What Is Service Workers United?

Service Workers United, or SWU for short, is the national union of food service, facilities, and laundry workers employed by the three largest global companies in this industry--Aramark, Sodexo, and Compass. SWU is also a Local union, affiliated with both the Service Employees International Union and UNITE HERE.

SWU members are cooks, cashiers, food servers, banquet waiters, janitors, environmental service workers, laundry workers, maintenance workers, groundskeepers, concessions workers, and drivers, just to name a few of the many jobs our members do behind-the-scenes to keep our country running. SWU members work at elementary and high schools, universities, stadiums, hospitals, convention centers, industrial laundries, nursing homes, public buildings, corporate cafeterias, and public attractions.

Since its formation in 2005 the SWU campaign has organized more than 18,000 workers. While SWU's two affiliated International unions had for years represented some workers at the "Big 3" global companies, we recognized that there were many more workers at these companies that needed the benefits that a union could provide. SWU was formed with one goal in mind: to build power for workers by uniting the hundreds of thousands of workers in our industry that did not yet have a union.

Only then would we be able to raise wages, ensure all workers have affordable, quality health insurance, and protect the victories that existing union members had already won.

What Is SWU All About?

Building Worker Power

Every strong union needs to start at the worksite by giving workers dignity and respect on the job, protection from unfair treatment, and a path to livable wages and health insurance. Read the experiences of other SWU members about how their union has helped them build a better life for themselves and their families.

Building Industry Power

While the Big 3 employs hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide, those workers are spread out across thousands and thousands of small worksites. Many SWU workers see this reality every day--as a janitor on the late shift, for example, or working in the cafeteria of an elementary school. But add up all those worksites--in every corner of the United States--and suddenly you have some of the largest employers in the nation. SWU brings these workers together into a national union with the goal of building power for every one of these workers, regardless of whether you work at the largest convention center or the smallest schoolhouse.

Building Political Power

Many SWU members work in workplaces--schools, universities, convention centers, hospitals, public buildings--where public dollars are an important part of the overall budget. SWU believes that taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to fund poverty-wage jobs that don't provide workers with affordable health care. But SWU members also are committed to providing quality services that they can be proud of. Nowhere is this more true than in school cafeterias, where SWU members are the front-line providers in the nation's most important anti-hunger program, the National School Lunch Program. SWU members have actively worked on both the local, state, and national levels to raise standards for workers and students alike. Read more about these activities.

Of course, SWU members want to make things better for all working people, that's why our members are working for healthcare reform and fair treatment of all workers. To get involved in our nationwide efforts to take back the economy for working families, click here.

Building Global Power

All of the Big 3 companies are global corporations, with workers all around the world doing the same work as you do. Many of these workers are also union members, and share the same dreams and struggles as you do. Since its beginning, SWU has worked to build connections among the global unions that represent food service, laundry, and facilities workers. To read more about SWU's activities with union allies around the world, please click here.

Where We Represent Workers

Service Workers United represents workers like us all across this country.  Check out where members are located on our Membership Map. (Click the map to view larger.)