What I Do
IBEW helps build Busch Gardens' newest roller coaster.
IBEW helps build Busch Gardens' newest roller coaster.
John J. Sweeney became president emeritus of the AFL-CIO at the federation's constitutional convention in September 2009, stepping down after five terms as president. He was first elected president in 1995 on a platform of revitalizing the federation, which has affiliated unions and 12.2 million members, including 3.2 million members in Working America, its new community affiliate. The 1995 election was the first contested election in AFL-CIO history.
At the time of his election, Sweeney was serving as president of the Service Employees International Union, which grew from 625,000 to 1.1 million members during the 15 years of his leadership.
He was a vice president of the AFL-CIO and chair of the AFL-CIO Executive Council committees on Health Care and Organizing and Field Services. He was elected SEIU president in 1980.
Linda Chavez-Thompson (Download image)
Linda Chavez-Thompson was elected executive vice president of the AFL-CIO at the federation’s 1995 convention and was re-elected to a new four-year term in 2005. She is the first person to hold the post of AFL-CIO executive vice president, and she is the first person of color to be elected to one of the federation’s three highest offices.
