Honor International Working Women’s Day
Moira Casados Cassidy—teacher in Denver who is leading the local teachers’ union fight for better wages and against for-profit charter schools. Teachers in Denver went on strike during the week of February 11th to demand a livable wage.
Zenei Cortez—Registered Nurse and co-president of California Nurses Association. Cortez worked as a nurse for over 40 years, has been leading the CNA’s fight for Medicare for All, and has fought her entire life for the rights of working women of color.
Marie Jacob—United Airlines catering worker. Jacob was a key figure in unionizing 2,700 United Airlines catering workers in Denver, Houston, Newark, Honolulu, and Cleveland. Thanks to her relentless hard work, the union won a $15/hour base pay for herself and thousands of other DIA (Denver International Airport) workers.
Pamela Bourgeois—cafeteria worker and member of the New Orleans chapter of Service Employees International Union. Bourgeois played a key role in securing $15/hour minimum wage for 66 cafeteria workers in New Orleans. She showed up persistently at school board meetings and spoke up against the unjust working conditions that she and many other cafeteria workers face. Speaking at the September OPSB meeting, Bourgeois said: “We should not have to work two or more jobs to make ends meet. We should not have to max out our credit cards to provide for our families. We should not have to rely on our family members for assistance. We need to know that we are contributing to our households.”
Be Marston (left, with coworker)—union bartender active in UNITE HERE Local 8. Be helped win a contract at the Oregon Convention Center which expanded workers’ healthcare coverage. As local president of the Oregon chapter of Pride At Work, the AFL-CIO’s organization for LGBT union members, she focuses on advocacy for trans and gender non-conforming union members.