On a Mission

I'm not going to stop until I find all of them." To Candice Cheney, president of Council 17's Local 3074, that personal mission dovetailed with her union's call to action within days after Katrina. As thousands of survivors from New Orleans poured into Alexandria and Pineville, Cheney and her co-workers combed through the various shelters, determined to locate their sisters and brothers. The searchers held up signs and posted flyers, persevering despite heavy rains and extreme heat.

The search started when busloads of patients and staff from Charity Hospital arrived at the state's mental-health hospital complex, where Cheney works as a psychiatric aide supervisor. She had heard that custodial workers (members of Local 1991) — along with doctors, nurses and patients — were stranded for days. "I wanted to be on hand to greet them. I was so happy when I finally saw five of our sisters getting off the bus. We looked after them while they stayed in the nurses' quarters."