Labor leader Héctor Figueroa dead at 57
Figueroa was the president of 32BJ SEIU and a Jackson Heights resident
BY BILL PARRY
One of the city’s most
powerful labor leaders died
on July 11. Héctor Figueroa,
president of 32BJ SEIU and
resident of Jackson Heights,
after suffering a heart attack.
He was 57.
“It is with overwhelming
sadness and a heavy heart that
32BJ mourns the unexpected
passing of union president
Héctor Figueroa last night
in New York. For those of us
who have worked with him
to further the well-being of
our members and working
people everywhere, and felt
his personal and principled
concern for our members,
our staff and others this is
a devastating loss,” 32BJ
said in a statement. “In his
many years of service to our
union, to the labor movement,
and to our communities, he
consistently joined together
a clear vision about the
empowerment of working
people with compassion and
energy. We extend our deepest
condolences to his wife Deidre,
his children Eric and Elena,
and the rest of his family, as
well as to all those in our 32BJ
family and beyond who forged
strong bonds of camaraderie
with Héctor over the years.
Details about memorial plans
will be forthcoming.”
With nearly 163,000
members in 11 states, 32BJ
is the largest property
service union in the country
representing doormen, window
cleaners, superintendents
and maintenance workers,
cleaners, posters and
security guard.
Figueroa, who was elected
president in 2012, was at
the forefront of the airport
worker’s years-long campaign
leading rallies, marches, sitins
and strikes for fair wages
and benefits. He was a key
figure in the borough’s battle
for immigrant rights and he
Hector Figueroa was president of 32BJ SEIU, one of the city’s largest and most powerful labor unions. Photo courtesy 32BJ SEIU
was a supporter of Amazon’s
planned HQ2 campus in Long
Island City with its promise of
25,000 jobs.
“It’s impossible to put into
words what Héctor meant to
the men and women of 32BJ
SEIU, to working people and
to the labor movement. He
bound us all together. His was
always a voice on empathy,
of conviction, of principle,”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
“Héctor embodied the word
‘solidarity.’ His love of 32BJ
SEIU ran deep, but you’d be
just as likely to see him on
the picket line with fast food
workers and taxi drivers as
you would with the custodians,
service workers and doormen
he represented. He fought
just as doggedly for relief for
people in Puerto Rico as he did
for fair contracts here in New
York City. If you were fighting
for human dignity, then Héctor
fought for you.”
Figueroa was born into
the labor movement in Ponce,
Puerto Rico, where his
parents were teachers. He
moved to the United States in
1982 after participating in a
student strike.
Governor Andrew Cuomo
said he was heartbroken,
calling Figueroa a “towering
figure in politics and a hero of
the labor community” who did
untold good for working people
of the state and the nation.
“Héctor was a champion for
working people, minorities,
the poor, the voiceless,” Cuomo
said. “Together with Héctor,
we enacted New York’s nationleading
$15 minimum wage –
first for fast food workers and
then for all workers – and the
historic $19 minimum wage
for airport workers just last
year. Héctor fought for and
won fairer contracts for his
163,000 members, ensuring
working women and men have
the protections they need at
a time when hard-earned
labor rights are under attack
on the national level. Héctor
was an indefatigable force
in our fight against Trump’s
un-American assault on
immigrant communities and a
fierce defender of Puerto Rico.
Sí, se puede my friend.”
Attorney General Letitia
James called Figueroa a giant,
a true fighter and hero of
the people.
“Beyond his work to move
our state and our country
forward, Héctor was a true
friend to all who knew him,”
James said. “Deeply respected,
kind, and compassionate,
Héctor was a man of great
integrity. My deepest
condolences to his family,
friends, and all of 32BJ. New
York is a little darker today.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
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