Mike Fishman

A union leader for more than 30 years, Mike was re-elected President of Local 32BJ in September 2006 for a third three-year term. Named a “winner” in the 2008 elections by Crain's New York, 32BJ mobilized members in the key presidential campaign states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Virginia while fielding a strong New York State campaign, which contributed to a change from Republican to Democratic majority control of the New York State Senate. In 2006, New York Magazine named Mike one of the most influential New Yorker in politics. As the sole labor leader appointed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the Commission for Economic Development, Mike successfully advocated for the working poor. In 2008, Mike was honored by the Asociación Tepeyac for the union's defense of immigrant workers and commitment to immigration reform. The grandson of a union carpenter who taught him the trade, Mike’s career as a labor activist began when he joined the carpenters’ union. After nearly 20 years at the carpenters’ union, during which he served as Director of Organizing, Mike joined SEIU in 1996 as Chief of Staff to the President. Today Mike serves as Vice President of the New York State AFL-CIO Executive Council; Vice President of the New York City Central Labor Council; Chair of the 32BJ Benefit Fund; and Vice President of SEIU. Mike was raised in Queens and Connecticut, where he attended public schools. He is married, has a daughter and lives in New York City.