Meet California’s newest Senator – Laphonza Butler

There’s new, labor-friendly leadership representing California, as Gov. Newsom on Monday appointed Laphonza Butler to fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Butler was sworn into office by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is yet another national leader who made a difference in California first.

For a decade, Butler was president of SEIU 2015, the largest union in the state, representing more than 400,000 long-term care workers. She also was president of SEIU California, a coalition of all SEIU-affiliated locals in the state, representing some 700,000 workers.

In her tenure, she helped to achieve historic victories, including the first $15 statewide minimum wage that changed the lives of millions of Californians. It’s critical that her pro-worker voice represents us in the nation’s capital, where she’ll continue her work making a difference for working people, for women, and communities of color.

While at SEIU 2015, Laphonza Butler was a guest speaker at our annual Leadership Development Conferences, where she shared her vision and her strategies with Local 1000 member-leaders. We’re grateful for her contributions to our success, and wish her well in her upcoming role as Senator.