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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF TOM BALANOFF
WHEREAS, Tom Balanoff is the president of Service Employees International Union Illinois Council and the Vice President of its international Executive Board, as well as the President of SEIU Local 1, a union close to about 2 million diverse members; and
WHEREAS, Tom comes from a family of labor union officials, including his father James Balanoff who served as President of the largest steelworkers local 1010 based in East Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Tom graduated from the University of Illinois with a master's degree in Labor, where he observed and witnessed the rejection of the labor movement as he took part in student actions. Tom saw the world with the mind of an activist due to his family roots in the labor and civil rights movements; and
WHEREAS, Tom moved to Chicago in 1993 to become the Local 73 Trustee. In 1994 he was elected president, and one year later he joined the SEIU International Executive Board and became Vice President; and
WHEREAS, As President Tom's leadership and vision has afforded SEIU Local 1 to improve the lives of more than 10,000 working people throughout the Midwest. One of his greatest accomplishments was winning a contract where janitors were allowed to work full-time hours with a higher wage of $20 a day. He has also seen SEIU grow into the largest security union worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Tom's dedication to improve our country for all working people, led to his support of a young activist named Barack Obama to win the Illinois State Senate seat and U.S. Senate, something that unions stayed away from. SEIU was one of a few unions to back a political candidate and witness a victory; and
WHEREAS, Tom's 25 years of experience has helped to double the growth of membership to more than 90,000 plus members spanning across Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan; and
WHEREAS, Tom will officially retire as President of SEIU Local 1 on March 3, he will no doubt still remain...
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