Of the many campaigns member organizer Joan Campbell has worked on, she considers organizing Pennsylvania home care workers one of the most rewarding.

“It was great to see home care workers feel the momentum and see the benefits of forming their union,” Joan said.

Joan, a Chicago home care provider with Family Home Services spent several weeks in Pennsylvania. She went door-to-door talking to home care workers about how being united can improve the quality of care to consumers and the quality of their own lives. Joan also transported workers to rallies, participated in lobby days and spoke at press conferences.

Her efforts were rewarded in January when 5,300 home care workers won their union. It was the largest organizing victory in history for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.

“It was wonderful to know that Joan cared enough to come in bad weather to help workers here get to where we wanted to be,” said Sandi Coates, a home care worker in Lancaster, Pa. “She understood what we were going through and her experience was a big help.”

“The Pennsylvania workers were telling me they want to accomplish what we’ve accomplished in Illinois — the pay, the respect, the quality care, training and more,” Joan said. “They just want to be recognized as home care workers that provide quality care.”