Meet Juanita Ray, the newest member of the UWUA’s National Executive Board. Recently elected President of Michigan Local 223, Juanita replaces retired president Mike Smith. The first African-American female president to lead the 4,000 members at Detroit Edison (DTE), Juanita says, “I worked very hard to achieve my position in UWUA Local 223 by focusing on unionism.”
Juanita joined Local 223 in 2000 as an instrument and control technician. Formerly an active member of the United Auto Workers (UAW), she brought her passion for representing workers to her new local. A feminist who believes there isn’t a ceiling that can’t be broken, Juanita has a number of goals as Local 223 president and as a National Executive Board member, among them, “Making sure utility workers are recognized for their work in the communities that we serve, that’s huge for me,” she says.