OPEIU Celebrates the Life of Former Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Wohlforth

OPEIU celebrates the life and legacy of Nancy Wohlforth, a pioneering labor leader and activist who served as our union's secretary-treasurer for many years. Wohlforth passed away Dec. 31 at the age of 79.

Her entire life, Wohlforth was an activist for the rights of working people, and a warrior in the fight for racial justice, gender justice and against war. As fearless as she was dedicated, she broke down barrier after barrier. One of the first openly gay labor leaders in the United States, she was a powerful voice in the fight for gay rights, particularly in the workplace. Wohlforth was a founding member and former president of Pride at Work (PAW), the LGBTQIA+ constituency group of union activists affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Through PAW and beyond, she dedicated herself to ensuring equality for all LGBTQIA+ individuals in their workplaces, unions and communities, and to creating a labor movement that promotes diversity and inclusion and ensures dignity and respect for all working people. She became the first openly LGBTQIA+ member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, the federation's governing body.

Reflecting on her years in the labor movement, Wohlforth once said, "Retiring from OPEIU is so hard to do because I've had a love affair with this union since 1978 when I started out with OPEIU Local 3. And, as secretary-treasurer, I've had the most difficult, most exciting job of my life. I got the chance to build this union of ours, and to fight for things we believe in like health care for all, domestic partner benefits and social justice."

She warmly remembered "the thousands of OPEIU members who have marched with me, organized with me, lobbied with me, rallied with me, negotiated with me, joked with me, befriended me, hugged me and most of all, have been with me" through it all.

OPEIU warmly remembers Wohlforth and is forever grateful to her for all she accomplished on behalf of the union and its members.