National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Irene Gonzalez

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today’s profile features Irene Gonzalez of AFSCME.

Irene Gonzalez, vice president with the Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officers’ Union, AFSCME Local 685, is a proud member of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, a federally recognized tribe of Indigenous people of California. Gonzalez grew up in the San Joaquin Valley area of California, shuttling between foster homes in Tulare, Visalia and Atwater, and has committed her life to restorative justice and union activism.