SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff Responds to Tonight’s Mayoral Runoff Results

Janitors, CPS custodians, airport workers, security officers look forward to working with Mayor-Elect Lightfoot to raise Chicago’s minimum wage to $15 by 2021

CHICAGO – The following is a statement from SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff:

“No matter the outcome of the night, today is a truly historic day for our city. Chicagoans elected the first black woman mayor to the highest office in our city.

“We applaud Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for lifting up issues that matter most to our city’s working families and for outlining a bold progressive vision for Chicago during the mayoral election and throughout her entire career.

“Two women advanced to the runoff on progressive platforms that promised a clean break from the anti-worker policies of the past. Both candidates pledged their support for increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021.  We hope Mayor-Elect Lightfoot follows Governor Pritzker’s bold example by enacting a $15 wage as one of her first acts in office.”

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Service Employees International Union Local 1 unites 50,000 workers throughout the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, higher education faculty, food service workers and others.Local 1 is committed to improving the lives of its members and all working people by winning real economic justice and standing at the forefront of the fight for immigrant, racial and environmental justice.