USW - United Steelworkers
12/17/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/17/2024 08:54
Woman of Steel Nellie Caraballo has high hopes for next generation, continues fight for justice in retirement
Dec 17, 2024
Woman of Steel Nellie Caraballo has high hopes for next generation, continues fight for justice in retirement
This article is part of the Women of Steel "Sister Stories" series.
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When Nellie Caraballo began working for the City of Lorain, Ohio, in September 1986, she was in the early stages of rebuilding her life while going through a divorce and serving in the U.S. Army. She had a toddler to raise, and she was eager for the good wages and benefits that would help her do that. Perhaps even more importantly, she would now be able to retire with a pension and health care.
This isn't to say her start in the public sector wasn't without challenges. In fact, Nellie spent the first half decade dealing with daily harassment from a foreman. The experience made her dread coming into work every day, and five years in, her local union president visited Nellie in her office. He said he knew she'd been experiencing problems and wanted to know why she had never come to the union for help.
"He encouraged me to file a grievance, and I asked what that was going to do for me," Nellie said. "He looked at me and said, 'I'll show you.'"
The Making of an Activist
Within weeks, Nellie and her local president settled the dispute. Nellie was transferred to a different department and the foreman was no longer allowed to enter her office or be near her while she was there.
"This sparked my interest in the union," said Nellie. "How did this guy come into my office and resolve within weeks what I couldn't resolve in five years? I wanted to know what this was all about and learn whatever I could."
This marked Nellie's involvement and commitment to her local, a decision that would eventually evolve as she expanded her activism into the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), her Central Labor Council, and, of course, Women of Steel. Sixteen years into her career with the city, she joined the USW as a staff representative in District 1.
The Fight Continues
Now, as a retiree, Nellie continues serving the union as a SOAR activist. But she is also holding space for the next generation of leaders, who she believes is going to play a major role in transforming the idea of justice and progress.
"Young people are out there educating themselves, and it warms my heart," Nellie said. "They're going to change Americans' thinking, and I truly believe they're going to change the world and make it more inclusive."
Nellie said that the fights younger workers are facing are, in many ways, the same fights her generation endured.
"We're still fighting division because there are factions that want to take us back, to erase history, so we still have to fight to just keep what we have," she said. "We have to fight for our kids."
Nellie also knows that there are always new fights. The one she is currently focused on is taking action on the Social Security Fairness Act.
Last month, the U.S. House passed a bill to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), both of which reduce Social Security benefits for certain retirees who also receive pension income, including public sector workers.
SOAR activists like Nellie are spreading the word and asking union members to email a pre-written statement to their senators encouraging them to support the bill, which is likely to come up for a vote before the end of December.
"This is the farthest this legislation has ever come in Congress, Nellie said. "We have very little time to act."