Long-time Service Employees International Union United (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East President George Gresham has passed after a long illness. Gresham, who was born in 1955, began his career in Organized Labor as a Rank-and-File Members who worked at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City before rising to lead the largest Health Care Local Union in the U.S. He tirelessly advocated for Workers’ Rights, Social Justice and Economic Equality and his leadership helped secure industry-leading contracts and improved working conditions for more than 450,000 Health Care Workers up and down the East Coast. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul called him a “legendary Labor Leader” whose voice shaped the State’s Labor Movement and strengthened the rights of Health Care Workers. The State Assembly highlighted his decades-long commitment to progressive causes and Social Justice. Gresham’s legacy will be remembered not only for his professional achievements, but also for his mentorship, moral leadership and dedication to empowering Working Families. His impact continues to resonate in the Labor Movement and among the Health Care Workers whose lives he improved.

SEIU International President April Verrett released the following statement:

The SEIU Family, the Labor Movement and the global fight for Social Justice have lost a giant.

It is with a heavy heart and profound gratitude for his life of leadership that we mourn the passing of George Gresham, former President of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

George was more than a Labor Leader.

He was the moral compass of our movement.

From his humble beginnings in the Housekeeping Department at Presbyterian Hospital to leading the largest Health Care Local in the Nation, George’s journey embodied the very essence of the Union Power he spent four decades building.

He never forgot where he came from and he never stopped fighting for those who are too often left behind.

Under George’s visionary leadership, 1199SEIU was a powerhouse for progressive change.

He understood that the fight for Economic Justice is inseparable from the fight for Racial, Immigrant and Social Justice.

He didn’t just win industry-leading contracts, he won dignity, respect and a voice for over 450,000 Health Care Workers across the East Coast.

On a personal note, George was family to so many of us.

He was a mentor, a Brother and a source of unwavering strength to me and countless others.

His wisdom was matched only by his kindness.

He taught us that to lead is to serve and that our greatest strength lies in our unity.

Because George chose to fight, generations of Working Families will live with greater dignity, opportunity and security.

George has joined the ancestors, but his legacy lives on in every Home Care Worker who now earns a living wage, every Nursing Home Worker providing care in a safer environment, and every Hospital Worker who stands a little taller because they have a strong Union contract.

Our hearts go out to George’s family, his loved ones and the entire 1199 SEIU Membership.

We honor him not just with our words, but by recommitting ourselves to the work he loved so dearly.