SEIU Michigan State Council is the state level union federation of the Service Employees International Union in Michigan. The organization represents more than 30,000 workers in the state, and includes four local affiliates: SEIU 517M, SEIU Healthcare Michigan, SEIU Local 1, and Michigan Corrections Organization. ¹ The council is an active participant in left-leaning political advocacy, especially as related to critical race theory-inspired identity politics. ²

Political Endorsements

SEIU Michigan State Council regularly endorses Democratic and liberal candidates for public office. It often promotes candidates that support increasing institutional powers and privileges of labor unions.

In the 2020 election to fill two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court, the council endorsed Elizabeth Welch. Prior to being elected to the Court, Welch worked as a private practice attorney at a labor-focused firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Welch was heavily involved in environmental activism and has spoken openly about using her position in the Michigan Supreme Court to promote left-of-center environmentalism. ³ Welch served as the president of the board of directors for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, a liberal environmentalist organization. Welch’s election campaign was endorsed and supported by a number of left-of-center and liberal organizations including Planned Parenthood, SEIU, LIUNA, and the League of Conservation Voters. ⁴

SEIU Michigan State Council endorsed Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in the 2020 Congressional elections. Tlaib is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and holds endorsements from many of the largest labor unions in the country including the SEIU, AFL-CIO, and AFT. ⁵

Racial Advocacy

COVID-19 Pandemic

SEIU Local 1 held a strike in 2020 calling for increased COVID protections for African-American health care workers, claiming that they were disproportionally affected by the pandemic, and calling for more paid sick leave. The strike was part of a national movement to fight the supposed “triple threat of white supremacy, public health emergency, and broken economy,” which it blamed on systemic racism. ⁶

George Floyd Trial

SEIU Michigan State Council was active in marches, protests, and online social advocacy in the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020. Mary McLendon, a Detroit nurse and organizer for SEIU Healthcare Michigan was particularly active in representing the union during the protests and made numerous statements on the union’s behalf during the events. SEIU Healthcare Michigan supported Detroit Will Breathe, an organization founded in the wake of the George Floyd protests and riots that advocates for radical-left police and prison changes,. ⁷

Membership Decline

According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, SEIU Michigan State Council has experienced a 51 percent decline in membership while SEIU Healthcare Michigan has lost 84 percent of members since 2012. The national SEIU has seen an 8 percent decline in fee payers. The Mackinac Center points out the correlation between this decline in membership and a Michigan “right-to-work” law passed in 2012 that gave workers the option to opt out of union membership and fees. Since the decline, the organization has largely increased its funding for anti-Republican campaigns and increased its funding for Democratic campaigns. ⁸

Finances

The SEIU Michigan State Council reported revenue of $544,816 in 2019. It reported expenses of $325,661 in the same year. Laura Garza, a recording secretary, was the highest paid employee of the organization in 2019, receiving $200,000. Andrew Potter, then-president of the organization, was the second highest paid employee, receiving $159,584. ⁹

Leadership

Andrea Acevedo is the president of SEIU Michigan State Council. ¹⁰

Andrew Potter is the former president of the council. Potter has long served in multiple positions at the SEIU. Most notably, he was a member of the international executive board of directors for the union, as the executive director for the Michigan Corrections Organization, and currently serves as chair of the SEIU National Corrections Council. Potter founded One Voice United, a correctional reform organization. ¹¹

1. HOME: SEIU Michigan. Accessed October 1, 2021.  https://www.seiumi.org/
2. ABOUT: SEIU Michigan. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.seiumi.org/about/
3. “Tweet: Elizabeth Welch.” Twitter. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://twitter.com/EMerrillWelch/status/1312496924897898496
4. C.J. Moore. “The Michigan Supreme Court is in the spotlight for striking down Whitmer’s emergency powers. The balance of power will be decided Nov. 3.” Michigan Advance. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://michiganadvance.com/2020/10/17/the-michigan-supreme-court-is-in-the-spotlight-for-striking-down-whitmers-emergency-powers-the-balance-of-power-will-be-decided-nov-3/
5. “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorses Rashida Tlaib for Congress.” Arab American News. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.arabamericannews.com/2020/07/29/house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-endorses-rashida-tlaib-for-congress/
6. “Tens of Thousands in 25+ Cities to Strike for Black Lives.” SEIU. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.seiu.org/2020/07/tens-of-thousands-in-25-cities-to-strike-for-black-lives
7. Gus Burns. “Guilty: Michigan reacts to George Floyd murder trial verdict.” MLive. Accessed October 2, 2021. https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/04/guilty-michigan-reacts-to-george-floyd-murder-trial-verdict.html
8. “Despite Collapse in Membership, SEIU Poised to Go All-In in Michigan.” Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.mackinac.org/despite-collapse-in-membership-seiu-poised-to-go-all-in-in-michigan
9. SEIU Michigan State Council, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2019/386/088/2019-386088982-202023179349303627-9O.pdf?_gl=1*15wy9ee*_ga*OTIxOTcyMzI3LjE2MjMyOTk0NTY.*_ga_0H865XH5JK*MTYzMzM1NDA4Mi4xNC4xLjE2MzMzNTQwODMuMA..*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*MTYzMzM1NDA4Mi4xNC4xLjE2MzMzNTQwODMuMA..&_ga=2.128885327.254002535.1633348870-921972327.1623299456
10. HOME: SEIU Michigan. Accessed October 1, 2021.  https://www.seiumi.org/
11. “User Profile: Andy Potter.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-potter-58b93416/