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Oregon Rep Brings Union Values to Office
Diane Rosenbaum’s political career started well before she was elected to Oregon’s House of Representatives in 1998.
As a union shop steward in Local 7901 at US West, Rosenbaum saw democracy in action — a small number of people making a difference at a grassroots level.
“The first grievance I filed was for a co-worker who was denied time off to vote,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is pretty cool. You can actually get a group of people who saw something egregious happen and do something about it.”
Rosenbaum’s union activities led her into campaigns for candidates and ballot measures that championed workers’ rights. Ultimately, she headed a campaign to raise Oregon’s minimum wage. Voters responded, and the state now has the highest minimum wage — $6.50.
In 1998, she had the AFL-CIO’s backing in a primary race against five Democratic opponents in her district in southeast Portland. She said the skills she learned as a union advocate and campaign worker helped her stand out in the crowded field of candidates. “Phone skills, organizing skills, list-making, going door to door — the power of working in coalitions and the help of hundreds of dedicated union volunteers got me elected.”
Rosenbaum, an operator, inside technician and currently a customer appeals representative for US West, is running for re-election this year. She is pursuing tax reform, wants to expand family and medical leave laws and is working on a proposal to allow states to use federal unemployment insurance to give new parents paid leave after a baby’s birth.
“We’ve got a great family leave law, but for a lot of people it’s not an option because they can’t afford to lose their paycheck,” she said.
Rosenbaum, whose husband is an AFSCME member, is also committed to campaign finance reform. “It’s so clear that working people are never going to have the strong voice in the political process that we need and should have until we fundamentally change the way campaigns are financed in this country,” she said.
To make those kinds of changes, Rosenbaum said, other union members need to step forward and get involved. By bringing their passion and know-how into politics, she said they can make a difference for all workers.
“My vision has always been that unions represent not just their own members but workers who aren’t yet in unions, who don’t have anyone to speak for them at all,” she said. “Speaking out for workers is our time-honored role.”
As a union shop steward in Local 7901 at US West, Rosenbaum saw democracy in action — a small number of people making a difference at a grassroots level.
“The first grievance I filed was for a co-worker who was denied time off to vote,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is pretty cool. You can actually get a group of people who saw something egregious happen and do something about it.”
Rosenbaum’s union activities led her into campaigns for candidates and ballot measures that championed workers’ rights. Ultimately, she headed a campaign to raise Oregon’s minimum wage. Voters responded, and the state now has the highest minimum wage — $6.50.
In 1998, she had the AFL-CIO’s backing in a primary race against five Democratic opponents in her district in southeast Portland. She said the skills she learned as a union advocate and campaign worker helped her stand out in the crowded field of candidates. “Phone skills, organizing skills, list-making, going door to door — the power of working in coalitions and the help of hundreds of dedicated union volunteers got me elected.”
Rosenbaum, an operator, inside technician and currently a customer appeals representative for US West, is running for re-election this year. She is pursuing tax reform, wants to expand family and medical leave laws and is working on a proposal to allow states to use federal unemployment insurance to give new parents paid leave after a baby’s birth.
“We’ve got a great family leave law, but for a lot of people it’s not an option because they can’t afford to lose their paycheck,” she said.
Rosenbaum, whose husband is an AFSCME member, is also committed to campaign finance reform. “It’s so clear that working people are never going to have the strong voice in the political process that we need and should have until we fundamentally change the way campaigns are financed in this country,” she said.
To make those kinds of changes, Rosenbaum said, other union members need to step forward and get involved. By bringing their passion and know-how into politics, she said they can make a difference for all workers.
“My vision has always been that unions represent not just their own members but workers who aren’t yet in unions, who don’t have anyone to speak for them at all,” she said. “Speaking out for workers is our time-honored role.”