UC-AFT Member Spotlight- Amy D. Hines, UC-AFT Executive Director

Amy Hines started working as UC-AFT’s Executive Director in late November 2013. She joins us from the CaliforniaSchool Employees’ Association, where for several years she worked as an organizer out of the North Bay Field Office.  At CSEA, she coordinated the work of ten labor relations professionals, who were representing 14,000 classified school employees in over 125 school districts across northern California. Amy is very excited to now be working in a smaller, more intimate organization. Trade unionism is Amy’s passion, and she has worked in a paid union staff position since 2003, including stints with UAW Local 2322, SEIU Local 1000, and AFSCME Local 3299. 

Insider:  Tell us about what led you to the UC-AFT.

A.H.: Well, while working at AFSCME Local 3299, I was impressed by the solidarity that was shown by the UC-AFT Local at Davis. Axel Borg, Jeff Narten, and others were very thoughtful leaders in our coalition, and I liked working with them very much. I still have the button that Axel gave me the first time we met: I stand with UC Librarians, in blue writing on a bright yellow field. When I saw the position posted on Unionjobs.com, I knew this would be an excellent opportunity to re-connect with some old friends and work with some amazingly dedicated people.   

Insider: In previous jobs, you've worked with k-12 employees, and workers represented by AFSCME at UC.  Is there something that attracted you to working with academics in higher ed?

A.H.:  Yes. Academics in Higher Education are uniquely positioned to advocate to save public education as a whole. They are articulate, well reasoned, and well placed to know the challenges that public education is facing in this country, while also understanding the necessity of public education to a democratic society. I am a big believer in social movement unionism, which means whole worker organizing. We don't drop our kids off at school and go to work and presume that those are two separate things. We must unite to make our whole lives better, both for our children going through k-12 public schools and ourselves and our co-workers who are teaching at this public institution. 

Insider:  You are working on your second master’s degree; what kind of program are you in?

A.H.: Actually, two UC-AFT staff members are in the program. Allison Guevara, the Field Representative for the Santa Cruz local is also enrolled. The program is in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University and it is run in conjunction with the National Labor College. We are studying Organizational Development and Knowledge Management and we'll complete our degrees in May of 2015. I think it is a wonderful twist of fate that we will have two members of our staff trained to develop our organization at the same time. It has been great to work with Allison both professionally and academically. Now we will see if we can put our theories into practice!  

Insider: That sounds interesting and exciting. Have you found any immediate relevance to your new work as Executive Director of UC-AFT?

A.H.: Thank you for asking. Actually, Allison and I are devising a way to analyze membership data and statistics that may lead to a broader strategy regarding improved membership conversion numbers. This is a very immediate and practical way that the field of study is translating to our work on the ground. 

Insider: What are some of your goals stepping into your new role here?

A.H.: The fact is that on June 1st 2015, the Unit 18 Lecturers contract expires and we must negotiate a successor agreement with UC. The 18 months before that expiration date is what I want to work on. We can either arrive on June 1st 2015 prepared and ready to engage, or not. Time will pass and that deadline will arrive. Will we be ready? Only with the participation of active membership can we hope to significantly improve our members’ working conditions, wages, rights and respect. The Librarians just ratified a 5 year contract, so I am hoping that they will be available to act in concert with their Lecturer brothers and sisters. Our Union depends on it.

Insider: You mention the need for an active membership. What steps do you think we need to take to activate our members so we can be ready for bargaining?

A.H.: You, the person reading this interview, are the Union. I mean that in every sense. A Union is not a thing that exists, it is collective action, an idea. It is like a gym membership. If you pay your dues every month but don't go to the gym and work out, you will not get fit and strong. You don't march up to the personal trainer at your gym and say "I can't believe I'm not strong yet, I've been paying for this gym membership for a year now." The personal trainer will say "well, that's too bad, but I've never seen you actually here investing time." If we want a strong union and a strong contract we all collectively, you and me and your co-workers and everyone, must invest the time. We have to stop what we are doing and talk to each other, and we have to think and talk and act Union. How would we act if we were all unified and in control of our collective fates? Please dare to imagine that answer and then behave in a manner that is consistent with that vision.

Insider: What do you like to do for fun?

A.H.: I enjoy traveling. I have been to over 25 countries, and I’m trying to increase that number each year. I believe that traveling to experience different cultures and ways of thinking is a great form of education. Last year I went with a Labor delegation to El Salvador and also to Mexico.   

Insider: Any parting words?

A.H.: Yes, I would like to sincerely thank the members and staff who graciously invited me to their Locals so that I could meet with them and get to know them in my first two months on the job. Thank you to the Santa Cruz collective, the Santa Barbara Local, the Riverside Local, the Los Angeles Local, and the San Diego Local. I look forward to enjoying “meet and greet” opportunities in Irvine, Merced, Davis, and Berkeley/San Francisco as soon as possible in the new year. I love to see our members in their “natural habitat” so to speak. Walking around campuses and seeing members’ working conditions first hand is what I like most. Thank you all.