Gerry Hudson

Gerry Hudson

Gerald (Gerry) Hudson is a socialist and an an executive vice president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), since 2004. He heads the union’s Long Term Care Division, representing nearly 500,000 nursing home and home care workers nationwide. He came to SEIU in 1978 from the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale, N.Y., where he was a member of SEIU Local 144. Hudson coordinated the merger of Local 144 into SEIU/1199 and was elected as executive vice president for the former-District 1199 in 1989.

DSA Conference delegate

In 1983 Gerry Hudson was a New York delegate to the Democratic Socialists of America conference in New York City, October 14-16, 1983

School for Social Change

Hudson founded the 1199 School for Social Change - a former alternative school in the Bronx and served as a trustee of the Local 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund, Home Care Workers Benefit Fund, and Michelson Education Fund.

Member of Democratic Socialists of America

Hudson is a member of Democratic Socialists of America and was formerly active in its predecessor Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee. On Jan. 22, 2009, he stated:

I came to DSA (it was DSOC back then) in the 1970s as a young labor activist working in an 1199 nursing home. I joined DSA precisely because of Mike Harrington’s vision of a non-sectarian, majoritarian left, with the labor movement at its core. And I joined because, as Michael used to say, good is not the enemy of perfect. He believed–as I do–that incremental change is vital if we are ever going to achieve power for working people. As democratic socialists we don’t believe in the big bang of revolution, but rather in the gradual struggle that is sustained over generations and that has real impact on people’s daily lives.

Working for the Democratic Left Magazine

As at May, 1987, Hudson (then known as Gerald Hudson) worked alongside Joanne Barkan, Vania Del Borgo, Maxine Phillips and Jan Rosenberg for the Editorial Committee of the Democratic Left Magazine, the publication of the Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA Health care pamphlet

In 1990, Democratic Socialists of America produced a pamphlet "Health Care for People Not Profit, the Need for a National Health Care System". Quotes were included from Barbara Ehrenreich, Ron Dellums, Gerry Hudson, Linnea Capps MD (Chair of APHA Socialist Caucus and Ron Sable.

Socialist Scholars Conference 1990

The Socialist Scholars Conference 1990, held September 6-8, at the Hotel Commodore, New York, included panels such as:

Towards Adequate Health Services for All

• Moderator: Nat Mills
• Gerry Hudson, Exec Director, Local 1199 Health Care Campaign
• Dr. Erick Larsen, New York Medical College
• Lani Sanjek, NYS Health Service Campaign
• Leonard Rodberg, Developer of National Health Care Legislation

New Party founders

The two key founders of the New Party were Joel Rogers and Dan Cantor.

The first strategic meetings to plan the New Party were held in Joel Rogers' home in Madison Wisconsin in the very early 1990s. Present were Rogers' wife Sarah Siskind, Dan Cantor, ACORN leaders , Wade Rathke ,Zach Polett , Steve Kest and Jon Kest , Steve Cobble from the Institute for Policy Studies (in an advisory role), Sandy Morales Pope (for the first 18 months), Harriet Barlow and Barbara Dudley.

The very first meeting included Gerry Hudson from Democratic Socialists of America and SEIU and Gary Delgado, plus labor activists Sam Pizzigati and Tony Mazzocchi. Anthony Thigpenn of Los Angeles was also approached, but though supportive did not wish to play a leadership role.

Black Radical Congress

In March 1998 “Endorsers of the Call” to found a Black Radical Congress included Gerry Hudson, Executive Vice President, Local 1199 — National Health & Human Services Union, New York City.

Democratic Party activism

Gerry Hudson also has had an extensive career in Democratic Party politics.

Hudson led the presidential campaign of Jesse Jackson in New York and the successful New York City mayoral campaign of David Dinkins, he also served as deputy director of the Mario Cuomo for Governor campaign in 1994. While Cuomo himself was not re-elected governor, Hudson's leadership was instrumental in electing H. Carl McCall, the first African American controller in New York state.

In 1996, Hudson served as political director of the New York state Democratic Party.

Support for Barack Obama-opportunity to advance socialist agenda

Hudson sees the election of Barack Obama as a chance to advance the socialist vision of Democratic Socialists of America founder Michael Harrington. On Jan. 22, 2009, he stated:

It’s tragic for so many reasons that Michael died too young; his voice and his wisdom are sorely needed. How he would marvel at the election of Barack Obama and the promise that this victory affords all of us on the democratic left! He is sorely missed. But were he alive, I would hope—and expect, that he and others who are informed by this vision of democratic socialism would join with us in SEIU as we seek to take advantage of a moment most of us have spent our lifetimes only dreaming of.

With our country poised for massive, progressive change, we finally have the chance to build a broad democratic left majority with labor at its core. But to do that, we have to be bold and creative, not stick to outmoded ideas, and we must challenge even some of our most fundamental ideas so that we can grow a labor movement that has shrunk precipitously in the last decades.

At SEIU, we have been deliberating in our union, in our locals, at our convention, among our elected bodies and with our allies, how to make certain that we don’t squander this moment...

We are, as Michael Harrington wrote so clairvoyantly more than forty years ago, a labor-oriented civil rights movement, not just a union. To that end, we look forward to others on the democratic left joining us in our struggle.

Apollo Alliance/environmental activism

Gerry Hudson serves on the boardof the Apollo Alliance.

As a long-time champion of environmental justice, Hudson has served on the board for Redefining Progress, the nation’s leading public policy think tank dedicated to developing innovative public policies that balance economic well-being, environmental preservation and social justice. He also participated in the first-ever U.S. labor delegation to the United Nations’ climate change meeting in Bali in 2007.

In 2006, Gerry Hudson, served on the National Advisory Board of the Apollo Alliance.

Center for the Study of Working Class Life

In 2009 Gerry Hudson, Executive Vice President of 1199/SEIU served on the Advisory board of the Center for the Study of Working Class Life.

Labor, the Left, and Progressives in the Obama Era

April 6, 2010 at the McShain Lounge in McCarthy Hall Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. a seminar "Labor, the Left, and Progressives in the Obama Era" was held.

After the success of health care reform, what’s next on labor’s agenda? How can the labor movement grow and engage with a progressive movement that speaks to the Obama era? What is the role of younger workers, workers of color, and women? Is there a new “New Deal” on the horizon?

Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, Christopher Hayes, Washington editor of the Nation, Gerry Hudson, executive vice-president of the SEIU, Michael Kazin, co-editor of Dissent, Harold Meyerson, columnist for the Washington Post, and Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO will speak.

Georgetown labor historian Joseph McCartin moderated.

The event was sponsored by Dissent magazine.

Supporting Democratic Socialists of America

Key SEIU leaders Mary Kay Henry, Eliseo Medina, Mitch Ackerman, Kirk Adams, Gerry Hudson, Eileen Kirlin, Dave Regan and Tom Woodruff placed and ad in Democratic Left Winter 2011/2012 edition praising Democratic Socialists of America.

New Labor Forum

New Labor Forum is published by Center for Labor, Community, and Policy Studies, Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education & Labor Studies.

Editorial Board members listed, as of March 2013; were; Elaine Bernard, Ron Blackwell, Barbara Bowen, Kate Bronfenbrenner, Arthur Cheliotes, Mike Davis, Amy Dean, Steve Early, Hector Figueroa, Janice Fine, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Juan Gonzalez, Marie Gottschalk, Gerald Hudson, Lisa Jordan, Tom Juravich, Robin D G Kelley, Jose LaLuz, Nelson Lichtenstein, Manning Marable, Ruth Needleman, Ai-jen Poo, Katie Quan, Adolph Reed, Daisy Rooks, Andrew Ross, Kent Wong.

Dream of Equality awardee

Gerry Hudson is a past recipient of Asian Americans for Equality's annual Dream of Equality award.

SI Congress, Cape Town

Maria Svart, Gerry Hudson, Mark Levinson and Skip Roberts attended the 2012 Socialist International Congress in Cape Town South Africa.

Leadership

SEIU leadership, as of 2015;

• Mary Kay Henry - President
• Mike Fishman - Secretary-Treasurer
• Kirk Adams - Executive Vice President
• Gerry Hudson - Executive Vice President
• Eileen Kirlin - Executive Vice President
• Valarie Long - Executive Vice President
• Rocio Saenz - Executive Vice President

SCOPE 20th Anniversary

Karen Bass, Anthony Thigpenn, Kevin de Leon, Gerry Hudson, and Antonio Villaraigosa

“When we started AGENDA back in 1993, we characterized it as an experiment. Because we kind of knew where we wanted to go, but how to get there was less clear to us. This is still true today as we continue to build the movement for social justice.”

These are the words of Anthony Thigpenn, founder of SCOPE, and one of our respected honorees at a March 2014 celebration of SCOPE’s 20th anniversary. In his address to a room of over 300 allies and friends, Anthony reminded us that we didn’t have all of the answers when we first came together. But for SCOPE, “having the answers” was never the driving force behind our vision for change. Instead, we set out to empower the residents of our community to think for themselves, to design their own solutions, and to speak out on issues that affect the quality of their lives. Our founders believed that our community had the answers to the problems plaguing South LA—and from looking around the room last Thursday, it’s clear that they were right.

Attendees included Manuel Chavez, Gloria Walton, Lynette Steele, Patricia Livingston, Clementina Lopez, Latrece Jackson, Sherri Wallace, Anthony Thigpenn, Jennifer Speck, Chante Harriel, Maria Virginia Otero, Mari Mercado, and Juan Canto, Congress member Karen Bass, Shay Salter, Chris Nixon, Kevin de Leon, Antonio Villaraigosa, Manuel Pastor, Soloman Rivera, Manuel Hernandez, Veronica Carrizales and Maria Elena Durazo.

Many of SCOPE's members standing alongside activists, community organizers, elected officials, union leaders, academics, and educators attended. Proof that South LA’s progressive community is strong, thriving and growing.

The meeting honored Gerry Hudson, Paula Litt and Barry Litt and Anthony Thigpenn.

Advancement Project board member

Board members of the Advancement Project, as of March 2013;

• Joe Alvarez
• Harry Belafonte
• Stephen R. English, Esq
• Penda D. Hair, Esq
• Gerry Hudson
• Bruce Iwasaki
• Bill Lann Lee, Esq
• Barrett S. Litt
• Pam Martinez
• Molly Munger, Esq
• Sheila Thomas
• Gerald Torres, Esq
• Zack Walker

DSA award

April Verrett, Gerry Hudson

The 57th Debs ­ Thomas ­ Harrington Dinner convened on May 8 2015, at the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro on Chicago's near westside. It was a dark and stormy evening but an educational and inspiring event. April Verrett presented the award to Gerry Hudson speaking on "what Hudson means to me": Never shrink from leadership. Hudson reflected on being a "baby socialist" while on the National Committee of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee's Youth Section, and how DSA and SEIU provided him with a political education and a pro-social outlet for his rage at injustice.

DSA National Executive Committee

In 1987 the Democratic Socialists of America National Executive Committee consisted of Laila Atallah (Baltimore), Joanne Barkan (New York), Pat Belcon (New York), Bogdan Denitch (New York), Mary Dunn (Lexington, KY), Angie Fa (San Francisco), Gerry Hudson (New York), Nancy Kleniewski (Rochester, NY), Mark Levinson (Detroit), Joan Mandle (Philadelphia), Marshall Mayer (Helena), Harold Meyerson (Los Angele), Guy Molyneux (Boston), Jo-Ann Mort (Brooklyn, NY), Marjorie Phyfe (Peaks Island, ME), Frances Fox Piven (Millerton, NY), Skip Roberts Rockville, MD), Jan Rosenberg (Brooklyn, NY), Joseph Schwartz (Cambridge, MA), Sylvia Sepulveda (San Antonio, TX), Jim Shoch (Cambridge, MA), Bill Spencer (Washington, D.C.), Ed Vargas (Hartford, CT), Cornel West (Hamden, CT).

References

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