SEA/SEIU Local 1984 Elects New President

Yesterday, the delegates at the 2014 SEA/SEIU Local 1984 Convention elected their leadership team for the next three years.

Rich Gulla, a resident of Hillsborough, was elected as the new SEA/SEIU Local 1984 President, unseating the incumbent, Diana Lacey.

Gulla, an employee of the NH State Liquor Commission, has been an active member of the SEA/SEIU Local 1984 Board of Directors since December of 2012. Gulla is the current Chair of the Steward Committee and serves on the SEA Building Association Executive Board; the Political Education Committee; the Financial Advisory Committee; the Constitution and By-laws Committee; the Collective Bargaining Advisory Committee; the SEA Land Study Ad Hoc Committee; the Collective Bargaining Senate and the Master Bargaining Team for the Executive Branch. He first became active in the organization in 2010.

“I am humbled by and grateful for the support of the delegates,” said Gulla. “I look forward to working with all SEA/SEIU Local 1984 members to continue to build and strengthen our union. I also thank Diana Lacey, who led the organization for the last four years and laid the foundation for our continued work.”

“I understand the magnitude of this position and am ready to accept the challenge,” said Gulla. “I will visit worksites throughout the state to listen to the needs and concerns of our members. I will then work closely with them in resolving any issues that may impede their ability to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. I have the utmost respect for our members and the many services they provide for our towns, municipalities and our state.”

The delegates also re-elected Ken Roos as First Vice President; Tammy Clark as Second Vice President; Shelley Elmes will continue as Secretary; and Ralph Tilton will continue as Treasurer.

Jim Nall; Cindy Perkins; and Judith Brideau were elected to serve three-year terms as Board Director.

The Annual Convention is the highest governing body of the union. It is at convention that the organization’s most serious business is conducted. In addition to elections, this year’s delegation adopted one Resolution and one Constitutional Amendment.

Guest speakers included Governor Margaret Wood Hassan; political candidates U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen; U.S. Representatives Carol Shea-Porter and Annie Kuster, and NH Senator Lou D’Allesandro; NH Department Commissioners Chris Clement and George Copadis; and representatives from the SEIU International Union.

About The State Employees’ Association/ SEIU Local 1984

The State Employees’ Association of New Hampshire represents about 11,000 public and private-sector employees across the Granite State. First formed in 1940 as a social organization, the SEA won passage of New Hampshire’s Public Employee Labor Relations Law in 1975. Since then, the union has negotiated hundreds of contracts with state, county, municipal and private-sector employers. The SEA affiliated with the Service Employees’ International Union in 1984. With two million members, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas.

Submitted text. Courtesy photo.