What’s your union story? In honor of Labor Day, on the latest episode of CEA’s podcast, State Senator Julie Kushner and AFSCME Council 4 Staff Representative Tricia Santos talk about how they got involved in the labor movement with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey.
Kushner, now a four-term state legislator and chair of the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee, worked as a union organizer for decades before retiring from the United Auto Workers. Her union involvement began in college in the 1970s when she became interested in the labor movement because of her work with the women’s movement.
Working as a secretary at a university, she quickly saw that the mostly male maintenance workers were earning more than the female secretarial staff. The maintenance workers had been organized for years and had negotiated better pay, benefits, and working conditions.
“For me, turning to unions was about really empowering women at work to accomplish more,” she says.
Santos learned about the power of unions from a young age from her father—a Teamster whose union job ensured the family a secure, middle-class lifestyle. When she started working as a paraprofessional in the public schools, Santos quickly became involved with union work herself.
“If it wasn’t for my dad’s affiliation with the Teamsters, my mom couldn’t have been a stay-at-home mom with two daughters. We had the best healthcare. We never worried about glasses or going to the doctor,” Santos says.
Looking for a way to celebrate Labor Day? Join us for a rally in Hartford on Monday afternoon.
Listen to the full podcast episode below or wherever you get your podcasts.
