Leadership of Our Union

becky_williams_1199WKO Becky Williams
President

Becky Williams is the president of District 1199, which represents nearly 30,000 health care, social service, and public sector workers across Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. District 1199 is a part of the Service Employees International Union, whose 2 million members make it the largest union of health care workers and the fastest growing union in the world.

As both a labor leader and an advocate for working families, Williams is a leading voice for practical solutions to achieve economic opportunity and justice for workers; to ensure affordable, quality health care for all; to promote quality public services; and to guarantee the rights of workers to organize. To that end, Williams has spearheaded bold new partnerships with community allies, employers, and other worker organizations, and she has worked to elect officials that share the same values as the Union.

Called “the difference in the 2008 elections” and the “most powerful” leader in Ohio politics, Williams began working as a Union leader since 1992, during which she served 10 years as Director of the Long Term Care Division before her election as president of District 1199 in 2008. To ensure that all District 1199 members have a voice in state, local and municipal government, Williams is actively involved in politics throughout the Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky regions.

Williams is also a Vice-President of the Service Employees International Union Executive Board and is an officer on the SEIU Health Care Board, and the International Member Strength Committee. In Ohio, Williams is on the board of the Ohio Healthcare Trust and a member of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and National Organization for Women (NOW).

Kathy McCormick
Secretary-Treasurer

Kathy McCormick is the Secretary-Treasurer of Service Employees International Union District 1199, which represents nearly 30,000 health care, social service, and public sector workers across Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. District 1199 is a part of the Service Employees International Union, whose 2 million members make it the largest union of health care workers and the fastest growing union in the world.

McCormick was working in a nursing home when the opportunity to organize with co-workers became relevant. Once she was educated about the union, McCormick strongly believed in their mission of making the world a better place for workers, their families, and the residents.

McCormick began working for the union in February 1993 as a Member Organizer before becoming a Field Organizer, where she focused on organizing workers in Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. She then became an Administrative Organizer in Kentucky in 1994, where her role shifted from helping members join the union to representing union members. In 1995 McCormick coordinated several large campaigns in West Virginia and Kentucky, including a campaign helping American Red Cross workers. McCormick then became the Organizing Director of the entire local, where she once again concentrated on growth of the union. In 2009, McCormick had a huge victory when she helped bargain the first contract for 7,000 independent home care providers.

In early 2008, McCormick became the Division Director for Long Term Care, the largest division in the union at that time. In 2011, Kathy took on the challenge of growing the Union again as the head of the West Virginia/Kentucky Health Care Division. Later that year, McCormick was elected to Executive Vice President (EVP). In 2017, McCormick was further elected Secretary-Treasurer.

McCormick is a member of the NAACP in West Virginia and Kentucky and a member of NOW in Kentucky. For two years, she sat on the Kentucky Women’s Commission, which focuses on making sure women receive the same rights as men. In 2004, McCormick was awarded the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel, which is presented to individuals by the governor for their outstanding work in the state of Kentucky.

McCormick has been married for over three decades and is the proud parent of four and grandparent of nine.

Frank Hornick
Executive Vice President

Josh Norris
Executive Vice President josh 2

Josh Norris is an Executive Vice President with SEIU District 1199, which represents nearly 30,000 health care, social service, and public sector workers across Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. District 1199 is a part of the Service Employees International Union, whose 2 million members make it the largest union of health care workers and the fastest growing union in the world.

Norris became a union member over 20 years ago as a worker at Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems, a General Motors auto parts plant in Moraine, Ohio. Having worked at a non-union facility previously, he understood the value of joining together with his co-workers. The workers at the plant faced pressing issues with management over compensation, fair treatment, and safety. Norris was quickly elected by his co-workers to become a committeeman and later shop committeeman. In these roles, he helped enforce the contract, win grievances, and lead negotiations with management at the plant.

With a strong understanding of the importance of union representation and collective bargaining to working families, Norris began working at SEIU District 1199 as an Administrative Organizer in 2007. As an organizer, he represented workers with state agencies such as the Adult Parole Authority and the Department of Youth Services. He later became the Coordinator of SEIU District 1199’s State of Ohio Division. After the passage of SB5 in 2011, which threatened collective bargaining for public sector workers, Norris also worked to mobilize members for demonstrations at the Ohio Statehouse and successful petitioning efforts across the state.

In 2012, Norris became the Director of the Public Sector Division. As head of the Public Division and over the last decade, Norris has played a key role in contract negotiations, fact findings, mediations, and arbitrations. These efforts have helped achieve favorable outcomes for thousands of public sector workers. In 2017 alone, he led three labor arbitration cases to successful resolution, which had a total back pay value of over $400,000.

In 2017, Josh Norris was elected as an Executive Vice President (EVP). In this role, he will continue to lead efforts to provide strong representation, empower members, and achieve victories for working people and their families.