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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF KEITH KELLEHER
WHEREAS, Keith Kelleher's early work in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Detroit in the early 1980s led him to make a life-long commitment to organizing for social and economic justice; and
WHEREAS, in his 39 years of work as a labor and community organizer, Keith Kelleher has pioneered the organization of fast food, home care, child care and other low-wage workers-growing Legacy Local 880 from just seven members in 1983 to over 70,000 members by 2008, and growing SEIU HCIIMK from 83,000 members in 2008 to over 92,000 members by 2014; and winning living wages and first-ever healthcare for tens of thousands of Illinois workers; and
WHEREAS, Keith Kelleher was the Field Director of the national SEIU's "Homecare Task Force" from 1996-1998, traveling, researching, and house visiting homecare workers in over ten states, beginning the work which led to the organizing of hundreds of thousands of Homecare workers across the country; and
WHEREAS, Keith Kelleher had been President of the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois/Indiana/Missouri/Kansas since its creation in April 2008, until April 2017, and had been field organizer, Lead Organizer, and Head Organizer of Legacy Local 880 since 1983, and Head Organizer of United Labor Unions Local 222 in Detroit, MI prior to that since 1980; and
WHEREAS, today, more than 600,000 home care and child care workers in more than fifteen states across the country are united in SEIU, fighting for a better standard of living for themselves and their families, joining with nursing home and hospital workers to become a national movement for quality care and quality jobs; and
WHEREAS, Keith Kelleher was a founder and leader in the national SEIU Homecare Council, composed of leaders of over 15 local unions; and
WHEREAS, Keith Kelleher was a Board member and then Vice-President of the SEIU Illinois State Council, which grew from 70,000 to over 120,00...
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