The Peggy Browning Fund 2021 New York Virtual Awards Program

About Our Honoree George K. Gresham George K. Gresham, PhD, was born in Virginia and his family moved north to New York City when he was young. His mother was a homecare worker, and his father eventually got a union job as a truck driver, which helped provide some stability for their family. Mr. Gresham began his career in the housekeeping department at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. He soon moved up to become a clerk in the radiology department and then — through the 1199 Training Fund — studied to become an MRI Technologist. Over four decades, he has held nearly every position in the union, including member delegate, organizer, vice president, executive vice president and secretary-treasurer, and was elected president in 2007. His leadership has secured the highest standards for healthcare workers in the nation, including fair wages, affordable health benefits, dignified retirement, continuing education, child care, safe staffing and a real voice on the job. Mr. Gresham has also led the union’s growth to more than 400,000 members throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. He has built a powerful voice for healthcare workers in local, state and federal government, and is a national leader for social justice. He believes strongly that the union movement must work together with coalitions to advance progressive causes, including access to quality healthcare, living wages,