(Courtesy Image)
April Verrett has been elected as the first Black president of the Service Employees International Union. The announcement was made today, May 20, at the SEIU convention in Philadelphia.
Verrett currently serves as international secretary-treasurer of the 103-year old union, which represents nearly 2 million workers in health care, property service and government service.
Verrett is a Southside Chicago native, who has a long history of working on behalf of union workers. Her grandmother, a union steward for SEIU Local 46, taught Verrett the values of collective action and community, which have served her well as president of SEIU Local 2015, California’s most prominent local union representing long-term care providers.
Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the convention on Tuesday, May 21.
–Los Angeles Sentinel