Hi, I’m Laurie Stephey and I’m running for CAPS-UAW District 4 Head Steward (Chair). I am an Environmental Scientist at the Department of Toxic Substances Control in the Berkeley Office. I started with the State in January 2024 and became a member right away. 

Why am I running for this position? I grew up in Orlando, Florida, with two working parents and attended public K-12 school. When I attended a private college, I encountered students with wealth I could not comprehend. I felt angry watching them go out to the club on Tuesday nights while I studied for hours in the library. It was clear they were playing by a different set of rules afforded to only the most wealthy and powerful. When I joined UAW 5810 (formerly the union for University of California postdocs), I was excited to join an organization flexing its power to fight for a more equitable world. Now that I am at the State, I am thrilled to be back in UAW. For the past year, I have helped assist members via answering questions, filing grievances, representing them in disciplinary meetings, and assisting CAPS-UAW as a whole with organizing. 

I feel strongly that unions are one of the most effective tools working people have to push back against the ever-increasing greed of the wealthiest in our society. In addition to negotiating better pay, unions help ensure that workers have a voice in their workplace. I can see that my fellow State workers are driven by the important mission we share to improve the lives of California’s people and environment. Through enforcing our contract, supporting our members, and helping to bargain for our next contract in 2027, I want to ensure that State Scientists are paid appropriately for our work and treated with the respect and dignity we deserve.