July 18, 2025 — This summer, SEIU invited members of its locals to participate in a Justice Journey, a mobilization effort that brought union members, community leaders, and people of faith on a trip that ultimately led to Louisiana, to demonstrate continued rejection of the Trump Administration’s attacks on immigrants.
“The Justice Journey is rooted in the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement,” SEIU stated on its website. “We are traveling through cities that were central to that fight, in direct response to the rising attacks on immigrant workers – violent ICE raids, military force in our streets, and arrests for simply speaking out and exercising our right to free speech. As we witnessed in Los Angeles, when SEIU USWW President David Huerta was assaulted, injured and detained while advocating for immigrant workers.”
Paid for entirely by SEIU, several PEF members used their own accruals to board the bus tour from June 26 through July 2.
Scarlett Ahmed, Career Center Supervisor, Department of Labor (NYC)
Scarlett serves as a PEF Executive Board Member for DOL members in New York City and Long Island and is a member of the PEF contract team. A student of labor history, she is moved by those moments when workers put aside their differences and fought not just for better wages but for a more just world.
“Two shining examples include SEIU 1199’s support of the civil rights movement and the Longshoremen’s shutdown of West Coast ports in protest of the Iraq War,” Scarlett said. “An ugly moment was when The Knights of Labor promulgated anti-immigrant hate, especially towards Chinese immigrants, even as it advocated for the rights of other marginalized people.
“As the PEF team learned on the SEIU Justice Journey, much of U.S. history is one of oppression and resistance to oppression, with constant overlap among the struggles of Black people, indigenous people, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and the disabled community,” she said. “The one movement that has the capacity to unite all these disparate working people in the struggle for justice is the labor movement, and, in my view, it is the labor movement’s moral duty to do so. That is why, in the tradition of the Freedom Riders, I was happy and proud to join the SEIU Justice Journey, to fight against unjust federal cuts that threaten our jobs and communities, and against the terror of mass detention that is ripping families apart and turning our country from a beacon of hope to a crucible of cruelty.”
Sam Boese, Professional Engineer, Adirondack Park Agency
For Sam, the steward/treasurer of Adirondack Park Agency Division 354, finding the words to describe the Justice Journey has been hard because it was many things to him.
“It was several days of travel through the American South, ending in New Orleans alongside hundreds of other SEIU members,” Sam said. “We were part of multiple demonstrations and protests, we visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, and attended workshops and breakout sessions with our SEIU brothers and sisters. The bravery of civil rights leaders and activists was on display at the Civil Rights museums, considering the fight to end segregation was often met with deadly violence. In fact, the Freedom Riders, the inspiration for SEIU’s Justice Journey, were met by mobs of angry segregationists and had their bus burned.
“Much of the Justice Journey’s focus was on immigration policy,” said Sam. “SEIU’s membership has a sizable number of immigrant workers, many of whom shared heart-wrenching stories of being separated from their families during the immigration process. With many immigrant communities unjustly under attack in the current political climate, it was useful to take lessons from the civil rights movement, and remember that change does not happen overnight, it is a long process that takes decades of hard work and coalition building. SEIU is a powerful part of a national movement to oppose unjust detentions, cruel cuts to Medicaid, and further the labor movement, which is why I am proud to have been part of the Justice Journey.”
Jacqueline Jones, Disability Analyst, OTDA, New York City
Jacqueline jumped at the chance to take part in the Justice Journey and is looking forward to more opportunities like it.
“I feel privileged and extremely grateful that SEIU extended the invitation to PEF members to participate in the Justice Journey,” she said. “The Justice Journey was more than an activism experience for me, this bus tour afforded me the opportunity to witness firsthand the current trials, deplorable challenges and unjust enforcement practices our fellow immigrant population are currently enduring under the Trump Administration.
“We were able to protest outside detention centers, rally at designated points of reference, partake in justice summit workshops, and visit historical sites that reflected on the rich African American history of the Civil Rights movement,” Jacqueline said. “It was a sobering, enlightening, enriching, empowering, communal and unique opportunity to use our individual and collective voices. We are the voices of the oppressed. As a Christian woman of faith, the Holy Bible exhorts us in Isaiah 1:17a to: ‘Do what is right, seek justice, defend the oppressed.’
“The Justice Journey provided an indelible and impactful opportunity to exercise our First Amendment right and object to the unlawful and inhumane enforcement practices towards immigrants. Injustice to one is injustice to all,” she said. “We are stronger when we unite, and this coalition of unions demonstrated the power and effectiveness of our collective voices. A resounding message was echoed throughout this journey: Solidarity in struggle is built in everyday life. We are Union Strong for freedom and justice.”
Siobhán Loughman, Research Scientist, NYS Department of Health
As the first American in her family, there was no question in Siobhán’s mind that she wanted to participate in SEIU’s Justice Journey.
“I have always strongly identified with immigrants,” she said.
Her parents immigrated first to London from Ireland and then again to the United States with her older siblings.
“They made that second trip to America because they felt we would be better off in the United States as there was still significant discrimination against the Irish in the UK in the 1950’s. And the United States, after all, was a nation of immigrants, and we would find our place among the other immigrants,” she said. “I have taken a keen interest in immigrant history and the laws that were passed to restrict immigration. I felt it was important in any discussion about immigration policy reform to always honor our history of immigration and continue to create opportunities for future generations to make this place home.”
Siobhán said instead of reforming an inadequate system, the United States has embarked on mass deportation.
“This administration’s cruel campaign to arrest, detain, and deport immigrants has horrified me, and I felt compelled to act, to protest, to say unequivocally, this is not acceptable,” she said.
Siobhán reflected on the stops on the tour, from New York City to New Orleans, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the history.
“As this was my first trip with the union, it was exciting and educational to meet with union officials and organizers, as well as rank-and-file union members, and stand in solidarity for freedom, family, and justice for our fellow immigrant workers. During this trip, I realized that, although we must never forget the power of individual action, we also have great strength when we unite as a union and make our voices heard, especially for those who are too terrified to speak, lest they get seized by ICE.”