Labor & Employment Law

Five New Members Named to Executive Council

By James Parks

Bob King
Lee Saunders

The AFL-CIO today elected five new members to the Executive Council. The Council also voted to add two seats to the council to promote and establishing diversity as well as giving a greater role to state and local labor leaders.

The council is meeting this week in Washington, D.C., to discuss plans for a major push in the fall elections, the union movement’s ongoing strategy to address the jobs crisis and efforts to reach out to young workers. President Obama will address the council today. 

The new members of the Executive Council include: UAW President Bob King, UAW Vice President General Holiefield, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders, North Carolina State AFL-CIO President James Andrews and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo.

The Council also honored two departing members?former UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and former United American Nurses President Ann Converso for their service to working people. Former UAW Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn announced her retirement from the Council in March to become AFL-CIO organizing director. Holiefield was elected to fill that vacancy.

James Andrews
Maria Elena Durazo
General Holiefield

?The new members of the Executive Council represent workers in all professions across the country who are working to make their workplaces and communities better,? AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said.

 I look forward to working with our new members who bring great experience, energy and new ideas to the AFL-CIO Executive Council and thank our departing members for their service to the labor movement. 

King was elected to lead UAW in June after serving as a union vice president since 1998. Holiefield was re-elected in June to his second term as a UAW vice president. Saunders was elected as AFSCME?s secretary-treasurer in July after serving as executive assistant to union President Gerald McEntee.

Andrews, a member of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU), became the first full-time elected African American state federation president in the AFL-CIO?s history in 1998. Durazo was elected as executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County AFL-CIO in 2006. She served as executive vice president of UNITE HERE! from 2004 until her election to the L.A. County post.

The AFL-CIO Constitution authorizes the Council to establish up to three additional vice presidencies to promote diversity. In nominating Andrews and Durazo to those posts, Trumka said their election not only increases the racial and gender diversity of the Council, but also shows

our commitment to truly getting our state and local labor movements more involved in the national labor movement?s program.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on August 04, 2010 (boomark / email).