ULI Spotlight: Andy Cassagnol Executive Vice President SEIU1199
From Union Baby to Union Builder
Executive Vice President of SEIU 1199 in New Jersey, calls himself a “union baby,” and he means it. The union is not simply where he works; it is the force that shaped his family’s trajectory. His mother, a Haitian immigrant and Certified Nursing Assistant at what was then Lutheran Medical Center in Sunset Park, once dreamed of becoming a nurse. Lacking the resources to pursue that path, she built a life in healthcare through 1199. The union provided stability, healthcare, and educational opportunities that transformed her children’s futures. For Andy, the union was never abstract; the union has always been personal...