Tashara is a child welfare social worker in Washington State who has reaped the extraordinary benefits of union advocacy. Unions are looking after and advancing the needs of frontline workers all over the country as they confront and overcome the challenges of the coronavirus.

“Child Welfare Social Workers are unionized here in Washington State, and our union did some amazing things while I was in this role. They fought tirelessly to get us raises. And ultimately our union won! Over a span of 1-2 years, Social Workers received a series of significant raises, which of course improved our livelihood as we were finally moving toward earning a livable wage. If we left it up to the Washington State government, we would not have gotten these raises. We needed our union to fight for us and win us the ability to live a quality life.

Unions in the US have a long history of advocating for social and economic justice for the Black community. They’ve helped make significant improvements in the quality of life of Black workers. However, there is still work to be done. We need allies to stand by us and continuously demand change. We need the option to have organizations, like unions, advocate for us in the workforce. Because, the Black community cannot win the fight against social and economic injustice alone.”