Former 1199 president George Gresham passes away

George Gresham, the former president of Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, passed away last week following a long illness, the union announced May 8. Gresham, 71, ran the largest healthcare union in the country, now numbering at over 450,000 members across several states, from 2007 to 2025. 

“President Gresham served our union proudly for many years and we owe a debt of gratitude for the many fights he championed over the decades, starting from when he joined 1199 as a rank-and-file member at Presbyterian Hospital 50 years ago,” Local 1199 said of Gresham in a statement announcing his passing.  

 “We honor President Gresham’s dedicated leadership, deep commitment to social justice, and faithful service to 1199 members,” the statement reads. “Over the course of his tenure, he inspired, strengthened, and grew our union in numerous ways and for that we will always be grateful.” 

An established, powerful and well-known figure in the world of labor and politics in New York, Gresham’s death reverberated across the halls of power. Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, leaders in the State Senate and Assembly and Reverend Al Sharpton all expressed condolences fore the late union leader.  

“From his start as a hospital worker to leading 1199SEIU, George Gresham was a legendary labor leader who never stopped fighting for working people, communities of color, and the dignity every New Yorker deserves,” Hochul said in a statement. “His voice helped shape New York’s labor movement and strengthen the rights of health care workers across our state.  

In his final year as president of Local 1199 Gresham suffered from health issues and was dogged by allegations outlined in a Politico investigation that he spent the union’s benefits fund on benefits for himself, his family and his political allies. In elections held in April 2025, Gresham lost a vote that would have secured him his 7th term to challenger Yvonne Armstrong, who won 69 percent of the vote. 

“President Gresham served our union proudly for many years, and we owe a debt of gratitude for the many fights he championed over the decades,” Armstrong wrote in an email to members after Gresham’s passing, according to Politico. “Notwithstanding the internal challenges Gresham’s dedicated leadership, deep commitment to social justice and faithful service to 1199 members.”