As a child, Rayneika Robinson remembers going to family cookouts and spending time with her grandfather. "My grandfather would always tell me that his union is what gave him a voice. He would tell me how his union helped put safety protocols and fair practices in place for him and his fellow truck drivers," says Rayneika, a parole and probation agent and the president of AFSCME Local 3661.
Now, Rayneika and her fellow union members are doing the same. From growing the number of stewards her local has to winning pay increases for her fellow agents and coworkers to establishing a schedule for safety inspections as well as a health and safety committee and so much more, Local 3661 has continued to win workplace improvements for Parole and Probation employees and offices across the state. "I've seen how absolutely necessary our union is. You can have the same issue in two different workplaces, but the workplace that sticks together and stands up for themselves gets a good outcome, and the workplace where no one stands up continues to face the same status quo."
Rayneika also recently took part in a storytelling training with fellow AFSCME members from across the Northeast, including Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York. The interactive training both challenged and inspired her. "I don't think there are enough words to describe how our union has impacted me. Being a part of my union has opened doors and new opportunities for me and has provided me with a union family. I encourage any person to become active because being involved sets you up to be an agent of change. Our union is our amplifier."
