Edward Perez grew up in Prunedale, California, listening to his father, Peter Perez, a lineman at PacBell who loved his job and loved being a leader in his union.
Perez didn’t follow his father’s footsteps at the telephone company, but took to heart his father’s union stories and became a steward at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, where he has worked as a surgical tech for 21 years.
“There are some people who are willing to lead and some people willing to be led,” said Perez, who has been a steward for the past eight years. “I’m one of those people who is willing to fight and rally the troops and fight for what is fair and what is right.”
As a steward, Perez is often the first call for coworkers facing any number of issues at the hospital, and he’s not shy about confronting management.
“I have no problem going to HR to hash out things if my coworkers are not being treated fairly,” he said.
“I find it very rewarding. I take it very seriously to have a positive outcome with management.”
To empower his coworkers, Perez studies the contract and encourages them to advocate for themselves based on their rights spelled out in the agreement.
“I try to help educate our members about our contract so they know their rights,” he said. “I think educating your fellow members is a big part of being a steward.”
Part of that education is showing them the importance that a union can make in a workplace, as he said NUHW has made at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.
“It’s about strength in numbers,” Perez said. “It’s a lot easier to be treated fairly and respected when you have unity rather than being one individual.”
It’s a lesson he learned from his father, who always stressed the importance of union members staying united and never crossing the picket line during a strike.
“I decided that if I was ever part of a union, I would always honor a strike vote if approved by the workers,” said Perez, who, along with a large majority of workers at the hospital, voted to approve a strike that was instrumental in securing a contract with 12.5 percent retroactive pay raises.
“Everyone is happy and relieved that it’s over,” said Perez of the difficult negotiations that lasted for nearly two years while the hospital filed for bankruptcy. “We got a contract that is fair for our members.”
