The union spirit has always been with me. I'm from a military family and we learned to quickly adjust to situations. The thinking: we had five minutes to be upset about something or not like it, and then, we had to use the rest of the time to figure out what we were going to do to make a difference and change things.
The union works in a similar way. If I don't like something, I have an opportunity to change it.
Janus, for example. We couldn't stop the court from making that decision, but what we could do and have been doing is organizing, building relationships, and getting people involved so they understand the value of the union.
I tell people my story and how despite my mother being a shop steward, we never talked about unions. It wasn't until I became a professor that I learned more about them. I quickly learned that the union is about connections and when I share other union stories, from Martin Luther King's 'I Am March' to—because we're Massachusetts—Tom Brady's kerfuffle (deflategate), I usually get most people to realize that the union isn't this obscure organization.
It's about empowering members.
One day, I had a conversation with a fellow member about the union. The next day, she started reading her contract and kept repeating, 'I didn't know this!' Now she's the member liaison and has taken off running and organizing our activities.
The union is about giving people voice and the fact that I can empower people is rewarding.
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