The labor movement and the nation have lost a towering figure with the passing of Luisa Blue, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and a lifelong champion for social justice, public health, and the rights of working people. Luisa passed away recently, and while the cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, the impact of her life’s work will be felt for generations.
Luisa Blue was more than a labor leader—she was a movement-maker, a groundbreaker, and a symbol of what unrelenting courage and compassion can achieve. She etched her name in history as the first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) elected to the role of Executive Vice President of SEIU, one of the largest and most influential labor unions in the United States. Her election was not only a personal milestone but a historic moment for representation and equity within the labor movement.
For more than four decades, Luisa dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of working families, immigrants, and communities of color. Her journey in public service began as a registered nurse in San Francisco’s public hospital system, where she saw firsthand how policy, inequity, and lack of representation affected both patients and workers. Those early experiences shaped her unshakable belief that every worker deserves dignity, fair wages, safe conditions, and a voice on the job.
Her leadership was defined by compassion, clarity, and courage. She rose through the ranks of SEIU not through self-promotion, but by doing the work—organizing, strategizing, and building bridges across communities. She served in numerous leadership roles within SEIU Local 521, helping to organize public sector workers across California. Her vision helped elevate thousands of voices that might otherwise have been ignored.
As an SEIU Executive Vice President, Luisa was a powerful voice on the national stage. She led the union’s immigrant justice campaigns, advanced racial and economic justice initiatives, and forged coalitions that crossed lines of race, industry, and geography. Colleagues and fellow activists recall her as an unshakable force in the fight for equity, never afraid to speak hard truths or take bold stances on behalf of the most marginalized.
To the AAPI community, Luisa was a pioneer. In spaces where AAPI voices were often underrepresented or overlooked, she stood tall—not just for herself, but as a door-opener for others. She inspired countless AAPI union members, women of color, and emerging leaders across the country to claim their space in movements for change. She believed deeply that diverse leadership was essential to strong democracy and fought tirelessly to ensure the labor movement reflected the people it served.