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.
Hadden
When Audrey Hadden started at the Nassau County Clerk’s Office in 1992, she carefully watched a worksite union leader cultivate solidarity and unit around the office.
Hadden soon became involved in our union herself, eventually becoming unit secretary and worked to boost morale around her co-workers.
Around 2006, this morale had declined.
“Employees were starting to be devalued in the office,” said Hadden. “I realized that some workers felt their voices weren’t being heard and we needed to do something.”
Hadden worked with the local’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to bring respect and dignity to workers and help lift their voices. She is also chair of the local’s MLK Committee, and is active in numerous community organizations that fight for equality and justice.
Now, as the Clerk’s Office Unit President, Hadden is determined to protect members.
I listen and ask them what’s going on and keep asking them questions until they can share all of what’s going on,” said Hadden. “I employ compassion, empathy, and emotional intelligence because that’s what’s important is psychological safety.”
When fighting for justice, Hadden keeps one day of the year in mind – August 28. That day is the anniversary of the 1955 murder of 14 year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi, as well as the 1963 March on Washington, where The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ address. The date is also significant in Hadden’s own life.
“When I come and fight for people, I advocate to either be your passion or your ministry,” said Hadden. “I look at doing this leadership work as my ministry to help others. I’m not looking for applause; I’m looking to help others.”
