Bill Text: VA SJR244 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ244ER) [SJR244 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR244-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ, the largest union of property service workers in the United States, celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2024; and
WHEREAS, the Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ (SEIU 32BJ) was founded by the merger of the Local 32-B, which was formed by men in 1934, and Local 32-J, which was formed by women in 1936, in recognition of the strength of a unified movement to improve the rights of workers; and
WHEREAS, SEIU 32BJ has been dedicated to building and growing a diverse, effective, politically independent, and democratic organization of workers in order to change their lives for the better, improve their communities, and foster a more just society for present and future generations; and
WHEREAS, SEIU 32BJ operates primarily in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States, including in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., but extends as far south as Florida and as far west as Montana; and
WHEREAS, SEIU 32BJ's members are primarily frontline workers, including cleaners, property maintenance workers, doormen, security officers, window cleaners, building engineers, school and food service workers, and other building professionals, as well as railroad and factory workers; and
WHEREAS, SEIU 32BJ's members have an important role in ensuring the efficient operations of an array of public and private properties, such as office, apartment, and government buildings; airports and shopping malls; public schools, colleges, and universities; and stadiums, theaters, museums, and country clubs; and
WHEREAS, SEIU 32BJ's members have successfully organized and attained historic pay increases, better benefits, and improved working conditions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, and more than 1,500 office buildings in the greater Northern Virginia area; and
WHEREAS, by working in essential, frontline positions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SEIU 32BJ's members were instrumental in ensuring the well-being of the community; their continued commitment to excellent customer experience, building management, and public health and safety are critical to the Commonwealth's economic vitality; and
WHEREAS, representing the full breadth of the nation's diversity and embodying the spirit of the American Dream, SEIU 32BJ has played an important part in the history and culture of the United States for nearly a century; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's history and its contributions to the Commonwealth and the nation.
