People in the news

Andy Stern

Member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (since February 2010)

(SEIU)

Why He Matters

The former leader of the largest and fastest-growing union in North America, Stern had a prime seat at the table-and the ears of key lawmakers-in debates about everything from labor legislation to the economic recovery plan to health-care reform. Surprising the political and labor world, Stern announced in April 2010 he would leave his job; Mary Kay Henry succeeded him.

As president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Stern leads more than two million service workers. These nurses, bus drivers and janitors make up the heart of the modern service economy, one that doesn't always sync with a labor movement built in the industrial age.

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