Next Gen Member Profile: Carissa Hahn, CWA District 7

Name: Carissa Hahn
Local: CWA Local 37083
Workplace: I work for AT&T Mobility in the WFH call center in Everett, Wash.
Titles: I am the President of my local union and the Legislative and Political Coordinator for the state of Washington. I was recently elected Trustee to the Executive Board of the Snohomish and Island County Labor Council (AFL-CIO).
Time with Next Gen: 7 years!
Mentorship: My mentors have been Amy Masciola, CWA Next Gen Coordinator, and Ted Hooker, CWA District 7 Organizing Coordinator. They’ve taught me to take the time up front to develop a strategy for success, whether it's planning a week-long mobilization with members of another local or organizing a new workplace; a solid plan with good support on the ground will make all the difference.
Inspiration: Just being part of the union and getting active inspired me to do more. My first action was leafleting outside a T-Mobile store in Seattle. Watching fellow CWA members get involved in fights for workers’ rights outside of contract negotiations showed me that there are a lot of ways our union can improve the workplace.
Current Work: In addition to bargaining contracts with members of my local, I am supporting our human rights work through the Building an Anti-Racist Union training, working with young members to bring the training back to their locals and workplaces.
Future: I would like to see more locals involved in the Next Gen program, taking advantage of our support to skill up and train young activists to get involved in CWA programs and push our work forward so our wins aren't reversed in the future.
Quote: Back in 2017, I heard Derrick Osobase, who is now the Vice President of CWA District 6, say “Make yourself replaceable” at a training I was participating in. I loved that idea; it’s so important for us to share our knowledge with others and support them as strong activists. It’s the only way to make our movement sustainable.

Carissa would like to connect with young activists and potential mentors across CWA District 7. If you’re interested in getting involved, send her an email message to Carissa@washtech.org.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.