National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Marty Bowman

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 Marty Bowman, a shop steward with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7019.

CWA Local 7019 shop steward Marty Bowman lives in Window Rock, Arizona, and has worked for Navajo Communications and Frontier Communications for 30 years, currently as a services and sales technician. Bowman was instrumental in organizing his co-workers in the self-contained bargaining unit on the Navajo Nation. Bowman lives and speaks the Navajo tradition every day of his work and family life. He was elected to the first bargaining committee for CWA at Frontier during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and initially engaged in virtual bargaining with the company and negotiated all the way through ratification on June 2, 2021. Bowman exemplifies the spirit of the Navajo tradition on the reservation and currently serves on the local school board, as well as coaches and assists with Native Youth Sports, including football, baseball and basketball.