conditions created by the Trump administration.” ⁹

Leadership

Vincent Foo was Local 500’s president from its founding until 1993.  ⁴ The Asian-Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) presents an annual Vincent Foo Award in his memory to a labor union or affiliated organization for work on behalf of left-of-center Asian and Pacific Islander interests. ¹⁰

Foo’s daughter, Merle Cuttitta, who had been an employee of the union, became its president in 2001. She remained in that role until her retirement in 2019, when PierAngeli Morrison became president. ¹¹

Endorsements

In 2018, Local 500 organized a “Take a Hike, Mike” campaign against then-Maryland Senate President Thomas “Mike” Miller, Jr. (D-Prince George’s County), who had not supported union priorities such as a $15 minimum wage or unionization of community college adjunct instructors. ^{12 13} Miller won reelection, and while political observers considered the campaign a failure, the union’s political director claimed victory after four Local 500-endorsed candidates won their Democratic primary elections over Miller-favored candidates. ¹²

Also in 2018, former People for the American Way (PFAW), People for the American Way Foundation president and NAACP president and CEO Ben Jealous was the Democratic Party candidate for governor of Maryland. Local 500 was a strong supporter of Jealous’ unsuccessful bid to unseat then-Governor Larry Hogan (R), who won the general election by a 55-44 percent margin. ^{14 15}

In 2022, Local 500 endorsed former Obama administration Labor Secretary Tom Perez in the Democratic primary for governor of Maryland. ¹⁶ Perez had previously been the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, where staffers were members of Local 500. ² He lost the primary to Wes Moore, who went on to defeat Republican Dan Cox in the general election. ¹⁷

Financials

SEIU Local 500 is largely funded by member dues and agency fee payments from non-members. In 2024, it collected $5,155,439 in dues and agency fees, making up more than 95 percent of its total $5,397,846 in revenues. ¹⁸

1. “SEIU Local 500.” SEIU LOCAL 500. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.seiu500.org/.
2. “Democratic National Committee.” SEIU LOCAL 500. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.seiu500.org/dncomm.
3. SEIU Local 500 (DOL File Number 542-923), Annual Report of a Labor Organization (Form LM-2), 2025, Schedule 13. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=925862&rptForm=LM2Form
4. “The History of Local 500.” SEIU LOCAL 500. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.seiu500.org/history.
5. Kumar, Apana. “SEIU Joins AFL-CIO to Build Unprecedented Worker Power, Win Unions for All Workers.” Service Employees International Union (SEIU), January 8, 2025. https://www.seiu.org/2025/01/seiu-joins-afl-cio-to-build-unprecedented-worker-power-win-unions-for-all-workers.
6. “View All Workplaces.” SEIU LOCAL 500. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.seiu500.org/find-my-workplace.
7. “Clients.” Rising Tide Interactive. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.risingtideinteractive.com/clients/.
8. “Rising Tide – Beck Notice.” SEIU LOCAL 500. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.seiu500.org/rising-tide-beck-notice.
9. Goldmacher, Shane, and Reid J. Epstein. “The D.N.C. Ordered Workers Back to the Office. Its Union Isn’t Pleased.” The New York Times, November 12, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/us/politics/dnc-return-to-office-ken-martin.html.
10. “12th Biennial Convention.” APALA. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.apalanet.org/12th-biennial-convention.html.
11. Morrison , Pierangeli. “Pierangeli Morrison – President, SEIU Local 500.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierangeli-morrison-1b0701180/.
12. McLaurin, Mark. “Labor Leader Responds to Our ‘winners and Losers’ List.” Maryland Matters, July 1, 2018. https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/07/01/labor-leader-responds-to-our-39-winners-and-losers-39-list/.
13. Depuyt, Bruce. “Franchot Vows to Campaign against Miller, Busch in Primary.” Maryland Matters, April 10, 2018. https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/04/10/franchot-vows-to-campaign-against-miller-busch-in-primary/.
14. “Maryland Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2018.” Ballotpedia. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2018.
15. “Local 500 and Ben Jealous.” YouTube, October 12, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24_BLrEOamM.
16. Gaines, Danielle E. “Service Employees International Union Locals Endorse Perez in Democratic Gubernatorial Primary.” Maryland Matters, March 14, 2022. https://marylandmatters.org/2022/03/14/service-employees-international-union-endorses-perez-in-democratic-gubernatorial-primary/.
17. “Maryland Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2022.” Ballotpedia. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2022.
18. “Service Employees International Union.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520910299.