Washington, D.C.- Earlier today SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry announced she will step down. In response to this news, Patrick Gaspard, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress issued the following statement:
When Mary Kay Henry took the helm of the SEIU in 2010, a $15 minimum wage was not even a progressive pipe dream and industrywide organizing was not commonplace. Since then, millions of low-wage workers have gotten raises and workers in health care and fast food have won industrywide victories in places such as California, Nevada, and Minnesota. CAP and CAP Action have been proud to fight alongside her for policies to improve the lives of workers across the economy, including fast food, airport, janitorial, home care, and child care. Mary Kay is undoubtedly one of the most consequential figures in labor of her generation, and as the first woman to head the SEIU, a true trailblazer in her own right. But despite her profile, she always prioritized lifting the voices, experiences, strength of the workers she represented. She embodies what it means to be a servant leader. All of us in progressive advocacy and workers around the country—both SEIU members and not—are the better for her leadership.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].