President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Stuart currently serves as an Executive V.P. of the 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, as well as Director of the Legislative and Political Affairs Department. Appelbaum is a V.P. of the National AFL-CIO and a member of their Executive Council. He also currently serves as a V.P. of the New York State AFL-CIO, and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store International Union and Industry Benefit Funds. He is the President of the Jewish Labor Committee, a Board Member of the Latino Victory Project, and Officer of two global union federations: IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations) and UNI (Union Network International). Appelbaum is also President of UNI Global Commerce and a V.P. of the Consortium for Worker Education.

Appelbaum was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to the Regional Economic Development Committee for NYC, and serves on the Executive Committee. He is a member of the Democratic National Committee, and serves on their Executive and Resolutions Committee. He also serves as the Vice-Chair of the DNC Labor Council.

Stuart is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Brandeis University, a Louis Dembitz Brandeis Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and is a member of the bar of the State of Connecticut. Appelbaum resides in New York City.