Leslie Frane, Executive Vice President

Leslie Frane is an organizer, political strategist and coalition builder. From her work to protect and improve the Affordable Care Act, to leading the union’s national long term care campaign, to spearheading SEIU’s COVID response work, Leslie is committed to uniting working people so they can thrive at work and in their communities.

Leslie joined SEIU in 1988, serving first as an organizer and then as Vice President of SEIU District 1199 New England. In this role, Leslie organized nursing home and hospital workers in Connecticut and Massachusetts and led campaigns that raised standards for wages, benefits and staffing levels. During a historic statewide strike by nursing home workers in 2001, Leslie was humbled by the extraordinary strength and courage of working people when they claim their power in the workplace and speak out for themselves, the people they care for, and their communities.

After more than a decade in New England, Leslie took on a new leadership role as Executive Director of SEIU Local 503 in Oregon. With Leslie’s guidance, the local’s membership doubled in size, Oregon home care workers won their first-ever union contract, and nursing home workers spearheaded initiatives that increased staffing levels and elevated compensation and the standard of care. The collective advocacy of members during Leslie’s tenure established their union as a respected voice for working families and as trusted providers of the essential healthcare and public services that Oregonians rely on.

Elected Executive Vice President of SEIU in 2016, Leslie’s leadership is informed by the belief that the labor movement is a justice movement of working people who share a common vision of people of all backgrounds, cultures and lines of work creating workplaces and communities where everyone can thrive. Leslie is inspired by the courage she sees among working people across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, uniting across race, culture and industry to tear down the barriers that stand in the way of true economic, racial, and healthcare justice.