Tuckahoe NY Pride

Mary Kay Henry is a longtime labor organizer and the first openly gay president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Rising through healthcare and public‑sector organizing, she became a national voice for higher wages, stronger worker protections, and immigrant rights, and she helped scale campaigns like Fight for ＄15. Henry’s activism connects economic justice to racial and gender equality, arguing that bargaining power and public policy shape dignity at work. She has also used her visibility as an LGBTQ leader to broaden union coalitions and normalize queer leadership in mainstream politics. Her career reflects disciplined organizing, negotiation, and movement-building.

Quote: “We need to restore the strength of our unions so that working people can regain that power. We need to push ourselves to build inclusive, multiracial unions that empower all working people — Black, brown and white — to join together across our differences.”

Photo credit J. Scott Applewhite