Dear John,

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, the Women’s and Fair Practices Departments would like to highlight AFGE trailblazer and leader, Rita R. Mason. Ms. Mason was the first woman and woman of color to break through AFGE’s glass ceiling as National Vice President & National Secretary-Treasurer.

Ms. Mason was unanimously elected by the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in November 1997. As a senior member of the NEC, Ms. Mason has experience as a budget administrator, managing the union’s finances both at the District and National levels. Prior to her selection as National Secretary Treasurer, Ms. Mason served as the Second District National Vice President for fifteen years. Having the savvy and expertise needed to fight on Capitol Hill, she regularly worked with Congress on a bipartisan basis to promote labor issues.

Elected four times to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, her political savvy is credited with helping to elect friends of government employees – both Republicans and Democrats – to Congress. She served as Chair of the NEC’s Legislative Committee and each year brought busloads of unionists from the northeast to lobby on Capitol Hill and participate in AFGE’s annual Legislative Conference.

Ms. Mason’s accolades are vast. In 1982 Ms. Mason received a Labor Achievement Award from the New Jersey State A. Philip Randolph Institute. In 1984 she was recognized as one of the New Jersey’s top women leaders. In 1989 the A. Philip Randolph Institute recognized her for her dedicated leadership. And, in 1990 she was honored with the prestigious Peter J. McGuire Labor Excellence Award from the office of the Governor of New Jersey.

Ms. Mason is just one of the many strong women who have built our union, fought for our rights and stood for justice. We thank her for her vast service and dedication!

The American Federation of Government Employees is a place for diversity, unity and inclusion. We are proud to be a home where women, communities of color, LGBTQIA+ communities and other minorities are elevated and valued. We ask that you please celebrate women and women's HERstory beyond the month of March and instill the values of gratitude and reflection into your everyday practices.

In Solidarity,

Jeremy Lannan
National Vice President of Women and Fair Practices

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