Alex Hamilton, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
What made you decide to start working for the State?
Prior to state employment, I never knew anyone personally who was in state service, so my knowledge of the inner workings of the state and the union were very limited. I spent many years as a Special Education teacher in public school in grades K-12.
I have always been drawn to serving traditionally underserved populations, so when I learned about all of the different education programs within state institutions offered to incarcerated students, I sought out an opportunity to be involved. I am going on six years into my state service as a Professional Correctional Educator, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the decision I made.
How has your leadership evolved since becoming a steward?
I was introduced to stewardship by a colleague at my worksite who is a 20+ year SEIU Local 1000 Steward just prior to the 2023 bargaining cycle. I started out much like any other new steward – ignorant of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the incredible value it provides. As I pursued further knowledge of the MOU on my own, I started to become a resource at my local worksite. Instances ranging from quick answers to teachers on certain contract provisions, to participating in disciplinary meetings to represent my fellow SEIU members made up the majority of my time initially. As my confidence and knowledge of the MOU grew, I began holding Joint Labor-Management Committees (JLMCs) at my worksite to collaborate with management on best practices and grievance avoidance. As my role expanded at my worksite, I had the opportunity to connect with members of the BU 3 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) when some issues came up at our site that I needed assistance with. The guidance and resourcefulness I found in the BUNC team was invigorating for me as a steward.
What motivated you to step into leadership?
The relationships I built with the BUNC led me to conversations with my District Labor Council (DLC) President to become the District Bargaining Unit Representative (DBUR) for my unit. After elections I stepped into my role as the Unit 3 DBUR for DLC 729 and began attending Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee (SBAC) meetings with the colleagues I met on the BUNC. When BUNC elections came up, I was nominated and voted in as a BUNC member. Over the next few years my role on the BUNC led me to engaging with Unit 3 members and stewards from all over the state during site visits, JLMCs, and through a statewide Unit 3 Teams call every first Wednesday of the month that I helped get off the ground. Upon retirement of one of our Unit 3 BUNC members, elections were held to fill the open position. At these elections I was nominated and voted in as the Unit 3 Alternate Vice Chair, where I sit today. This role has expanded my opportunity for leadership within the Unit, and led to numerous engagements with state management on issues that affect our members. During this time I have led Meet and Confer tables, participated in impact bargaining, and as of today am actively involved in bargaining with the state on the 2026-2029 SEIU Local 1000 MOU.
I was motivated by the BUNC leaders that offered assistance to me when I was unsure about a path forward with some of the site issues I was dealing with. Seeing the confidence that these leaders displayed opened my eyes to another opportunity to serve. The encouragement I received from those BUNC members helped me recognize my own desire to help lead others. The sense of relief that I felt when I had conversations with others that were clearly more well versed in the MOU than I had been, was striking. I realized that I, too, desired the ability to provide that comfort and relief to others in this context.
With the amount of management overstep we continue to face (both purposefully and because of ignorance) I see a continued need for well educated, confident stewards and members to help protect our rights.
What continues to inspire your involvement in this work?
In my role on the BUNC I have had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of teachers from different worksites from around the state. We have roughly 850 teachers in CDCR worksites alone, not counting the hundreds that work at our CDE Special Schools, Diagnostic Centers, State Hospitals, and Developmental Services. Within CDCR we have nearly 70 site stewards, with a steward at almost every single institution worksite. This accounts for about 8% of our total represented teachers being stewards. Our unit employees have seen, and continue to see a great need for representation, strength, and solidarity throughout the state. It is encouraging every day when I get to interact with our site stewards who are constantly problem solving issues at their respective work sites. As our connectedness as a unit has continued to strengthen over the years, I am constantly inspired every time I have a new steward in our chat chime in and offer support on an issue another steward may be having at their worksite. The community and culture we have managed to foster within our unit is unparalleled. The hard work and dedication of all our non-CDCR teachers working at specialized sites, with highly specialized populations, continues to amaze me and they are some of my favorite people to support and lift up at every opportunity.
I see the passion in my fellow stewards, and I see the relationships they’ve built with their worksites. People, and the sometimes unexpected greatness they possess, inspire me.