Washington, D.C.–Delegates to the 40th International Convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (AFSCME), elected Lee A. Saunders as president and Laura Reyes as secretary-treasurer of the union representing 1.6 million public service workers this week.
Saunders received 683,628 votes to 582,358 for opponent Danny Donohue. In the race for secretary-treasurer, the union’s second highest ranking officer, Reyes, received 661,413 votes to 603,624 for Alice Goff. The election was administered by the American Arbitration Association.
“Both Laura and I are committed to our members and cherish this union,” said President-elect Saunders. “We had a vigorous and energetic campaign, but now the union will pull together to win victories for working families and our members all across this great country. We know that Wall Street and their allies are engaged in an all-out assault against our members and the services we provide. They know that AFSCME stands in the way of their efforts to destroy the middle class. We are united in our commitment to stand up for the men and women who care for America’s children, nurse the sick, plow our streets, collect the household trash and guard our prisons. Our members are a cross-section of America, not some elite group as our opponents try to claim. We are energized and ready for the battles ahead.”
Secretary-Treasurer-elect Reyes said that she would “work night and day for the working families of America. Together, we can and will stand up for fairness and for an end to the scapegoating of public service workers. We will pull together in communities across America to find real solutions to the problems facing so many families.”
Gerald W. McEntee, who retires Friday after 31 years as AFSCME president, said the delegates’ decision to elect Lee and Laura “strengthens our leadership and will enhance our ability to face the challenges that await us around the country.”
Saunders will be the fourth president of AFSCME since the union’s formation 75 years ago in Madison, Wis.
Saunders also becomes AFSCME’s first African American president, while Laura Reyes becomes the first woman Secretary-Treasurer.
The convention held the first debate among candidates for union leadership in the history of the labor movement in the United States. Saunders and Reyes will be sworn-in and address the convention on Friday morning during the last day of business.
