Laphonza Butler

Laphonza Butler serves as President of SEIU Local 2015. SEIU Local 2015 represents ~300,000 long-term care workers throughout California (in-home caregivers and nursing home workers). Prior to her current executive roles, President Butler served as SEIU’s Property Services Division Director, responsible for the strategic direction of the more than 250,000 janitors, security officers, window cleaners, and food service workers across the country. She was also instrumental in reaching collective bargaining agreements on behalf of 20,000 security officers in nine major cities across the United States and played a key role in organizing of 25,000 food service workers in a virtually non-union industry. Before becoming President of SEIU Local 2015, she served as President of ULTCW, where she improved conditions for members and nonmembers, caregivers and those in need of support services.

She successfully protected long-term care services from devastating state budget cuts, won contracts delivering increased wages and benefits to more than 130,000 long-term care workers, and passed historic statewide legislation that will transform California’s home care program to better serve our seniors and people with disabilities for years to come. Without neglecting any aspect of her role as President of SEIU Local 2015, she also chairs the California Long-Term Care Education Center (CLTCE), serves as SEIU International Vice President, President of SEIU California State Council, Director for the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve System, and recently served as an appointee (nominated by Senator Harry Reid) to President Obama’s Long-Term Care Commission.