IFPTE Members Attend DNC as Delegates and Advance Priorities for Workers, Communities, and All Americans
This week, among the 4,695 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, are three IFPTE members. In this critical election where kitchen table issues for workers, students, retirees, and American families are on the line and the differences between the candidates for U.S. President and Vice President could not be clearer, these members are representing their communities and the values and priorities of working people.
Throughout the week, we hope to update this page to share the perspectives of IFPTE members who are at the DNC as delegates.
Sophia Danenberg (right) with AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. Sophia is a SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001 member working at Boeing’s Enterprise Sustainability Organization. She is Chair of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and is a Washington State Delegate to the DNC.
“We need federal policies in place to protect everyone's right to organize. As a member of a non-traditional union, I came late to organizing. When I took the job at Boeing I didn't even know I was going to be in a union. My degree is in environmental science and part of Boeing's agreement with SPEEA was that the technical environmental employees and Environmental Health and Safety would be part of the union. In the last 15 years, I've seen the amazing benefits of being part of the union. Our salaries and raises are protected even when the economy is slow. When I tell people what I do they are surprised to hear that I have a pension or get paid overtime. That's the power of being in a union and I want everyone to feel that.
In the past 4 years, we have seen everyone from baristas to warehouse employees to video game workers organize. We all felt the excitement of ‘labor summer.’ We can't lose that momentum. We need a strong worker-focused NLRB and to pass the pro act so that workers like me who never imagined they would be in a union are able to organize and feel the benefits of being in a union.”
Luis Zamora (right) with AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. Luis is an IFPTE Local 21 member working at the Office of City Attorney of San Francisco, Chair of the California Democrats LGBTQ Caucus, and a California Delegate to the DNC.
“This election is crucial for working people and labor unions because it could significantly influence employment policies, labor laws, and our workplaces. This election could reshape collective bargaining rights, our union influence overall, worker protections, wages, and even healthcare.”
“I’m proud to be a DNC delegate representing many communities during this historic convention, but I’m especially proud to be there as an IFPTE Local 21 member because it is essential for labor interests like ours to remain engaged and informed.”