Washington, DC – Labor organizations today turn the spotlight on the individual stories of workers who have benefitted from collective bargaining or are fighting for a voice on the job. Today’s stories cap off a week of activities around working families and working women in advance of the White House Summit on Working Families.
More than 250 workers representing various unions and millions of workers, will be in attendance to ensure the voices of working families are heard. Profiles of some of the workers can be found here: http://go.aflcio.org/WomenWorkers
Here are some snapshots of their stories:
Celeste Kirkland, Third Rail Maintainer of White Plains, NY
“I finally landed a job within New York City Transit. It was a union job and meant that my children would have access to quality medical care, and I would be able to provide for my two young sons.”
Vanessa Casillas, Bricklayer of Chicago, IL
“I like being outside and working with my hands, and if I feel good doing it, why should I be limited if I’m a woman?”
Rocky Hwasta, Carpenter of Cleveland, OH
“I became a carpenter in 1985. Women were not accepted then and are not accepted now. Although I had a bachelor’s degree, as a single mom, I needed a good paying job with benefits to raise my family of three children.”
Anna Neighbor, Adjunct Professor of Philadelphia area
“Cobbling together as many positions as possible each semester or year is necessary, because as an adjunct, Anna has no job security, no benefits and a salary that can drop to as low as $10 per hour.”
Carmella Salinas, Early Childhood Educator of Espanola, NM
“I wish I could be a parent who could help my two daughters pay for college, but being passionate about teaching young children does not afford me that luxury and that is something I struggle with every day.”
Zelda Mnqanqeni-Waters, Waitress of Philadelphia, PA
“We’ll do what it takes to make sure we have a future at this hotel that we can count on. We know what we’re worth and we’ll stick together to get it.”
Tiffaney Lewis, clerical worker of Pueblo, CO
“I also know that if my children were to become ill I would be able to get the best medical care possible because of our medical benefits that are also part of our contract.”
Follow the conversation on social media at #WFSpeakUp and #WorkingFamilies. Or visit the AFL-CIO blog for more stories from working families. http://www.aflcio.org/Blog
Contact: Amaya Smith (202) 637-5018