The Ms. Foundation honors Homecare Union President Helen Miller and Union Field Director Myra Glassman for its 16th Annual “Gloria Awards.” The prestigious national award, of which Helen Miller and Myra Glassman are two of the four recipients this year, honors these Chicagoans for their outstanding campaign to win unprecedented bargaining rights for more than 20,000 home health aides in Illinois, and a higher Living Wage Ordinance for the City of Chicago.

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Ninety-three percent of caregivers in long-term care facilities are women. In home-based care, nearly three quarters of caretakers are women. When in-home care giving became one of the fastest growing sectors in our service economy, the tradition of women’s unpaid labor in the home resulted in significantly lower wages than in the male-dominated service sectors. The fact that two of the four “Gloria Award” recipients this year hail from the Illinois Homecare Union SEIU Local 880 establishes the growing impact and success of women organizing for living wages, dignity, and respect in the Illinois and national labor movement.


The Gloria Awards recognize “women of vision” from throughout the nation who are trailblazers in creating social change in their communities. Members of the Award’s Benefit Committee include Gloria Steinem, Ruth Messinger, Rob McKay, Bonnie Raitt, Meryl Streep, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, Alice Walker, and others.