AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride were honored at a special event Sunday for their contributions to our union and the labor movement.
AFSCME members, longtime friends and members of their families paid tribute to Saunders and McBride as both leaders prepare to leave their posts at the end of AFSCME’s 47th International Convention in Chicago.
“It’s been an honor to serve as your president. I have tried every day to be worthy of the confidence you have shown in me every single day,” Saunders told thousands of AFSCME members who attended the event on the eve of the Convention. “We are fighters. We are leaders in the American labor movement. Make no mistake about it.”
Saunders is retiring after nearly 50 years of service to AFSCME, including the last 14 as president. He thanked AFSCME members for their hard work to sustain our union and said he may be stepping down but will be on call.
“I want to thank you for devoting so much of your blood, your sweat and your tears to making us the strongest union, and that union is called AFSCME,” Saunders said to applause. “I’m retired but let me tell you something, when my union calls, I will be there.”
Though McBride is leaving AFSCME, she will remain involved in the labor movement. She thanked her staff, Saunders, her family and AFSCME members, calling AFSCME her “most important team of all.”
“Thank you for being my team. Thank you for telling me about your lives, your challenges, your realities. I have loved my conversations with you,” McBride said. “Because of AFSCME, I have had the honor and joy of working with all of you. Thank you, team AFSCME!”
Former AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker, who once worked for AFSCME, said Saunders and McBride “helped shape and strengthen this union and carry forward the work that matters most to working people across this country.”
Saunders’ son, Lee Saunders Jr., said he’s proud that his father devoted his life to improving the lives of others.
“Dad, your legacy will live on in all of us, in how we treat people, how we show up for our community and how we keep fighting for what’s right,” the younger Saunders said.
New York District Council 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido, an AFSCME International vice president, recalled Saunders’ leadership at the helm of DC 37 a quarter century ago, speaking of Saunders’ “tenacity” and “courage.”
“He led DC 37 through some of our darkest moments,” Garrido said. “Because of his tenacity, DC 37 was able to maintain its integrity and come ahead stronger.”
Oregon Council 75 President Corey Hope Leaffer, an AFSCME International vice president, praised McBride for her ability to connect with people — a key leadership skill.
“It has meant so much to me to have Elissa’s leadership to emulate. Leadership built on a foundation of kindness, collaboration and integrity,” said Leaffer.
McBride’s husband, Algernon Austin, said his wife has spent 40 years fighting for working people and will always love AFSCME. But he said he hopes to entice McBride to spend more time doing something they both love — dancing — once she leaves AFSCME.
