SEIU has elected a New President, Mary Kay Henry.

According to the New York Times:

 Mary Kay Henry leads the health care division of the Service Employees International Union a powerful force in politics as well as in labor. Top union officials announced in late April that Ms. Henry has locked up the votes to succeed Andy Stern as the union president.

Officials said Ms. Henry, an executive vice president, has the support of locals representing nearly 60 percent of the union’s 1.9 million members, giving her the likely edge over Anna Burger, the union’s secretary-treasurer, in an executive board vote expected to be held in May 2010.

Ms. Henry grew up in suburban Detroit and graduated from Michigan State University. She became an organizer for the S.E.I.U. in 1979 and has played a major role in some of its biggest organizing drives, at Beverly Enterprises, Catholic Health Care West, Tenet and HCA. She is a founding member of the union’s gay and lesbian caucus.

Here is the Video of the Speech she gave shortly after being Elected President of SEIU:

In February 2009, Ms. Henry gave this presentation on Health Care Costs. In it she appears to be for Universal Health Care:

In August 2009 Ms. Henry stood up with other Progressive Democrats in Support of Judge Sotomayor:

Oddly enough in December 2009, Ms. Henry, an openly Gay Woman, was the Labor Advisor and Member of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference:

In January 2010, Ms. Henry swore in members of the 2010 National Organizing Core.  In this video she refers to how Organizing and gaining more members is now going to be the Focus of SEIU:

Even though Ms. Henry is not Loud like Andy Stern.  I believe that while she is Speaking Softly… She is going to continue the SEIU tradition..

Of Carrying a Big Stick.

To Read the Article on the New York Times Go To:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/mary_kay_henry/index.html?inline=nyt-per