Politics
SEIU locals break with Johnson, back Giannoulias for Chicago mayor
Two Service Employees International Union locals endorsed Alexi Giannoulias in the 2027 mayoral race, deepening a split among unions that helped elect Mayor Brandon Johnson. The locals cite a breakdown in trust tied to a dispute with the Chicago Teachers Union over school employees’ jobs.
Two of Chicago’s largest Service Employees International Union locals endorsed Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias for mayor Tuesday, withdrawing support from Mayor Brandon Johnson as the 2027 campaign takes shape.
SEIU Locals 1 and 73 represent a combined 50,000 Chicago workers. SEIU affiliates gave more than $4.5 million and campaign volunteers and materials to Johnson’s 2023 mayoral bid. Giannoulias, who filed nominating petitions Monday, had $19.2 million in campaign funds, compared with $379,471 reported by Johnson, according to figures cited in the campaign coverage.
The endorsement follows a long-running dispute between SEIU and the Chicago Teachers Union over which workers would perform certain school jobs. In early 2025, SEIU objected to CTU proposals that it said could shift work done by Local 73 members to teacher assistants, threatening the union’s membership. The disagreement was eventually resolved after CTU backed away from the contested proposal; the new teachers contract increased the number of teaching assistants and included job protections.
Local 73 President Dian Palmer said Johnson failed to remain neutral in the conflict, despite her request that he allow the unions to use the grievance process. “That was hurtful,” Palmer said, describing the dispute as a threat to a large unit of union members.
Palmer also criticized Johnson’s support for pressing the Chicago Board of Education to take out a high-interest loan to reimburse the city for a $175 million pension payment for nonteaching school employees. She said SEIU feared that cuts to repay the loan could fall on ancillary staff rather than teachers. The loan was not taken out; district CEO Macquline King instead advanced a budget that assumed $150 million in additional state funding.
Palmer said SEIU members believe Giannoulias would be more likely to stay out of a similar union dispute. The endorsement adds to a broader rift between SEIU and CTU, which have backed opposing candidates in races for Chicago’s new elected school board.
Johnson’s senior adviser, Jason Lee, said the mayor would make his case directly to SEIU members and argued that voters would weigh candidates’ records. “The mayor feels very strongly and confident that his record will hold up against anybody else in the field,” Lee said.
The endorsement could give Giannoulias access to union organizing capacity, while depriving Johnson of support from locals that were important to his first campaign. The unions’ decision highlights how labor alliances in Chicago politics can shift when disputes over school staffing, budgets and workers’ job security divide former partners.