Labor Council Expands Reach in San Diego & Imperial Counties, Hires Policy & Organizing Experts
Labor Organizer Satomi Rash-Zeigler and Campaign and Policy Professional Katelyn Hailey Lead New Mobilization Efforts to build local Worker Power
(SAN DIEGO - February 27, 2019) The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council expanded its senior staff, hiring Policy and Campaign Professional Katelyn Hailey and elevating veteran Labor Organizer Satomi Rash-Zeigler to fill key leadership roles within the growing organization.
Rash-Zeigler and Hailey will partner to spearhead an aggressive policy and organizing agenda focused on expanding job opportunities and raising wages, growing transportation options and lowering the cost of housing for working families in the region.
“Working people in San Diego deserve a seat at the negotiating table and a voice in the halls of power. Satomi and Katelyn’s leadership will empower local workers on the job and wherever laws affecting their families are passed. We are excited to expand our team and with it the power of our members to advocate for themselves and their fellow workers,” said Keith Maddox, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.
As the Director of Program Development and Outreach, Rash-Zeigler will expand leadership development, community partnerships and mobilization opportunities for the council’s more than 200,000 members and their families. She will leverage her previous experience as Leadership Development Coordinator for UPTE-CWA where she originated and launched innovative leadership programming that served as a model for statewide CWA initiatives. She also brings to bear substantial governance experience in community organizations including the Build Better San Diego coalition, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. First hired in June 2018, this year she takes on an new role upon her return from family leave.
Katelyn Hailey joins the council this month as the Campaign and Legislative Director responsible for advancing worksite organizing and policy programs that will empower local workers to advocate for policy change at the local, state and national levels. She will be served by her previous experience as a campaign manager for Tom Steyer’s Next Generation America, where, in partnership with the California Labor Federation, she won 100% of the targeted races in her 2018 midterm portfolio, electing five Democratic candidates to Congress in districts formerly under Republican control. She also brings with her extensive legislative experience, having worked for both State Senators Christine Kehoe and Marty Block as well as local non-profits as a policy advisor.
Together, they are spearheading new outreach programs and policy initiatives that will advance the key priorities of more than 200,000 San Diego & Imperial County working families.
“Building worker power and providing opportunities for workers to lead will change the face of San Diego - from housing and transportation to jobs and wages. We are mobilizing worker-leaders like never before to make real progress on issues that impact local families,” said Rash-Zeigler.
Hailey concurred: “I am excited for what the next few years have in store as our upcoming campaigns harness the full potential of local union workers. Our new organizing program, will ensure working families continue to win wherever we mobilize - in critical contract and legislative battles to improve working people’s lives.”
The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council’s newly expanded staff sets its sights on a range of policy priorities including the affordability of housing, access to transportation options and increasing wages. Empowering more workers with a voice on the job will translate to higher engagement in the legislative and political process, and greater influence on local public policy.
“Satomi and Katelyn have the organizing experience needed to deliver concrete change in the lives of everyday hard-working San Diegans,” said Doug Moore, President of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. “We’re fighting for to put more money in their pockets, create housing that is affordable build viable transportation options to get to and from work.”
2018 saw a resurgence in the power of working people who mobilized for better wages, healthcare and retirement security. Nurses and psychologists, hotel housekeepers, airport safety technicians, U.S. postal workers and more held actions to fight for the right of workers to fair wages and working conditions and a voice on the job.
Workers went door-to-door talking to thousands of voters which delivered a worker-friendly Supermajority to the San Diego City Council, flipped California’s 49th Congressional District, and a host of other victories across the region. The wave of worker wins ushered in a new era of widespread pro-worker representation at all levels of government in the San Diego region, demonstrating the power of working families to drive change.
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The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council represents more than 200,000 working families standing together. At the Labor Council, nurses, teachers, firefighters, service workers and construction tradespeople join healthcare workers, hotel workers, janitors and zoo employees in their common fight for a voice on the job and at the decision making table. The Council and its 136 member unions seek to improve the lives of working people by advocating for higher wages, housing that is affordable, quality healthcare and a secure retirement for all.