Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Hispanics and Latinos have made to the labor movement. Today's profile features Oscar Cerda of the Fire Fighters (IAFF).
Oscar Cerda immigrated to the U.S. from Chile with his parents when he was 5 years old. Motivated by a desire to help his community, he became a volunteer firefighter at the age of 17 and later joined the U.S. Air Force, where he spent more than five years on active duty. He now serves as a firefighter at the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, a joint civil-military airport in Suffolk County, New York. Cerda and his union siblings in CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000 are proud to keep their communities safe.