Anna Burger
CHAIR, CHANGE TO WIN;
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER
SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, CLC
Hailed by Fortune Magazine as “the most powerful woman in the labor movement” and named as one of Washingtonian's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2006, Anna Burger is both a top ranking officer at SEIU, the nation's largest and fastest growing union, and the first chair of America's newest labor federation, Change to Win.
Founded in September 2005 by SEIU and six other major unions representing six million workers, Change to Win is developing joint industry-based organizing campaigns aimed at ensuring that workers, not just CEOs, benefit from today's global economy.
The 1.9-million member SEIU is focused on uniting workers in three key sectors to improve their lives and the services they provide. It is the largest union of health care and property service workers and second-largest public employee union in North America. Since Burger's election as Secretary-Treasurer in 2001, half a million workers have united in SEIU.
A longtime strategist who oversees SEIU's national political operations, Burger directed the grassroots member action program that helped pro-worker candidates win both majorities in Congress in 2006, and the largest mobilization by any single organization in the history of U.S. politics in 2004. During this cycle, SEIU members built the largest labor PAC in the country by voluntarily raising more funds than any other union.
Her focus on organizing helped lead to a dramatic shift in "new" labor's priorities: SEIU now spends half of its resources to help more workers unite together to achieve the American Dream.
Breaking with tradition is nothing new for Burger; in the 1970'-80's she was out front on picket lines, anti-war protests and feminist rallies. She played a significant role in SEIU's recognition of choice as a key issue for women's health, and most recently, has been a passionate advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. Throughout her career, she has pushed labor to deepen its commitment to equality for all. Today, SEIU is the most diverse union in America, with a leadership that reflects its ranks: more than half of SEIU members are represented by local unions led by women or people of color.
Burger began her career in 1972 as a rank-and-file Pennsylvania state caseworker and union activist before her election as SEIU Local 668's first female president. She moved on to run the statewide political program and later became SEIU's national field director. She has been an active delegate to the Democratic National Convention since 1984 and has worked on the party's platform. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Earl F. Gohl, Jr. Their daughter, Erin Burger Gohl, studies at Smith College.
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