Members re-elected Merle Cuttitta to a third term as President of SEIU Local 500 by a greater than three-to-one margin in a mail ballot election finalized today.

After the independent election committee of SEIU 500 tabulated the votes, Cuttitta had defeated challenger Howard Henderson, an MCPS bus operator by 76.5% to 23.5%. All remaining positions on the SEIU Local 500 Executive Board were uncontested in the triennial election.

Cuttitta said she is excited to continue to serve as President and grateful for the support shown for the team elected by the members of Local 500. The vote to elect Cuttitta was 789-242.

“For the past six years, we’ve all been working together at breakneck speed to build a bigger, stronger, more united union that wins for workers, their families and their communities,” she said. “We have proven time and time again that we are all Stronger Together.”

Cuttitta was first elected President in May 2001 and re-elected in May 2004 after previously serving as Executive Vice President. She was elected to the SEIU International Executive Board in 2004. During her tenure in office, Local 500 has added nine additional bargaining units and several thousand members.

Cuttitta previously served in several capacities as a Montgomery County Public Schools employee for more than 15 years. She is a Vice President of the Asian American Education Association, Montgomery County Public Schools. Cuttitta has attended the University of Maryland, College Park; the George Meany Labor College, Silver Spring; and, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.