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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE OF MRS. HELEN MILLER, LONGTIME LEADER OF THE SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION (SEIU)
WHEREAS, Mrs. Helen Miller was a leader in the field of home-care, having served the sick and elderly for 40 years in Chicago and supporting her fellow workers in the struggle for fair wages and benefits; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Helen Miller was born as Helen Ruth Ashford on May 26, 1936 to Buster and Clara Ashford in Louisville, Kentucky; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Miller moved to Chicago after graduating high school, where she found work in industrial laundries, and soon after married Collin Miller; and
WHEREAS, after several years, Mrs. Helen Miller became a home-care worker, a profession to which she dedicated the rest of her career; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Helen Miller became engaged in workers' rights activism during the 1980s through SEIU Local 880, when home-care workers were considered independent contractors whose wages were below the prevailing wage; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Helen Miller became a fierce advocate for the home-care profession and a champion for fair wages in an often-overlooked field while caring deeply for those she served; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Helen Miller was elected President of SEIU in 1999, after having served as its Treasurer and Vice-President; and
WHEREAS, in this role, she organized home-care workers and led protests and rallies for workers' rights locally and in other cities' and
WHEREAS, her efforts successfully helped increase wages and equipped workers with the ability to negotiate for health insurance as well as participate in state-funded training programs, which are now named after Mrs. Helen Miller; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Helen Miller passed away on March 5, 2019 and is survived by her sister, Johnnie Wells, and her brother, Hayward Ashford.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners and the President to the Board do hereby honor the life and contributions of dedicated union l...
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