Sister Ida Torres — labor leader, beloved community member, mentor and friend — passed away over the weekend. Leaving behind a community that both grieves her loss and celebrates her life, Sister Ida was one of the founding members of the NE Summer School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations and an impactful leader whose presence can be felt across the labor movement.

In 2011, Sister Ida was honored with the Clara Lemlich Award for Social Activism. From the Labor Arts website:

Ida Torres Ida Ines Berrocal-Torres was born and raised in New York City, into a union family. She learned about the importance of the labor movement at the dinner table, through the words of her father, a co-founder of the Maritime Workers union, and her mother, a “Shop Chair Lady” at the ILGWU. Her union activism took her to the United Office and Professional Workers of America, where she started as a telephone operator.

Torres’ career in the labor movement continued as she became a finance clerical employee at District 65, and in 1954, office manager at RWDSU Local 3 United Storeworkers, the union representing Bloomingdale’s department store workers. In 1965, the 4,000 Bloomingdale’s workers in New York City went on strike, and Torres became actively involved in the fight for justice at the department store. After the 15-day strike ended, Local 3 members rallied around her. She rose through the ranks, becoming a vice president in 1977, secretary-treasurer in 1984, and finally, president in 1998, an office she held until her retirement. Continue reading Remembering Sister Ida Torres →