Editor’s Note: During the recent CSEA’s Women’s Conference, several union activists told stories of their union journey during the plenary “Our Voice, Our Power” sessions.
Hanna
When Health Research, Inc. Local President Deborah Hanna first took her local office, she worked to acclimate to leading her private sector local that has members across the state.
“Then, 9/11 happened and my world changed very much,” said Hanna.
Several years later, the state moved workers to a building near the site of the attacks.
“We were moved to what was right next to World Trade Center site – the world’s largest construction site at the time,” said Hanna, who is based in the Metropolitan Region.
Worried about the potential health effects to workers from toxins at the site, Hanna turned to CSEA staff for help, including those from our union’s Occupational Safety and Health and Legislative and Political Action departments.
Hanna and other CSEA activists also joined with other unions that represented workers on or near the site to fight for safety improvements to their worksite to mitigate potential effects from the area.
Their lengthy and successful fight for improved safety eventually led them to go to New York City, state and federal officials, and Hanna even testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
“It started as a small idea to a huge fight, and we made a lot of changes in Lower Manhattan,” said Hanna. “Looking at it, we not only changed things for our members, but changed working conditions for so many people.”
Hanna noted that this battle was one of the most inspiring ones in her union activism.
“At the time, I didn’t realize how big this fight was. I just thought, ‘it’s wrong.’” said Hanna. “My voice became everyone’s voice. It may have been my voice coming forward, but it was shared by many.
