6
U N I O N !
I N H O N O R O F C A T H Y R E P O L A
You pay dues to them.'"
Her nickname quickly became "Norma Rae," aer
the heroine of that labor-oriented film. "I'd say, 'Don't
let them treat you that way, don't let them underpay
you,'" she said. "And it inspired me from somewhere I
didn't know existed."
at's when, as she tells it, she first got into "a
little bit of trouble."
"I think I was a little overzealous in my
representation," she said with a laugh, adding, "I
believed I was doing the right thing, and it kind
of rattled some people. At the conclusion of those
negotiations, I made a decision that I wanted to go
work for a union. I was very young, and I didn't
know anything. I'd been a shop steward, and I
believed in the cause—power to the people, all
that kind of stuff—and I started taking labor
courses at night."
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Cathy's father Ernie Repola (left) was active in Local 683; Cathy with her mom in an
undated photo.
