SEIU Healthcare IL IN MO KS is a dynamic, action-oriented union of over 95,000 healthcare and child care workers throughout Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas. We believe in a society defined by freedom and justice, where we can all have quality education, health care and jobs, and where we all can live a full and plentiful life of our choosing. SEIU HCIIMK’s mission is to organize together to build power and demand and win social and economic justice for our communities.

Purpose:

The Organizer’s primary responsibility is to challenge workers to take collective action to build power at work and in their communities. Internal Organizer’s engage workers and identify and develop leaders through a variety of campaigns, including contract and community or political campaigns, and will be expected to build worker committees in their assigned area.

Location: Springfield, IL (based in this area)

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Organizer performs a wide range of duties, which may vary according to the needs of the overall program or a specific campaign. Examples of those duties and responsibilities are listed below:

• Move and challenge individual workers
• Develop workers to ensure they have the chance to grow, learn and lead
• Build worker committees for a campaign, neighborhood or workplace
• Create and execute a turf plan, and track and report work accomplished
• Membership recruitment and move workers to action
• Organize membership and worker meetings
• Support contract campaigns and organizing drives
• Member representation and contract enforcement, including basic knowledge of the National Labor Relations Act
• Organize community support; attend meetings with allied organizations or community partners
• Electoral and political organizing, including COPE recruitment
• Basic communications (flyers, rap)
• Effectively communicate the Union’s vision and mission
• Other duties as assigned

Scope and Nature of Supervision:

The Organizer must be able to organize his or her time and develop and carry out plans with support and supervision. S/he must also be able to receive direction from and interact with his or her immediate supervisor and others as necessary.

Criteria for Evaluation:

The Organizer will be evaluated on his/her ability and skill moving workers to action and to lead, and in representing workers successfully. Organizers will also be evaluated on their ability to balance conflicting demands successfully and carry out assigned responsibilities in a competent and professional manner.

Working Conditions:

The Organizer may be required to work long and irregular hours, and to work on weekends and holidays when necessary.

Other Expectations:

Organizers are expected to lead by example. Organizers must be able to work with racially and ethnically diverse workers in both cities and in rural areas. They must be able to respect, learn from, and lead women, people of color and low-wage workers and others. All staff are expected to respect the processes of the organization and to work within the framework of the organization to resolve internal disputes and issues.

Key Qualification Criteria:

• A strong commitment to social justice and the goals and principles of our union
• A belief in workers’ ability to organize and collectively bargain and achieve desired goals together
• Ability to work with local union leaders and directors on organizing programs

• A willingness to move according to the needs of the organization
• Ability to lead, motivate and inspire others and participate in key union organizing activities even in the face of employer opposition and intimidation (i.e. building organizing committees, member to member organizing, actions, etc.)
• Sound interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Desire to learn about labor history, collective bargaining, organizing models and other relevant information, and ability to support others in doing the same
• Must be flexible and able to handle multiple priority projects simultaneously and meet established deadlines and remain accountable to leaders, senior staff, and organizational goals
• Good and ethical judgment. Willingness to take initiative, to work with a team
• Basic working knowledge of Microsoft Office, databases and Internet
• A valid driver’s license, car and car insurance
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or English and other language of membership) is a plus

Salary and Benefits:

• Salary Exempt position is competitive and commensurate with experience. Company-paid benefits are included.