Kenia Leon, the daughter of Cuban immigrants, grew up in Las Vegas. Her parents taught her the importance of raising one’s voice in support of personal beliefs. During high school, she actively advocated for various causes, participating in protests for Planned Parenthood and other issues she passionately supported.
Later she served as a trainer for MoveOn.org, overseeing operations in Nevada and Utah, and helped establish a union at a jail in Nevada where she worked.
Today, the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor continues her activism by helping immigrant families. She serves as an NUHW steward at the Main Adult Detention Facility in the Sonoma County Jail, where she has been working since February of this year.
“Being part of the union makes me feel that I’m part of something that can help sustain our job and allows us to do the work that we do,” she added.
“When corporations don’t respect the worker, the union is there to shine a light on it,” Leon said.
As a union steward, she keeps a copy of the contract handy in the office.
“We reference it a lot,” she said. “When people come and ask about their salary changes or holidays, or if you have a question about a certain policy, it’s good to know you have something that tells you what to do.”
Leon and her coworkers will have the opportunity to review and improve their collective bargaining agreement next year as they negotiate their second contract with Wellpath, the largest for-profit provider of correctional healthcare. She stated that one of their top priorities will be to enhance pay and paid time off.
In the meantime, her mission is to educate coworkers about the union and its benefits so they are ready to support bargaining when contract negotiations begin.
“I want them to know that the corporate answer is not the only answer,” Leon said. “That we do have power and our voice is important.
“We can help you amplify that voice and fight and elevate you when you think you’re on the ground,” she added. “It’s about empowering the workers and letting them know what we do is important.”
