Olga Miranda is a “woman to watch” she currently serves as Secretary Treasurer for The San Francisco Labor Council representing 100,000 members and spanning 150 unions throughout the Bay Area. Olga Miranda is the current President; of Service Employees International Union Local 87 who proudly represents 4,000 Janitorial workers in San Francisco.

 

She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and was the eighth child in a family of ten.  She was raised in Los Angeles, California by a strong woman who was a community activist, and also happened to be a single mother.  When Olga’s mother lived in Las Vegas Nevada she worked as a laundress –and was a union member.  Olga was lucky enough to be the only child born to Mauricia under a union health plan.  Her mother always thought of this as a sign of things to come for Olga; mother always knows best.

 

Olga grew up just west of the L.A. city skyline which progressively began inching toward their neighborhood.  Her mother’s fear that they would be evicted from their tiny one bedroom home was motivation enough to have the entire family mobilize.  Olga and her siblings were firm fixtures at City Council meetings and County Supervisor meetings.  The family wanted to shed light on the unfair evictions taking place and eventually won compensation for displaced families.  These were Olga’s first steps in a life that would lead her to become an organizer.

 

In 1993 California was under attack by an anti-immigrant proposal; Proposition 187. At the time Olga was attending Belmont High School, she not only led walk outs in opposition to Proposition 187 she was a spokesperson for the youth whose families would be deeply affected by this law.  Ultimately in 1994 this proposal became law, a lawsuit was filed shortly thereafter and eventually a ruling blocking all provisions as Unconstitutional.  Her compassion and understanding of the fight that families would be faced with came to close to home.  But, she was raised by a fighter and knew that this was a lesson she would most likely face again and again.

 

Olga attended Cal State Los Angeles and it was there that she would become an ardent Union supporter and she attended her first Union Summer.  During her Union Summer she was able to see firsthand how employers would intimidate workers.  She learned that being a Union member was an umbrella in which your brothers and sisters fought shoulder to shoulder for worker rights.  Having grown up in such a large family led her to understand that unity meant everything. 

 

Olga grew up poor and someone was always in need of shoes, coat, or a doctor visit.  Yet, her mother never turned anyone away.  In that tiny one bedroom home there were occasions when it was busting at the seams, sometimes with up to 16 people.  In addition to Olga’s siblings there was always an undocumented immigrant welcome to sit at the table and stay on in until they were up on their feet. These were lessons that would stay with her and serve her in later years.

 

Olga moved to the San Francisco area and became a Union organizer at SEIU Local 87.  She served under President Richard Leung.

 

In 2002 Olga ran for Secretary Treasurer and won her first election.  A few years thereafter she ran for SEIU Local 87 President and won in a landslide election. She was one of the youngest Latinas elected in SEIU history. 

 

As the President of SEIU Local 87 and with her formidable negotiating skills she continues to make history by negotiating some of the strongest janitorial contracts in the nation, even during some of the country’s worst economic times.

 

Olga Miranda is also a wife, a dedicated mother and a strong leader.