2001 
“Typifies Hersey’s qualities” 
Trina Young

The Mary Hersey Award for outstanding achievement in Labor was presented by Council 2’s Women’s Action Committee this year to Staff Representative Trina Young, who represents Council 2 in Southwest Washington. Young first joined Council 2 25 years ago as a member of Local 275, Grays Harbor County. She was a state executive board member for 11 years and was hired as a staff representative in May last year. She works out of the Lacey office. Denny O’Neil, president of Local 307-VC, nominated Young for the award. O’Neil, who works for the City of Vancouver, said Young typifies the qualities of Mary Hersey, after whom the award is named.

 2003 
“Always available” 
Nancy Baker

Nancy Baker, member at large of the executive board of Local 87 in Yakima, has received the Mary Hersey Award for outstanding service to the union. Baker was cited for exemplifying the importance of being a union member, in particular for always being available for the tasks that needed to be undertaken. In response, Baker said Mary Hersey, after whom the award is named, said if you want the union to work, you have to work. “It is only as strong as the effort you put into it,” she added.

 2005 
“Most selfless person” 
Vern Brown

Many people in Yakima, particularly those who work for the City, knew him as “Mr. Union.” Vern Brown earned the name for his active involvement in union activities over nearly 30 years, for his ability to recruit workers to the union, and for his organization of the annual Central Labor Picnic. Brown, employed by the City of Yakima’s Parks Department since 1974, is the first male to receive the Hersey Award. “Vern’s passion for the welfare of his fellow employees throughout the City of Yakima has been second to none,” Yvette Lewis, president of Local 1122, of which Brown was a member, said. “The interests of others came before his own. Where there was a cause Vern was there. He is the most selfless individual I have ever met.”

 2007 
“There when help is needed. 
Terri Prather

When help needs to be given to a cause, Terri Prather is there to lend a hand. “She is always willing to go the extra mile and always has time to help members,” said Kathy Abernathy-Robinson of Local 618, who presented Prather, an operator at Thurston County’s LOTT Alliance and Local 618 secretary, with the 2007 Mary Hersey Award. Prather served in many union capacities, including treasurer of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason counties’ Central Labor Council for seven years. Prather was fundamental in Local 618’s “Helping Hands” project at Christmas, buying, wrapping and delivering gifts and meals to union families in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. She also helped to organize the Local 618 summer picnic.

 2009 
“Paid ultimate price. 
Cherie L’Heureux

When employees at the Northshore Utility District believed they were being unfairly treated by management, fellow worker and warehouse inventory controller Cherie L’Heureux was among the first to step up and act on their behalf. Over months, she — working with union members, including Council 2’s Deputy Director Pat Thompson — took up the causes with management. But — L’Heureux was to learn the hard way — management had not forgotten the role she had played in fighting for the rights of her co-workers. “When I was elected secretary of Local 1024 in 2006 and took part in negotiations, that’s when the pressure started to come down on me,” L’Heureux recalls. “It became apparent that all my actions were being watched. On June 13, 2008 — yes it was Friday, the 13th — they fired me, saying they had found 13 errors and/or unauthorized changes to time sheets out of about 13,000 data entries.” “She paid the ultimate price,” Thompson said when L’Heureux received the Hersey Award. “She is an inspiration to all of us in the union.”

 2011 
“Calm, easy-going approach. 
Denny Finegan

Denny Finegan likes to support the underdog.“I like defending people who have been done wrong, who have not been treated well,” says Finegan, who works as a crew chief for the Thurston County Public Works Department and has been active in 700-member-strong Local 618 for 30 years. He has served on Council 2’s executive board for eight years. “I like to make sure people are treated decently. I enjoy it. It is rewarding.” “He is always there, helping people with their challenges in the workplace,” Staff Representative Kathy Brown said when Finnegan received the Hersey Award. “His calm, easy-going approach to problem-solving is what sets him apart.” Finegan said receiving the award is humbling. “I will cherish it all my life.” Finegan works for the Thurston County Public Works Department where he began in 1981 after eight years working in the maintenance department of the Tumwater School District. He has served as a shop steward, a chapter chair, and on and off as local president for 20 years. What advice does Finegan give to someone entering public service? “Stay active in the union,” he replies. “Be aware there are people who want to get rid of unions and take away your job. We must retain our right to bargain collectively.” Finegan was appointed a Council 2 Staff Representative in 2013

 2013 
“We work for we, not me. 
Carol Travis

Carol Travis was unable to attend the convention in Spokane in June, 2013 at which she was presented with the Mary Hersey Award. So she left a note to be read at the ceremony. It said, simply: “We don’t work for me, but work for we when dealing with management.” That note pretty well sums up Travis’s approach to the union to which she has devoted so many hours. She served several terms as vice-president and president of Local 874-h, the local’s executive board and the state executive board. “I wanted to make sure everybody was able to be treated fairly,” she says. “I was never out for myself. It was for the good of the people.” Her drive to be fair was tested when the Great Recession forced management to seek concessions from the union. “We would vote to defer pay raises for ourselves in order to prevent some of our members being laid off,” she explains. “I would rather see other people being able to keep their job or even to keep the hospital open than insist that I should get my full pay.”