Labor Leader of the Week: Roxanne Pauline

“Union has always been there, it has always been part of my life,” said Roxanne Pauline. She has been with IATSE Local 329 for the past four years. Her first Union job was with UFCW Keystone 1776.

“We all work together,” Roxanne said, “that’s what solidarity is all about. We are all the same, we are all one.” If there has ever been a time to remember this, it is now, amid a pandemic and the most politically divided Nation in recent History. 

Roxanne has seen the importance of elections since she was a teenager. Over the years, her work organizing Labor during the elections and her advocacy in Scranton for workers has been noticed across the state.

“I have always helped coordinate labor,” Roxanne said, “or helped run the phones, or call people, do the walks, worksite leaflets, whatever had to be done.” Working on so many aspects of the campaigns through the years has given her a lot of insight into the dynamics of this turbulent year. 

“We are not listening and talking to each other as much anymore,” Roxanne said, “there has been so much division created by Trump.” Limitations on how people can interact are not only caused by the pandemic, they are also due to the inflamed dialogue of the current president and his followers. 

In past years, people would be able to have conversations about candidates. This year, Roxanne says things sometimes seem more like a Thanksgiving dinner but everyone cannot just sit at the table and act civilized.

The sense of community is different this year as well for her, but she found you can engage and activate your community in new ways.

What can people do in this last week before the election? “Keep calling, and calling, and calling,” Roxanne said, “talk to everyone in your household, your family, your friends, your people. If you aren’t talking to people in your household because of politics, try saying something nice to them. Don’t fight with them, just keep moving forward. Make sure everyone has the information they need to have to the polls. Make sure your members are ready to vote.”