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Political Party/527

Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education (SEIU COPE)

Location:

Washington, WI
Type:

SEIU Union PAC
Treasurer:

Rocio Saenz

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The Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education (SEIU COPE) is the political election campaign arm of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of America’s largest, most controversial, and most politically involved labor unions, which as of its 2023 annual report represented just under 2 million members. 1 2 3

Activities and Financials

During the 2024 election cycle, as of August 2024, the Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education raised over $56 million and spent $35.4 million. 4 SEIU COPE’s single largest independent expenditure target was the presidential race, with the union PAC opposing former President Donald Trump and supporting Vice President Kamala Harris. 5

During the 2022 election cycle, SEIU COPE raised almost $64 million and spent $56.3 million. 6

During the 2020 election cycle, SEIU COPE raised $65.5 million and spent $75.4 million. 7

Nearly all of SEIU COPE’s funding comes from donations from members through the SEIU and its subsidiaries. 8 In 2020, the SEIU required all local unions to contribute at least $6 per member per year to COPE. 9

Individual union members may contribute voluntarily to SEIU COPE. 10 Some union members authorize their union to automatically withhold a portion of their salary for SEIU COPE donations. In the SEIU’s 2020 constitution and bylaws, local unions were encouraged to recruit least 20% of their members to sign up for the automatic deduction. Contributions to SEIU COPE are not tax-deductible. 11 12

Nearly all SEIU COPE’s political donations since at least 2000 have gone to support Democratic candidates or oppose Republican candidates. 13

Recipients of funds from SEIU COPE have included State Victory Action, a pro-Democratic PAC created by billionaires George Soros, Tom Steyer, and Donald Sussman; the Democratic Governors Association; the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association; the National Democratic Redistricting Committee; EMILY’s List; the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee; the Progressive Change Campaign Committee; the National Conference of Democratic Mayors; Labor United for Connecticut; the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund; and America Votes 2006. 14

Leadership

For the 2024 election, Rocio Saenz was the treasurer of the Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education, and a secretary treasurer of the SEIU. She previously worked as a president of SEIU Local 615 in Boston. 15 16

During the 2022 election, April Verrett was the treasurer of SEIU COPE and as of August 2024 was international president of the SEIU. Verrett had held a number of positions in the union, including international secretary-treasurer, president of SEIU Local 2015, and executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana. 17 18

During the 2020 election, Gerry Hudson was the treasurer of SEIU COPE and as of August 2024 was a secretary-treasurer and the executive vice president of the SEIU. 19 Hudson has sat on the advisory board of the Appollo Alliance, a pro-weather-dependent energy group, and he is a member of Redefining Progress, a now-defunct left-of-center public policy organization based in Oakland, California, that described itself as seeking allegedly market-based solutions for environmental issues. In 2007, Hudson was a participant in the first U.S. labor delegation to the United Nations on climate change. In the late 1990s, Huson worked as the political director of the New York State Democratic Party. He previously worked for 1199SEIU’s political operations, supporting Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign and New York City Mayor David Dinkins’s (D) mayoral campaign. 20 21

References

  1. [1] “We’re Stronger Together.” Freedom Foundation. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.freedomfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SEIU-775-membership-form-version-6-clean.pdf.
  2. “SEIU 2020 Constitution and Bylaws.” Unions for All. 2020. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://d3jpbvtfqku4tu.cloudfront.net/assets/SEIU-2020-Constitution-Bylaws-2020.pdf.
  3. Service Employees International Union, Annual Report of a Labor Organization (Form LM-2), 2023, Item 20 https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=889436&rptForm=LM2Form
  4. “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  5. “Service Employees International Union PAC to PAC/Party.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/service-employees-international-union/C00004036/pac-to-pac/2008.
  6. “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  7. “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  8. “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  9. “SEIU 2020 Constitution and Bylaws.” Unions for All. 2020. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://d3jpbvtfqku4tu.cloudfront.net/assets/SEIU-2020-Constitution-Bylaws-2020.pdf.
  10. “Collective Bargaining Agreement.” Cook County Gov. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://opendocs.cookcountyil.gov/human-resources/labor-agreements/2020-2024/2020-2024_SEIU_73_Hospital_Technicians_and_Technologists_v2.pdf
  11. “We’re Stronger Together.” Freedom Foundation. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.freedomfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SEIU-775-membership-form-version-6-clean.pdf.
  12. “SEIU 2020 Constitution and Bylaws.” Unions for All. 2020. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://d3jpbvtfqku4tu.cloudfront.net/assets/SEIU-2020-Constitution-Bylaws-2020.pdf
  13. “Service Employees International Union PAC to PAC/Party.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/service-employees-international-union/C00004036/pac-to-pac/2008.
  14. “SEIU COPE Similar Contribution.” ProPublica. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/527-explorer/contributions/33533910.
  15. [1] “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  16. “Rocio Sáenz, Secretary-Treasurer.” SEIU. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.seiu.org/rocio-saenz
  17. [1] “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  18. “April Verrett, SEIU President.” SEIU. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.seiu.org/april-verrett.
  19. “SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION).” FEC. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00004036/?tab=summary.
  20. “Gerald Hudson.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerald-hudson-96a1817/.
  21. “Gerry Hudson, Secretary-Treasurer.” SEIU. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.seiu.org/gerry-hudson.
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Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education (SEIU COPE)


Washington, WI