Terry Melvin
President, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Secretary-Treasurer, New York State AFL-CIO
Terry Melvin was first elected president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists in 2012, replacing founder and 40-year president William Lucy. Melvin began his union career in 1980 as a member of Civil Service Employees Association Local 427 in Western New York. He quickly rose through the ranks of CSEA, which represents more than 250,000 public- and private-sector workers throughout New York. He became the youngest CSEA local president in December 1983, when he was elected to lead CSEA Local 427 at age 21. Melvin was elected secretary-treasurer of the 2.5 million-member New York State AFL-CIO in 2007. He has championed the development of strong ties between labor, religious organizations, and community partners – spearheading development of the NYS AFL-CIO Community Outreach Department, which he oversees.