Portal:Hispanic and Latino Americans/Selected Individual/25

Linda Chavez-Thompson (born August 1, 1944) is a second-generation Mexican American union leader. She was elected the executive vice-president of the AFL–CIO in 1995 and served until September 21, 2007. She is also a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. She was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in the 2010 election.

In 1967, Chavez-Thompson became a secretary on the staff of the Construction Laborer's Local 1253 in Lubbock, Texas (Laborers' International Union of North America). When a tornado struck the Lubbock area that year, she volunteered to coordinate the Texas AFL–CIO's relief efforts. She enjoyed the job so much, she became a staff organizer for the North Texas Laborers District Council. Her first organizing campaign was to help city workers in Lubbock form a union. They were successful. (more...)