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The 73-member International Executive Board (IEB) of the Service Employees International Union elected Executive Vice President Mary Kay Henry the 10th president of the nation’s fastest-growing union, May 8.“This moment marks a renewed commitment to our union’s core mission: to improve the lives of all workers who are struggling to make ends meet in this economy,” Henry said. “Working people are facing hardships we haven’t seen in generations, and we believe SEIU can be an even more effective vehicle for change to help them improve their lives and the lives of the people they serve.
“We will get this done by renewing our commitment to organizing, connecting our members at the grassroots level to our political strength and restoring our relationships throughout the American labor movement – because just like I learned as a little girl in a family of twelve, we can’t go it alone. Everything is better when you can organize a group and make a decision to stand and act on behalf of all workers in this country.”
Henry is noted for working side-by-side with SEIU members – meeting with them at 3 a.m. on night shifts in hospitals, walking picket lines, leading members in contract bargaining, and helping them discover the strength they have when they stand together.
“Mary Kay is going to take our union to the next level. She is the type of leader who understands workers and listens to what we need. She understands the times we’re in and she has the smarts and ideas to move us forward,” said Linda Dent, SEIU 721 Vice President.Background on Mary Kay Henry
Henry, the eldest sister of 10 siblings, grew up in and around Detroit, Michigan. She credits her innate organizing skill to her years herding her brothers and sisters to school and her commitment to social justice to her Catholic education, particularly two nuns who helped her see first hand through charity work in hard hit communities the importance and dignity of work for all people.
After graduating from Michigan State with a degree in Urban Policy Planning and Industrial Labor Relations in 1979, Henry joined SEIU as a research specialist. During a year’s training in California, she worked on campaigns for child care and public sector workers. Assigned next to Minneapolis, Henry learned and participated in all aspects of bargaining, organizing and legislative advocacy. She has served as Organizing Director for the union and head of the healthcare division. She has been a strong advocate for immigrant rights, and Henry is a founding member of SEIU’s gay and lesbian Lavender Caucus. In 2004, she was elected as Executive Vice President.
Known best for her organizing skills, Henry’s vision and leadership has helped pave the way to groundbreaking agreements between SEIU and hospital chains such as Beverly Enterprises, Catholic Healthcare West, Tenet and HCA that united tens of thousands of members in SEIU. She played a significant role in creating the national Labor-Management Partnership at Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest HMO. She was formerly a labor adviser to and member of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Subcommittee on Catholic Health Care, and she has played a critical role in the union’s fight to extend state health insurance coverage to children.
Mary Kay Henry is the first woman to hold the position international president in SEIU.