Labor Leader of the Week: Nicole Sewak

Nicole Sewak takes great pride in her Union roots. "All I have known my entire life is fighting for Union Rights." Growing up in Pennsylvania, Nicole's father worked as a miner and was a member of the United Mine Workers. For 27 years Nicole worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and while she retired in 2018, she remains a dues-paying member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3951.

Longtime activists and volunteers, Nicole and her husband Mark were asked if they would like to work on campaigns. Eventually, they ran a field office in Johnstown at the local IBEW Union Hall.

Through this extensive work over the years, Nicole knows the importance of so many roles on campaigns. She also knows some people like some jobs more than others, and Nicole likes being on the phones talking to voters.

"I do enjoy phone banking because it is faster than walking through a neighborhood," Nicole said. " I like engaging in conversations with voters, speaking to them concerning labor issues, and encouraging voters to support and vote for Joe Biden and the union-friendly candidates."

In the time of this pandemic, Nicole believes getting on the phones really makes a difference. Some Union Halls are hosting safe and socially distanced phone banks, but anyone can phone bank virtually from their own home or office now.

"When you make phone calls," Nicole said, "one conversation you may have could cause a domino effect and possibly change 10 people." She explained that those 10 people then engage 10 more people in a conversation about the elections. So, for Nicole, making even one call can eventually influence the way 100 people vote. Which is why she is encouraging every Union member to help get out the vote this year.

"This years' election is very important to me because our Union rights have been all but dismantled with the current administration in office. Members' rights are under attack by the current Presidential administration. Therefore, it is very important that we get all Union members to vote for Labor friendly candidates for all offices."

We must mobilize union members across Pennsylvania to vote for PA AFL-CIO endorsed candidates. We need the help of members across every sector to make this happen. Get involved with the election by signing-up to volunteer at the link below:

http://www.paaflcio.org/2020dashboard/volunteer.php