Easterling Honored with United Way Joseph Beirne Award

CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling has been selected by United Way of America as this year's recipient of its prestigious Joseph A. Beirne Community Services Award for her career-long service to United Way, including more than 10 years on its board of governors.

Said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way, "Barbara is a gracious and inspiring leader. She has been a champion of United Way, the labor movement and our longstanding partnership – always ensuring the interests of our nation's communities were considered first and foremost. She is a true advocate and both our movements will miss her leadership."

Easterling will step down from the United Way board concurrent with receiving the award on May 15 and will retire from CWA at the convention in June.

Easterling first became involved with United Way and its predecessor organizations as a steward in Local 4302 in Akron, Ohio. To this day she remembers the words of CWA founding President Joe Beirne, urging local leaders to get involved as "a way we can represent our members beyond the company gate."

As chief of the state's Labor Division under Ohio Gov. John Gilligan, in 1970 she became the first woman in the country to chair a United Way drive, in Summit County, Ohio.

Easterling was elected to the United Way's board in 1997. For much of her tenure on the board, Easterling served on United Way's executive committee. Tackling issues such as poverty, HIV-AIDS and teen pregnancy, she championed a restructure of the agency to have greater impact in individual communities and contributed to the development of its Center for Community Leadership.

Easterling often became the public face of United Way, speaking at community events around the country, serving on awards committees and presenting awards at the agency's national conferences. In addition, she corresponded with numerous select labor leaders, reinforcing her conviction that positive changes taking place in United Way's program would benefit both the agency and communities.

Easterling is the 38th recipient of the Beirne Community Services Award, created by the charity in Beirne's memory and presented to leaders throughout the labor movement who have contributed their time and talents to United Way.