Andy Stern
Encyclopedia
Andrew L. "Andy" Stern (born November 22, 1950), is the former president
of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union
(SEIU), the fastest-growing union in the Americas. SEIU is the second largest union in the United States
and Canada
after the National Education Association
.
Stern was elected in 1996 to succeed John Sweeney
. Stern is intent upon influencing federal legislation that helps revitalize the labor movement through universal health care
, expanding union ranks via the Employee Free Choice Act
, stronger regulations on business, profit sharing for employees, higher taxes, and efforts consistent with the improvement of the lives of workers.
For his talent at recruiting new members, Stern has been described as the "most important labor boss in America". Stern is unapologetic about targeting private equity firms, shaming business leaders, and competing to build SEIU's membership: “We like to say: We use the power of persuasion first. If it doesn't work, we try the persuasion of power”. The share of workers belonging to a union in 2008 showed the largest annual growth rate since the first report in 1983. Growth in SEIU in 2008—88,926 members--accounted for nearly 21 percent of the national union membership growth.
In March, 2010, Stern was the Alice B. Grant Labor Leader in Residence at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
.
in West Orange
, New Jersey, Stern was a student leftist in the 1960s. He began college as a business
major at the University of Pennsylvania
's Wharton School of Business but ultimately graduated in 1971 with a B.A. in education
and urban planning
. Stern began his career as a welfare
case officer and member of the SEIU in 1973, eventually being elected president of his Pennsylvania
local. In 1980, he was elected to the union's executive board, and in 1984 the union's then-president John Sweeney
put him in charge of its organizing efforts. Stern is a backer of the Employee Free Choice Act
.
In 1996, Stern was elected to the presidency of the union. After launching a national debate aimed at uniting the 9 out of 10 American workers who have no organization at work, SEIU, along with the Teamsters
, announced on July 25, 2005 that they were disaffiliating from the AFL-CIO. Stern led SEIU out of the AFL-CIO and founded Change to Win, a six-million member federation of seven major unions dedicated to giving workers a voice at their jobs.
Stern is now a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute.
in the wake of the Howard Dean
campaign, which his union endorsed. In fall of 2005, he launched an online contest called Since Sliced Bread
that awarded $100,000 for the best new economic idea in America. Since 2005, Stern has been a contributing blog
ger at The Huffington Post
and actively uses Twitter
.
Stern has been a key figure in financing the online grassroots "netroots" community, along with Dean, George Soros
, Simon Rosenberg
, and Andrew S. Rappaport
, to funnel a progressive agenda to liberal bloggers.
Through Stern's initiative, a New Media team was formed at SEIU in the late summer of 2008. The union's website, SEIU.org, was completely redesigned and relaunched shortly after. Traffic to SEIU's website has since increased by well over 100,000 visitors.
to promote the book.
. They had two children, Matt and Cassie. Cassie died in 2002.
Stern has a brother Ken a lawyer
in Colorado
, Tom a lawyer in North Carolina
, a sister Ellen an attorney in Washington, D.C.
, and a sister Tricia a social worker in New Jersey
. His mother Sue lives in Colorado.
. The union spent another $85 million on Democratic candidates in 2008; $60 million going toward the election of President Barack Obama
, with a significant chunk of that money funding door-to-door canvassing and other GOTV efforts, as well as voter registration.
Stern is referred to as one of "the chief architects of healthcare reform" in Modern Healthcare
magazine's ranking of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare for 2009. Stern has been named to MHs annual "movers and shakers in healthcare" list for five years in a row.
Stern is an ardent supporter of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
.
Stern has been a frequent visitor to the White House since Obama's election. Between Inauguration Day and February 23, 2011, Stern visited the White House 53 times.
Under Stern, the SEIU has poured millions into a group called Health Care for America NOW!
, which set up pavilions at nearly every major health care protest in 2009, and has given the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
nearly $6 million since 2006 – including $250,000 in 2009 – according to U.S. Department of Labor disclosure and the union's own statements. The SEIU recently "cut all ties to ACORN" after the ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy
.
. Rosselli and other ousted leaders reformed under the National Union of Healthcare Workers
and pushed for UHW West members at 60 facilities to vote to decertify SEIU. As of March 22, 2009, a total of 91,000 UHW West members (a majority of UHW West members) signed decertification petitions to leave SEIU and join NUHW. Stern and SEIU filed a lawsuit in mid-2009 alleging that UHW West and NUHW officials embezzled millions of dollars. The lawsuit ended on April 9, 2010 with a small award for SEIU, smaller than their legal costs.
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
(SEIU), the fastest-growing union in the Americas. SEIU is the second largest union in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
after the National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
.
Stern was elected in 1996 to succeed John Sweeney
John Sweeney (labor leader)
John Joseph Sweeney was the president of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009.-Early years:Born in The Bronx, New York, Sweeney is the son of Joseph and Agnes , both Irish immigrants. The family moved to Yonkers in 1944, where Sweeney attended St. Barnabas Elementary School and graduated from Cardinal...
. Stern is intent upon influencing federal legislation that helps revitalize the labor movement through universal health care
Universal health care
Universal health care is a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.-History:...
, expanding union ranks via the Employee Free Choice Act
Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act was a legislative bill that was introduced into both chambers of the U.S. Congress on March 10, 2009. The bill's purpose was to,...
, stronger regulations on business, profit sharing for employees, higher taxes, and efforts consistent with the improvement of the lives of workers.
For his talent at recruiting new members, Stern has been described as the "most important labor boss in America". Stern is unapologetic about targeting private equity firms, shaming business leaders, and competing to build SEIU's membership: “We like to say: We use the power of persuasion first. If it doesn't work, we try the persuasion of power”. The share of workers belonging to a union in 2008 showed the largest annual growth rate since the first report in 1983. Growth in SEIU in 2008—88,926 members--accounted for nearly 21 percent of the national union membership growth.
In March, 2010, Stern was the Alice B. Grant Labor Leader in Residence at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
The New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations is an industrial relations school at Cornell University, an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, USA...
.
Early life and career
Born the son of a lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in West Orange
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
, New Jersey, Stern was a student leftist in the 1960s. He began college as a business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
major at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
's Wharton School of Business but ultimately graduated in 1971 with a B.A. in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
. Stern began his career as a welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
case officer and member of the SEIU in 1973, eventually being elected president of his Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
local. In 1980, he was elected to the union's executive board, and in 1984 the union's then-president John Sweeney
John Sweeney (labor leader)
John Joseph Sweeney was the president of the AFL-CIO from 1995 to 2009.-Early years:Born in The Bronx, New York, Sweeney is the son of Joseph and Agnes , both Irish immigrants. The family moved to Yonkers in 1944, where Sweeney attended St. Barnabas Elementary School and graduated from Cardinal...
put him in charge of its organizing efforts. Stern is a backer of the Employee Free Choice Act
Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act was a legislative bill that was introduced into both chambers of the U.S. Congress on March 10, 2009. The bill's purpose was to,...
.
In 1996, Stern was elected to the presidency of the union. After launching a national debate aimed at uniting the 9 out of 10 American workers who have no organization at work, SEIU, along with the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
, announced on July 25, 2005 that they were disaffiliating from the AFL-CIO. Stern led SEIU out of the AFL-CIO and founded Change to Win, a six-million member federation of seven major unions dedicated to giving workers a voice at their jobs.
Stern is now a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute.
Internet and new media
Stern has embraced political organizing via the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in the wake of the Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
campaign, which his union endorsed. In fall of 2005, he launched an online contest called Since Sliced Bread
Since Sliced Bread
Since Sliced Bread is an online contest sponsored by SEIU. People are asked to submit their best new economic idea to help working families. Of the thousands of ideas that are submitted, 21 will be chosen as finalists. Of these 21, a winner will be selected to receive a grand prize of $100,000 and...
that awarded $100,000 for the best new economic idea in America. Since 2005, Stern has been a contributing blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger at The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
and actively uses Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Stern has been a key figure in financing the online grassroots "netroots" community, along with Dean, George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
, Simon Rosenberg
Simon Rosenberg
Simon Rosenberg is the founder of the New Democrat Network, an organization formerly allied with the Democratic Leadership Council, and was a candidate for the Democratic National Committee Chair in 2005.-Early life:...
, and Andrew S. Rappaport
Andrew S. Rappaport
Andrew S. Rappaport or Andy Rappaport is an American Silicon Valley venture capitalist partner in August Capitalan information technology venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California...
, to funnel a progressive agenda to liberal bloggers.
Through Stern's initiative, a New Media team was formed at SEIU in the late summer of 2008. The union's website, SEIU.org, was completely redesigned and relaunched shortly after. Traffic to SEIU's website has since increased by well over 100,000 visitors.
A Country That Works
In the book, A Country That Works (Free Press), Stern calls for unions to be the dominant vehicles for the promotion of social reforms, including espousing the benefits of increased taxation on the wealthy and universal health care. On October 3, 2006, he appeared on The Colbert Report to promote his new book A Country That Works. On October 4, he appeared on Democracy Now!Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
to promote the book.
Family
Stern is divorced from Jane Perkins, a former head of the environmental network Friends of the EarthFriends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
. They had two children, Matt and Cassie. Cassie died in 2002.
Stern has a brother Ken a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Tom a lawyer in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, a sister Ellen an attorney in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and a sister Tricia a social worker in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His mother Sue lives in Colorado.
Political influence
During the years of Stern's leadership, the SEIU funneled vast amounts of financing to the Democratic Party and its candidates, far outnumbering the contributions of other unions during the last two election cycles. SEIU contributed $65 million to the 2004 presidential campaign of John KerryJohn Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. The union spent another $85 million on Democratic candidates in 2008; $60 million going toward the election of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, with a significant chunk of that money funding door-to-door canvassing and other GOTV efforts, as well as voter registration.
Stern is referred to as one of "the chief architects of healthcare reform" in Modern Healthcare
Modern Healthcare
Modern Healthcare is a weekly, 70,037-circulation business publication delivering news and information to executives in the healthcare industry...
magazine's ranking of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare for 2009. Stern has been named to MHs annual "movers and shakers in healthcare" list for five years in a row.
Stern is an ardent supporter of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
.
Stern has been a frequent visitor to the White House since Obama's election. Between Inauguration Day and February 23, 2011, Stern visited the White House 53 times.
Under Stern, the SEIU has poured millions into a group called Health Care for America NOW!
Health Care for America NOW!
Health Care for America Now is a progressive political coalition of more than 1,000 organizations that joined together in 2008 in a successful effort to promote legislation to overhaul the United States health care system and extend medical benefits to most of the population that is currently...
, which set up pavilions at nearly every major health care protest in 2009, and has given the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
nearly $6 million since 2006 – including $250,000 in 2009 – according to U.S. Department of Labor disclosure and the union's own statements. The SEIU recently "cut all ties to ACORN" after the ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy
ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy
The ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy refers to the news media and political uproar following the release of videos in 2009 purporting to show encounters between a young couple and workers in several offices of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now , where the ACORN...
.
Trusteeship of UHW west
On January 27, 2009, SEIU placed UHW West under trusteeship and dismissed 70 of the local's executives, including president Sal RosselliSal Rosselli
Sal Rosselli is president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers. He was the president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West until 2009, when the local union was placed into trusteeship by its parent union, SEIU....
. Rosselli and other ousted leaders reformed under the National Union of Healthcare Workers
National Union of Healthcare Workers
National Union of Healthcare Workers is an independent labor union based in Oakland, California. It was formed after a split with the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West...
and pushed for UHW West members at 60 facilities to vote to decertify SEIU. As of March 22, 2009, a total of 91,000 UHW West members (a majority of UHW West members) signed decertification petitions to leave SEIU and join NUHW. Stern and SEIU filed a lawsuit in mid-2009 alleging that UHW West and NUHW officials embezzled millions of dollars. The lawsuit ended on April 9, 2010 with a small award for SEIU, smaller than their legal costs.
Resignation
Stern announced on April 13, 2010, that he would be stepping down as president of the SEIU. Confirmation of his resignation came from Diane Sosne, a member of the union's board and president of an SEIU local based in Seattle.External links
- Andy Stern's website
- Biography page & online media kit of Andy Stern from SEIU website
- Andy Stern's Twitter account
- Aaron Bernstein. "Can This Man Save Labor?" BusinessWeekBusinessWeekBloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
. September 13, 2004. - New York Times Magazine cover story on Stern, 30 January 2005
- Stern's Blog at the Huffington Post
- 60 Minutes Interview (May 14, 2006)
- A Country That Works: Getting America Back on Track
- Interview on Bill Moyers Journal (June 2007)
- Rik Kirkland, "The new face of labor", FortuneFortune (magazine)Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, October 10, 2006 - Video (and audio) of conversation with Andy Stern and Robert ReichRobert ReichRobert Bernard Reich is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997....
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...