Laura Reyes

Secretary-Treasurer

Laura Reyes is the Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, which represents 1.6 million workers. She was elected at the union’s 40th International Convention in June 2012.

A native of San Diego, Calif., Reyes grew up in a union family, her father and grandfather both advocates for workers’ rights. After graduating high school, Laura taught preschool and experienced first-hand the disrespect many education workers face.

Reyes’ first child, Damian, was born at 28 weeks with a brain hemorrhage. The doctors informed her that her son would have severe Cerebral Palsy, unable to speak and confined to a wheelchair. Reyes gave up her job and became a home care provider to care for Damian full time. Today, Damian is a college student, majoring in biology.

In 2002, she joined the United Domestic Workers (UDW) Homecare Providers Union/AFSCME Local 3930. She was elected as a delegate to the AFSCME convention for the first time in 2006, and she became a member of the committee that modernized and wrote the present UDW constitution to make it more member-focused. Reyes was elected UDW President in 2008 and an AFSCME International Vice President in 2009.

As President of UDW, she led the largest AFSCME affiliate in California. Reyes led organizing drives which grew the union from 20,000 to approximately 62,000 home care providers. She also led the effort to restore fiscal health within the union. She held house meetings where members discussed the very serious issues affecting clients and providers in California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. Through legislative and political action efforts, she held off cuts to the IHSS program. And as a bilingual activist, Reyes helped non-English speaking workers navigate the often complicated bureaucracy.

Reyes has three children, Damian, Christian and Diana Ruth.