THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 13, 1997
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 13, 1997
Betty Bednarczyk, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the first woman to hold a top leadership post at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). She was elected International Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU to a full four-year term in April 1996. Ms. Bednarczyk went to work in 1960 for SEIU Minneapolis Local 113. In 1983, she was elected to the 11,000-member health care union's top executive office, secretary-treasurer and one year later, she was elected to the SEIU International Executive Board. In 1992, Bednarczyk was elected an SEIU International Vice President, and was concurrently appointed to head the SEIU Committee on the Future. Under Bednarczyk's leadership, this committee conducted four years of strategic planning that involved outreach to SEIU leaders and virtually all of its 1.1 million members, as well as comprehensive economic research and analysis. Among many union and community posts that she presently holds, Ms. Bednarczyk also serves as vice president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO and president of the University of Minnesota Industrial Relations Advisory County.
The Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry was created by Executive Order. The purpose of the Commission is to advise the President on how unprecedented changes in the health care delivery system are affecting quality, consumer protection and the availability of needed services. Through a series of public meetings, it will collect and evaluate information and develop recommendations on improving quality in the health care system. The Commission will be co-chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor.
The Commission has broad-based representation from consumers, businesses, labor, health care providers, insurers, and quality and financing experts. The Commission members have expertise on a range of health issues including the unique challenges facing rural and urban communities, children, women, older Americans, minorities, people with disabilities, mental illness, and AIDS, as well as issues regarding privacy rights and ethics.
