Facing the challenge head-on
After seeing a crucial need, Taisha Brown didn't hesitate and jumped into action Taisha Brown learned stability and dedication growing up in a union family. Now she's brought those principles to her job as a Local 1000 member leader.
"It was always in the back of my mind, what I learned from my parents and how they took care of our family," she said. "They talked about the importance of unions, and I witnessed it every day--now I make sure those values are with me when I walk into a worksite or defend my co-workers."
Brown is an employment program representative at EDD-UI in San Diego and has been working for the state for two years. Just one day after passing her probation, she became a Local 1000 steward because of what she was seeing at her worksite.
"Management would kick desks and threaten employees," Brown said. "People were so scared, but I wasn't afraid."
Brown decided changes needed to be made.
Her involvement as a Local 1000 steward and member leader has helped create a better working environment where members and management now collaborate. She's even had four co-workers volunteer to become stewards and help Local 1000 grow stronger.
"They've seen the changes we've made," Brown says of her co-workers. "People come up to me and thank me for what I've done and how I've affected our workplace."
Brown is on the front line defending the rights of her co-workers--and performs a similar role in her state job. Taisha is the first person unemployed Californians talk to when they need state services. She hears the hard-luck stories from those who've lost their jobs and face frightening challenges.
"These men and women are just trying to make ends meet," Brown said. "It changes the way you look at the world--it makes you want to reach out and help everyone."
Her work with unemployed Californians has strengthened her reasoning for volunteering as a Local 1000 member leader.
"I want to make a difference and see my co-workers happy," Brown said. "If that means volunteering one extra hour or one extra day...I want to do it."
Beyond her work as a Local 1000 member leader, Brown is politically active on the national stage. She will represent the 53rd Congressional District at the Democratic National Convention in September.
"Any chance I get, I'm taking. We need and deserve a voice where decisions are made."
