Rank: 11
Mary Kay Henry
International president, Service Employees International Union
SEIU represents about 2 million people working in healthcare, the public sector and property services, and Henry has led the union since 2010. The organization has played a major role in large-scale labor actions this year, including among healthcare employees. Some 75,000 frontline Kaiser Permanente workers, many of whom were represented by SEIU affiliates, staged the largest strike in healthcare history in October; the health system eventually agreed to a contract that includes a 21% pay increase over four years. Workers represented by a SEIU-affiliated union also struck at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in California. Meanwhile, the Committee of Interns and Residents, an SEIU local representing resident physicians and fellows, has grown by 50% over the past two years to about 30,000 members. Henry has worked at SEIU for more than four decades, with positions including director of the healthcare division and Southern California organizing director.