Linda Lewis

National Vice-President, Business Representative

Bio: Linda Lewis a native Floridian, born in Pompano Beach and the youngest of fifteen siblings blessed to the union of the late Frank Blue, sharecropper and the late Inez Blue housewife and church mother.

She worked in the fields in Broward, Palm Beach and Dade County on the weekends and days off from schools. Her family traveled to New York every summer to work in the fields digging potatoes and picking apples. After the death of her father, the family continued doing the business until 1961. Linda has lived most of her life in Florida. In her adolescent and teenage years, she would listen to her older brothers who were members of UAW and UTU discuss the benefits of being in a union and what it provides to the members.

Accomplishments: Linda received her primary education at Coleman Elementary and graduated from Ely High Class of 1970. She attended a correspondence school and became a Certified Medical Assistant, she decided to further her education by attending Career City College and received an Associate Degree in Business Administration.

Linda was church financial secretary and administrative assistant for 13 years. She now serves on the Ways and Means Board, Chairs new member orientation, Christian education, choir, speaker, soloist and fundraiser assistant.

As a service to family and friends and her church, She was later employed by the Broward County School Board working in various departments as a teacher’s aide and food service worker. With a desire for higher learning she began her studies at City College while maintaining her full-time employment, being a mother and a foster-parent. Linda graduated in 2002 earning a B.S. Degree in Business Administration in Management with courses in Human Resources, Accounting 1, 2, and 3, Cost Accounting and Psychology.

Linda is also well-known for her soul-stirring Black History rendition of “Rags to Riches” skit throughout the community and various east coast states such as Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and New York. This event included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Dillard High for NAACP, NAPFE, public schools throughout Broward County and community churches. She has been recognized as Teenager of America 1970, Upward Bound Program 1969 and 1970, and an honor student at City College. She fostered as many as 75 kids in and out of her home for eight years. This was her way of giving comfort to families known and unknown throughout the county. She was awarded 2007 recipient of the Arlington Park Family Inc., “Women making a difference in the Community and Church”.

Qualifications: In the year of 2001 Daisy Mallard made a routine visit to the bus terminal at central area. She was questioned by some of the employees what would be the likelihood of being hired to do the work she has so untiringly done for many years. Her words in return were “You have to be anointed to do this work.”

It was then that Linda became a union member of Federation of Public Employees. On March 3, 2005 Linda began her mentoring and tutelage with the late renowned “Daisy Mallard.” Three months later, June 6, 2005 the “mantle” was passed from Daisy to Linda and she became the newest Business Representative of the Federation of Public Employees.

Malcolm X stated “A man that stands for nothing will fall for anything.” Linda searched for many years and now knows that she is in her rightful place, equipped and ready to serve and work for the rights of the people. She represents approximately 1700 Transportation employees of the School Board of Broward County in five classifications.

She has attended the George C. Meany Labor College to aide in her becoming a more effective representative to negotiate, write and interpret contract language. She has served two years as a lobbyist to the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee while working with the local Florida AFL-CIO.

She is an active member of the APRI and serves as Committeewoman of precinct R069.  Motto: “The task ahead of us is not as great as the power behind us.”