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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Helen Miller, who passed away on March 5,
42019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Helen Miller was born in Louisville, Mississippi
6on May 26, 1936; she graduated from Central Colored High School
7in Louisville (now Central High School) in 1955 and moved to
8Chicago; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Helen Miller began working in industrial
10laundries and worked in laundries for over 15 years; in the
11late 70s, she began working as a homecare provider for the City
12of Chicago and State of Illinois' Department of Rehabilitation
13Services; she later worked for private agencies caring for
14seniors under the State's Community Care Program; she retired
15in 2007; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In 1984, Helen Miller became active with the
17then-fledgling Local 880 of the United Labor Unions; she served
18in every capacity, including as a rank-and-file member, a
19member-organizer, a steward, a political organizer, and then as
20an officer; she became treasurer in 1986, vice-president in
211989, and president in 1999, serving until her retirement in
222007; she retired as the longest serving president in the

 

 

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1history of Local 880; in addition, she was elected to the SEIU
2Illinois Council in 1999 and as sergeant-at-arms in 2003; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Helen Miller was continuously involved in the
4fight for higher wages for homecare workers and childcare
5providers; she also took part in the fight against predatory
6lending, utility shutoffs, and for a living wage in Chicago and
7statewide; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Helen Miller was elected to the SEIU International
9Executive Board at its convention in 2004, the first homecare
10worker to serve on the SEIU International Executive Board; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Helen Miller was also active politically; she
12frequently knocked on doors to get out the vote, oversaw phone
13banks, and interviewed candidates for office; in 1995, she led
14Local 880's endorsement for Barack Obama when he first
15announced his intent to run for State Senate; she worked on
16several of his State Senate and Congressional campaigns, as
17well as his run for U.S. Senate in 2004; on the date of her
18retirement in 2007, then-Senator Obama sent her a
19congratulatory letter noting how honored he was to have worked
20with her and how her work improved the lives of thousands; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Helen Miller was the 2004 recipient of the Ms.
22Foundation's GLORIA award and a 2005 recipient of the Women's

 

 

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1E-News award for her leadership in ensuring that homecare
2workers are "invisible no more"; she received the Operation
3PUSH Bridge Builder Award presented by Rev. Jesse Jackson at
4the PUSH convention in June 2005; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Helen Miller served in her church in Chicago and
6the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Mississippi;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, In 2003, Helen Miller and her co-workers signed
9their first collective bargaining agreement with the State of
10Illinois; she led busloads of members into the Capitol Building
11and up to the Governor's office singing one of her favorite
12songs, Victory Is Mine; her Local had its greatest period of
13growth during her presidency, growing from seven members to
1470,000; she campaigned vigorously for higher pay and health
15care and benefits for many groups in Chicago, in Illinois,
16across the Midwest, the East and West Coasts and in the South;
17therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
19ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
20Helen Miller and extend our sincere condolences to her family,
21friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the family of Helen Miller as an expression of our
2deepest sympathy.