Breaking barriers and raising wages with Nebraska AFL-CIO President

Sue Martin, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Nebraska State AFL-CIO, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss her path to her current role, the challenges faced by workers in Nebraska and the successful efforts to raise the minimum wage through citizen-led initiatives.

Martin's path to leadership began in Lincoln, Neb., where she grew up in a blue-collar family. Her early exposure to labor issues came from personal experiences with child labor law violations, which ignited her passion for advocating workers' rights. Before her election as President and Secretary-Treasurer in 2015, Martin served on the Nebraska State AFL-CIO executive board starting in 2004. Her background includes 26 years with the Nebraska Department of Education, where she worked as an applications developer.

One of the most significant achievements under Martin's leadership has been the successful campaign to raise the minimum wage in Nebraska. Faced with legislative inaction, she said, the state AFL-CIO and its coalition partners turned to citizen-led ballot initiatives to effect change. Martin explained the process, which began in 2014 with an initiative raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour. The next success came in 2022 with another successful initiative that implemented incremental wage increases to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. Both measures passed with nearly a 60 percent approval vote, demonstrating the public’s support for the initiatives.

Despite these successes, Martin acknowledged there's still work to be done. Looking ahead, Martin and her colleagues are exploring new initiatives to improve workers' lives, including efforts to secure paid sick leave and other benefits. The success of the minimum wage campaigns has energized the labor movement in Nebraska, proving that some progressive policies can win broad support even in traditionally conservative states.

To hear more about Sue Martin's experiences and the ongoing efforts of the Nebraska AFL-CIO, listen to the full episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast.