SEIU Local 1 Responds to Guilty Verdict in Trial of Derek Chauvin

CHICAGO - The following is a statement from SEIU Local 1 president Tom Balanoff regarding the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd:

“We are heartened to see the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial deliver a guilty verdict, but there is still more work to be done.

“Convicting Jason Van Dyke didn’t prevent an officer from killing Adam Toledo, and convicting Derek Chauvin today is bare-minimum accountability. Taking one bad officer off the streets still leaves in place a system that brutalizes Black and Brown people with impunity. George Floyd should still be alive today.

“SEIU Local 1 members across the Midwest will continue to fight to reimagine public safety and break down an unfair justice system that provides anything but. In this moment, we hope this decision brings some measure of comfort to George Floyd’s loved ones.”

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Service Employees International Union Local 1 unites 50,000 workers throughout the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, airport workers, 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.