I am honored and excited to be your new AFSCME Local 88 President. I have worked at Multnomah County for almost 30 years and in that time I have held 13 jobs, in 5 classifications across 4 departments. For me the common thread in my work is seeking justice for employees and the communities we serve.
During my recent work as a project manager I have completed complex county wide projects for highly placed county leaders. This often means having hard conversations about values, choices, and consequences. I feel like this has earned me some amount of their respect.
I became a union steward about 6 years ago (give or take) while working in the Department of Community Justice (DCJ) and being appalled at how employees were treated there. I was especially concerned about my coworkers who held one or more identities defined as protected class. By harnessing the power of the union we organized successful campaigns that targeted oppressive managers and the executives who protected them.
Through organizing we impacted the culture at DCJ and across county departments. I became the lead DCJ steward and most recently served as a steward in the department of County Management (DCM). As a steward, I represent employees from across the County mainly on cases related to workplace equity. I am part of the group that started the PARA (practicing antiracist allyship) community of practice. I love working with people who are both active and not yet active in our union.
Finally, I believe in a non-negotiable expectation of accountability for management/executives that is similar to how as employees we are held accountable. I believe I have the passion, skills and relationships to lead our union to be even stronger – stronger together. I look forward to working with you in the coming 2 year term of my presidency.
In Solidarity,
Joslyn Baker
Local 88 President
