Happy Labor Day week.

You're welcome.

Welcome to City Hall.

It's uh great to have so many folks with us here today.

Uh if you don't know who I am, my name's Rob Dorrans.

I have the honor of serving as President Pro Tem of Columbus City Council.

Um, and welcome to our second annual Labor Day event here in uh Columbus City Hall.

Um, every year we've like to have this event um as a run up to Labor Day, uh, at a time in which we've seen attacks on organized labor uh in our state house here in Ohio, um, across the country, uh, and certainly in Washington, DC, it is important for us as a community, I think, to take pause and recognize uh folks in our community who have dedicated their careers to helping to uplift workers in Columbus.

Um you know anything about me, you know that uh I'm a proud third generation union member.

Um my dad, a couple years ago just retired after 41 years uh working in the in the IBW.

And uh watching him in retirement with my mom has been an absolute privilege to see uh what economic stability has meant to our family.

Um, you know, my sister and I were the first of our family ever to go to college, and that was because of his collective bargaining agreement.

Uh we did not have to worry about um keeping a roof over our head because of that collective bargaining agreement.

Watching my dad in retirement being able to travel and enjoy his grandkids is because of that collective bargaining agreement.

And that is something that has meant the world to my family, and so many families, not only here in Columbus, but across the country, uh, the economic trajectory for their entire families have been completely changed because workers banded together uh to organize a union and stand up stand up for one another.

So when we get towards uh Labor Day here next week, uh it's not only just a day off, but it's a day to remember uh folks um that have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for them and their families.

Um I do want to pause and recognize a number of elected officials that have joined us here today.

I know we have State Representative uh Meredith Lawson Rowe.

Uh, I know we have City Attorney Klein, who's with us here as well.

Thank you.

Uh Judge Carly Edelstein from the 10th District is here with us as well, Summer.

Judge.

Uh, we have Councilmembers Chris Weich, uh, Councilmembers Beatty, uh, Councilman Reemy.

Um, have I missed anyone?

I don't.

Oh, Otter Kilgore speaking of elected officials that helped to make this place run uh and run better.

So thank you all for being here today.

Um, before I introduce our MC for the panel um here today, I I did want to talk a little bit about um today's event.

You know, as I mentioned a moment ago, um, you know, my dad is somebody who that when you ask someone who uh what a union member is, oftentimes they think of people like my dad.

They think of an old white guy who went to went to work with a lunch pail and you know wore jeans and you know worked in a power plant.

And one of the most common demographics in this country of union members is black women.

Think about that.

We think about how oftentimes people want to pit workers against each other and try to drive wedges between people along class and racial lines.

One of the most common demographics is uh of union members is women and particularly black women.

And when we're at a moment in time in which there's so much divisiveness over trying to pit again working people against one another, I thought it was important for us to take a moment today to really think about what the labor movement means for for all workers, but particularly for black women that have stepped up to help lead this movement, to organize workers, uh, to help make sure that families um every single job has dignity, whether or not folks are sweeping floors, taking care of our kids, every single job has dignity, and it requires uh a union to help stand up to make sure that those workers have that dignity for them and their families, um, which is why I thought it was important, uh, given everything that's going on in our country right now that we have an event like this today.

Uh so with that, I want to invite uh one of my favorite women in the in the labor movement, uh Jamie Shoemaker, who's the executive director of our Central Labor Council here in Columbus, who's the first woman ever elected to that position as well.

So with that, I'm turning the floor over to Jamie.

Hello everyone.

Thank you, Councilmember and Dorans.

I'm excited to be here today and grateful for the opportunity to assist in this important conversation because women on this panel have helped pave the way for me to be a union leader and other women to become labor leaders.

I will always be thankful and hope and encourage the next generation, just like you guys have.

Spaces like this are always powerful when you share insight, build solidarity, and find our potential solutions.

With the recent job loss, data showing black women being disproportionately affected.

With black women's unemployment rate hovering around 6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This isn't just a number.

This isn't just a this is a lot of people's reality that's impacting the lobbyhood livelihoods of families and their futures.

That's why today's discussion is so important and couldn't be more honored to join this group of panelists who will bring a wealth of experience, perspective, and passion to this topic.

So let's meet them.

I am going to let them introduce themselves.

I've already screwed up somebody's name multiple times today, and I am not going to do it.

So we'll start with you first.

And also make sure you say where you're from and what you do.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Lisa Ann Ball.

My pronouns are she, her.

I am the community education and racial justice manager for Kaleidoscope Youth Center.

I am also one of the founding members of Kaleidoscope Workers Union, the union that has come out of Kaleidoscope Youth Center.

Good afternoon.

I'm Cheryl Harris.

I'm one of the field coordinators for the Ohio Federation of Teachers.