Internal NFFE News
August 26, 2025
On Women’s Equality Day, Americans reflect on the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which secured women the right to vote. But for working women, the fight for equality has always extended far beyond the ballot box – into the workplace, the union hall and on the bargaining table.
Women have always been central to the labor movement, both as organizers and as a backbone of workplace advocacy. The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) has deep ties to women’s rights.
In the early 20th century, NFFE leaders were outspoken supporters of the suffrage movement, recognizing that political equality was inseparable from workplace equality. Their support helped build momentum for women who were fighting not just for a voice in democracy, but also for dignity and fairness on the job, especially in labor which is a male-dominated field.
And, this is not an outdated issue. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women still earn about 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, with the gap even wider for women of color. Union support remains one of the most powerful tools for closing that divide, providing transparent pay scales, grievance procedures and protections for women against discrimination. Women in NFFE are proving that every day – by leading locals, advocating for fairness and ensuring the next generation of union members inherits a more equitable workplace so that the labor space is better when they leave it than when they arrived.
For Roni Fein, President of NFFE Local 5300 representing Forest Service employees in West Virginia, union membership has been nearly lifelong. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Fein first joined the United Food and Commercial Workers while working in high school.
“I learned how beneficial having union representation is,” Fein says. “I’ve always been part of a union since high school.”
After attending Unity College in Maine, she began working for the U.S. Forest Service in 2009 and rose through the ranks of her local. This year, she became President. For her, union leadership is about standing up for others while protecting our forests and nature.
Though Fein calls herself “truly a city girl,” her work in the forests of West Virginia reflects a dual passion: protecting people and protecting the land.
“The environment and natural resources are something that needs to be protected.”
Nicole Allen, a Wildland Firefighter and Region 3 Vice President for the Forest Service Council of NFFE, echoes that same commitment to fairness and solidarity. And for Allen, the union isn’t just a structure for bargaining – it’s a community.
“Since becoming an active union member, I have felt so much more connected to the people working alongside me. We’re all ‘brothers and sisters,’ trying to move in the same direction. When women’s specific issues come up, my union brothers advocate for a seat at the table. I feel like my voice is heard and valued.”
That belief in collective power is shared by Genevieve Holdridge, President of NFFE Local 777 Army Corps of Engineers.
“Being a member itself is kind of contributing to that collectiveness,” she explains. “I’m committed to ensuring that all genders are represented and that power is shared fairly.”
Holdridge credits her union colleagues with helping her grow as a leader. “They’ve really guided me too,” she says, noting that what she values most about the work is her union community. “I really like working with these people.”
From Fein’s decades of union commitment, to Allen’s frontline fight for firefighters’ rights, to Holdridge’s dedication to fair representation, these women and so many others within the NFFE family embody the values at the heart of Women’s Equality Day.
As the labor movement continues to confront inequities, stories like these remind us that equality is not a milestone reached once and for all, but instead it is a struggle carried forward, contract by contract, vote by vote and voice by voice. We all have the power to carry the weight of this long-haul fight for equality.
If you are a woman in the union and want to share your stories or experiences, please reach out to Grace Cady (gcady@nffe.org) or Matt Dorsey (mdorsey@nffe.org).