President, secretary-treasurer of AFSCME reelected by acclamation
LOS ANGELES – The top two leaders of AFSCME, the nation’s leading public service union, were reelected Tuesday, Aug. 13, to four-year terms.
Delegates reelected President Lee Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride by acclamation on the second day of the 46th AFSCME International Convention being held here.
“I am filled with gratitude that AFSCME members have placed their confidence in me to lead our great union for another term,” said Saunders, who was first elected president in June 2012.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work we have done together — the dynamic organizing, the surge in member activism, the record-setting contracts, the grassroots lobbying, the bold political action and more,” added Saunders, who began working for AFSCME in 1978 as a labor economist.
Saunders said he is ready to lead AFSCME members, who are fired up to win the battles that lie ahead and write the next chapter in the union’s history.
“We are ready in the coming years to keep fighting and winning — starting this fall when we will make the difference in this high-stakes presidential election. I am excited to work with all 1.4 million AFSCME members — the strongest, most fearless people I know — to seize the promising opportunities before us and launch the next great era in AFSCME’s history,” he said.
McBride, who joined AFSCME as the director of education and leadership training in 2001 and began her service as secretary-treasurer in 2017, expressed her gratitude to members for believing in her.
"Thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve as your secretary-treasurer, for the confidence you’ve shown in me in this role, and for the solidarity we show with each other every day,” McBride said. “In partnership with President Saunders, I’m committed to leading our union with integrity, with passion, and with accountability to all of you. And I’ll do everything I can to continue to build strong local unions with all of you."
Click here for a biography and a downloadable image of President Saunders.
Click here for a biography and a downloadable image of Secretary-Treasurer McBride.