A Look Into My Life

Hello Fellow Bloggers & Readers -

My name is Renee Sullivan and I am currently a senior attending Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Public Service and Public Policy with a Film and Media Studies minor. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and am an only child raised by a loving mother and father who have given me the gift to pursue my dream of obtaining a college degree. With four short months until graduation day, one of the things I am truly thankful for is being the first person in my ENTIRE family to receive a college degree. This comes with it's challenge, but it is such an honor and my family has been so supportive every step of the way. It feels good knowing you are not only doing something for yourself, but also making others proud along the way!

My internship which took place mostly during November and December was through the Teamsters Union. The Teamsters as a whole strive to "organize and educate workers towards a higher standard of living". To this day, the Teamsters are the strongest and most diverse labor union. Growing up, most of my family worked for (or with) the Teamsters Union, and because of this I had the ability to meet a lot of people and make connections with those people early on in life. The union that I specifically worked with was Teamsters Local 763, which serves both public and private sectors. Local 763 represents several government agencies and fights for good benefits, fair wages and safe working conditions.

Before beginning my internship I had many goals and specific areas I wanted to learn more about.  One of my goals was to assist in the representation process for members concerning grievances or potential grievances. This included areas regarding layoffs/reduction in hours, warning notices, verbal warnings, suspensions, terminations, etc. Another goal of mine was to become familiar with analyzing data and preparing that data for collective bargaining. With this, I assisted in costing proposals that were concerned with health insurance, retirement benefits, wages, and terms and conditions of employment. My last goal was to balance and prioritize work on a daily basis. For many instances in my internship, there were deadlines that had to be met, scheduled bargaining sessions, and other unpredictable activities that could arise. This internship helped me learn a lot about scheduling conflicts and prioritizing work!

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog! I am excited to share this journey and experience with you! Have a great day!

Renee

(Blog 1)