“Retired” Chief of Staff to the International President and Director of Trade and Globalization

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)

Monica Lee Silbas is a 33-year member of the Machinists Union and retired January 1, 2024 from her position as Chief of Staff to the International President.  

She also served as Director of Trade and Globalization and sat on the Executive Committee of IndustriALL Global Union, which represents more than 50 million workers in 140 countries.  In addition, she assisted the Air Transport Territory with the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and the Woodworkers Department with the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Global Union Federation.

Monica had worked in the airline industry since 1986.  She accepted an early retirement from Delta Air Lines after the merger with Northwest Airlines that resulted in the loss of the union contract.  Today, she continues to fight and support the current Delta Air Lines organizing campaign in hopes that one day, workers will gain their right to join a union.

In 1999, The IAM appointed Silbas as the IAM Transportation Department Education Representative and credited her for training thousands of members in the air transport and railroad industries as shop stewards and local officers. 

Fluent in Spanish, Silbas was one of the initial members of the Spanish Working Group and was pivotal in the development of Leadership course materials targeted at the IAM’s Spanish speaking membership. 

From 2014 to 2021, Monica was a fierce advocate for working people and was one of the leading voices for labor on Capitol Hill where she served as the IAM’s Assistant Political and Legislative Director. She was a liaison between elected officials and the Machinists Union and vigorously lobbied members of Congress on working family issues.  She was also co-chair of the Women of Labor, a powerful group of union women working in Washington, DC.

Prior to her retirement, Monica served on the Executive Board of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and honored with the Maria Portalatin Women’s Leadership Award.  

Monica graduated from Santa Ana College with a degree in Air Transportation, and California State University, Sacramento in California with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a minor in Government.

Ms. Silbas has been married for nearly forty years and is the proud mother of a daughter who is a Towson University graduate and a son who is an Eagle Scout. 

Today, Monica is active in Maryland politics and is dedicated to volunteering with various organizations.

Keturah began working as a ramp agent at Piedmont Airlines in 2013, a wholly owned regional of American Airlines. After five years, she moved to the Inflight Department and became a Flight Attendant, where she felt like she belonged.

Keturah is a Combat Veteran, and being of service is second nature to her, so she immediately became active in AFA-CWA. Soon afterward, she was elected the Master Executive Council President of Local 61. During this tenure, Keturah also secured a historic 100% vote during contract negotiations to strike if negotiations didn’t reach a conclusion soon. After four years and the worst crisis the flight attendant industry had ever faced, Piedmont Flight Attendants ratified a new contract in March 2022!

Since then, Keturah hasn’t stopped making history. On the first day of Pride month in 2022,, Keturah began her term as AFA-CWA International Vice President making her the first Queer Woman of Color and Combat Veteran elected to serve in the role. Keturah says it is an honor to represent so many and to work to make spaces safe and supportive for all people, including immigrants, trans people, Black and Indigenous people, and the LGBTQIA+ community so that every person that AFA represents has a voice.

Pari Farmani has worked for various domestic and international nonprofit organizations for the last 17 years. Her work has focused on a range of topics including racial and immigrant justice in the United States, and women’s political participation and inclusion in peace processes around the world. She is currently a Senior Program Officer at the Solidarity Center, where she provides guidance to Solidarity Center offices around the world on intersectional approaches to equity and inclusion within labor movements, including programs on racial justice, gender justice, LGBTQIA+ worker inclusion, and ending discrimination and harassment in workplaces. 

She has been a member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 since 2019, and a steward since 2022. She was previously a member of the United Auto Workers (UAW) National Organization of Legal Service Workers (NOLSW) Local 2320 from 2007 to 2012. She is a volunteer and member at several DC organizations, including Gaza Champions, Muslims for Just Futures, DC Books to Prisons, and Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation.

Nancy Olumekor is currently serving her third elected term as Director of the Retirees Department for the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). Prior to being appointed to this position in 2016, Nancy served as an APWU National Business Agent (NBA) in the Washington, DC Region, a position to which she was elected in 2001.

Baby-boomer Nancy O was born and raised in Washington, DC by parents who were government workers and union members. She began her postal career in 1973 at the Main Post Office in Washington where she joined the APWU during her probationary period. While working full time at the Post Office, Nancy also attended and graduated from Howard University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. 

As a postal worker, Nancy saw the disparate treatment of her coworkers and didn’t hesitate to speak-up. In 1979 she began her activism with encouragement and help from her first mentor, the local chief shop steward, Vicki Hunter. Nancy was elected Recording Secretary of the Washington, DC Local. Early on Nancy was influenced by the women in her local who worked in supporting roles as well as leadership positions – Linda Coleman and Tina Bell who both served as President of MD-DC State APWU while also serving as local shop stewards and officers in the WDC Local during the 1980s. One of the memorable events for Nancy was volunteering to help host the bus loads of APWU members who came from across the USA to the 20th Anniversary March on Washington in 1983. 

Nancy enjoyed representing and speaking up for her coworkers. Her hard-work and volunteer spirit helped her to be elected and serve as the Local financial secretary and vice president. Nancy also served as secretary-treasurer of Md-DC State APWU. She met numerous impactful women in labor at every level of her journey. During the 1980s Nancy became involved in APWU POWER (Post Office Woman for Equal Rights) where she met and was influenced by women outside of her local in leadership positions such as Josie McMillian, President of NY Metro Postal Union, the largest local in APWU, Joyce Robinson, President of Richmond, VA Local, and Elizabeth “Liz” Powell, National Business Agent (NBA), Northeast Region. All of these women were fearless. They were not afraid to speak out in what looked like a man’s world. These women motivated Nancy and shaped her outlook on women in the labor movement “A Woman’s Place is in her Union.” 

Ultimately, these women also moved into national leadership positions in APWU. In 1989, Elizabeth “Liz” Powell was the first woman elected to the APWU National Executive Board as Regional Coordinator for the Northeast Region, Joyce Robinson was the first woman elected to a resident officer position as APWU Research and Education Director and Linda Coleman was the first woman elected National Business Agent (NBA) for the Washington, DC Region. As women in APWU moved into national leadership positions, they brought other women along. 

In 1995 when Linda Coleman decided to retire as an NBA, Joyce B. Robinson, who was mentoring Nancy, called on her to run for that position. With the support of these two (2) women and many others, Nancy was successfully elected to NBA in 1995. In what seemed like a setback in 1996, Nancy was unelected when the Dept of Labor re-ran the NBA election and Nancy lost that election. 

Fortunately, this loss was really a set-up for Nancy’s future in APWU. Nancy continued her activism in APWU representing members at the local and state levels. With the continued support and encouragement of her mentor, Joyce Robinson, Nancy was elected and served as the APWU POWER Coordinator for the Eastern Region from 1997 to 2001. By 1999 more women were elected to APWU national office, however the numbers were not reflective of APWU’s membership. Elizabeth “Liz” Powell, Joyce Robinson and many other women in leadership positions throughout APWU decided it was time to make a change. In 2001 Nancy was part of a historic election of women and people of color to national office in APWU. Nancy was elected to the position of NBA for the Washington DC Region and re-elected to four (4) consecutive terms without opposition. In this position Nancy was able to continue to speak up for and represent postal workers in arbitration as well as many other duties. 

In 2016 Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth “Liz” Powell called on Nancy to accept the appointment to the resident officer position of APWU Retirees Director. Nancy has the opportunity to learn from and represent the members who were pioneers in APWU. As Director, Nancy is expanding retiree chapters, encouraging retiree activism at all levels including mentoring APWU working members and preparing them not only for retirement but continuing activism in the labor movement. Nancy continues to be an outspoken representative by advocating for the retirees within the APWU and by joining with other organizations - such as the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), the Leadership Council of Aging Organization (LCAO), the WEP-GPO Repeal Task Force and the Third Act (which is a coalition of “experienced Americans over age sixty (60) executing relevant campaigns and organizing like-minded elders towards building a more sustainable future”).

Embracing the Statement of Purpose in APWU POWER led Nancy to join and become fully involved in the Coalition of Labor Union (CLUW). Through the years Nancy supported CLUW by recruiting and sponsoring members, participating in local CLUW activities and attending national CLUW meetings and conventions. Working with President Emeritus Donna Brockington for Nancy was like hitting the motherload. Donna was another fearless activist. Donna worked tirelessly to keep the Metro DC CLUW Chapter viable and visible by assigning everyone tasks to keep them engaged. Once Donna realized that you were a like-minded unionist she kept coming back to you. Donna was also a tremendous resource for Nancy, as the APWU Retirees Director because she worked at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Looking back over the years and working with seasoned unionist-elders-retirees reinforced to Nancy that “A Woman’s Place is in her Union”!

Tyra McClelland has been a member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) for more than a decade. Shortly after joining she was asked to be a steward in which she agreed. At a union meeting she was elected as the Secretary/ Treasurer in which she has ran opposed for the last four consecutive terms. 

She is currently AFGE District 14’s National Women’s Advisory Coordinator (NWAC) for the past two terms. Tyra also serves as the Chair of the AFGE NWACs, AFGE Council 1 2nd Vice President, AFGE Law Enforcement Officer Steering Committee Secretary, AFGE Representative on the National Officers Council of CLUW; and AFGE At-Large Executive Board Member of the Metro DC Chapter of CLUW. 

Tyra believes in staying busy since her wonderful 3 children all hit adulthood and thus it is her time to do what she loves to do.

Marilyn J. Wiley is a graphic designer and proud union member determined to curate a space for herself within the labor movement. Over the course of her professional career, Marilyn has promoted and advanced the agendas of non-profit and community organizations, publicly highlighting their core values using dynamic design, branding and marketing in digital and print media.

After graduating Stevenson University with a BS in Visual Communication Design, Marilyn built her career from the ground up, starting as a Women’s Rights/Advocacy intern at the National Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). From 2015 to 2022, Marilyn held various leadership roles within CLUW, including: Special Assistant to the Treasurer, Assistant to the President, and developed the branding/identity for three CLUW National Biennial Conventions.

In 2022, Marilyn joined the American Postal Workers Union’s Communications Department as the Digital Communications Specialist, playing a pivotal role in enhancing the union’s web presence throughout the digital landscape. She remains actively involved in CLUW at both the national and local level, with volunteer roles on National CLUW’s Young Women Workers and Finance committees, while currently serving on the Metro DC CLUW chapter’s Executive Board, representing The News Guild-CWA Local 32035. Marilyn enjoys freelance work and, most notably, was commissioned to design CLUW’s 50th anniversary logo.