Lisa Scheuer
Union Strong, Work Leader and Matriarch
By Monika Warner
If you walk into Lisa Scheuer’s workplace, you will most likely see counters adorned with her seasonal decorations that she donates throughout the year. Look further and you will find healthy greenery that seems to flourish and defy its industrial surroundings. This is Lisa’s touch. She adds life and goodness. I have known Lisa Scheuer for 20 years. She is a giver. She has coordinated the annual Easter egg hunts and Salvation Army tree donations for local children for nearly 20 years, as well as other events in which the employee association was involved. We shared many nights, weekends and holidays, followed by “Monday morning quarterback” sessions. We suffered through En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) crises, the pressure of program directors and software engineers and what seemed like endless testing on a Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) component that was supposedly “ready to go” to be deployed across the country within two years. However, it took seven years for the ERAM system and software models to pass the key testing at Salt Lake City and Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ZLC and ZSE ARTCCs). Modernization of the aviation system required methodical precision and attention in order to ensure it is done safely and will help keep the flying public free from harm.
Lisa began her FAA career in 1989 as a co-op student at Sea-Tac Airport, having graduated from Green River Community College Electronics Program, and became full-time at the Seattle Terminal Navigation and Communication (NAV/COM) unit. After performing in the General National Airspace System (GNAS) for eight years, she became a program support specialist (PSS) who screens and certifies our technical workforce. In 2005, she returned to “hands-on” technical work at the ZSE ARTCC Service Operations Center (SOC), where she reached the top of her career as a NAS Operations Manager (NOM), providing 24/7 certification, monitoring and control of the NAS. She brings an attention to detail, calm and solid judgment and professionalism that she has developed during her 28 years in Technical Operations. Both Tech Ops and Air Traffic feel fortunate when Lisa is at the helm.
Lisa is battle-tested and union strong. She has been a member of three unions– AWPPW (Association of Western Pulp & Paper Workers), Teamsters 117 and PASS. Lisa’s union values have guided her avid support as a System Support Center (SSC) and System Management Office (SMO) rep, chapter leader and donor to the Political Action Committee (PAC). She has never shied away at paying her fair share, plus extra, to help PASS make a difference. She has coordinated pickets, circulated petitions, fought for staffing and against privatization, and continually stands up for workers’ rights.
When Lisa explains membership to new workers, she says, “Dues payers are the ones wanting to make a difference in our working conditions.” When we win a grievance settlement and money is distributed, she says, “That’s your union at work.” When the choice for comp time was restored, she said, “That’s your union at work.” When the choice to work a 5/4-9 schedule was restored, she said, “That’s your union at work. How about joining this union that is working for you?”
Lisa believes our union is important because it gives the bargaining unit a means to communicate and grieve in a unified, official way. Having a negotiated PASS/management agreement gives us a document to hold up when we need to remind management that they are stepping over the line from something that has been negotiated.
Lisa has been a leader in life who attracts many followers. Once a single mom, she has always kept strong ideals of acceptance, equality and value for each individual she meets. Lisa has raised her sons of mixed race and given them a strong sense of individuality, acceptance and pride. As her family has grown, she has flourished in her matriarchal position as the cornerstone of her family. She beams with pride each year as she unveils her holiday postcards, once proudly stating that her family get-togethers are “like a meeting of the United Nations,” where the collective members have resided in five different continents combined.
Recently, Lisa participated in the Women’s March in Seattle. She was pleased to have her friends and extended family come together during the event, and shared her personal experience and reasons for marching:
“I planned to march the first day I heard about it. I wanted to share how proud I am to be a woman setting the path for generations to come. I felt it was my responsibility to march for the women who marched and won my rights before me. I marched for myself. I marched for my daughters-in-law’s and granddaughters’ rights as women. I believe equal pay, that everyone should have affordable, available healthcare and a good education. These are American rights. I demand respect for all of us.”
Lisa’s entire life is a testament to “why we march.” Women manage resources, analyze projects, maintain schedules and budgets, and build involvement. We encourage the dreams and support the advancement of those around us. We even pick up the pieces when they fall. Lisa is all that and more.
I thank Lisa for her friendship, for adding value and raising morale in the workplace, and for being quick to identify injustices and support her colleagues and our union in favor of change. On every occasion, my work-life experience was better when Lisa was there.
