ROSA WALKER

1931-2021

A pioneer in the Texas labor movement, Rose Walker was for nearly four decades the go-to person whose extraordinary work ethic guaranteed that Texas AFL-CIO operations ran to the maximum benefit of working families. 

As Director of Community Services/Volunteers (formerly, “Women’s Activities Director), Walker was a leading force in recruiting capable women into the union cause. Walker’s service spanned an era in which women gained many workplace rights now taken for granted and assumed ever-larger roles within the labor movement itself. As one who navigated those choppy waters with great success, Walker is a member of the Texas Woman’s Hall of Fame, a permanent exhibit at Texas Woman’s University that honors the state’s most accomplished women.

All union members benefited from Walker’s tremendous organizing talents. She coordinated union disaster relief operations, voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, a portion of the lobbying agenda, and preparation for all special events, including the Constitutional and COPE conventions. 

Born in Hemphill, Walker graduated from Pineland High School and embarked on a career at Southwestern Bell, serving on her CWA local’s Executive Board. After stints with the national AFL-CIO and Harris County AFL-CIO, she came to the state federations in 1965.

Among Rosa’s many accomplishments: state vice president of the Texas Coalition of Labor Union Owman; a founder of the Texas Consumer Association; member of the Democratic National Committee; and member of the Texas Judicial Conduct Commission. 

Walker is at least as honored in Democratic Party circles as in labor circles. A legion of Democratic officials knows her as an essential contact who tutored countless activists on how to run a political campaign. For many years, Walker was a fixture in the behind-the-scenes activities at state political conventions, as well as an indispensable ingredient in the Texas delegation to national conventions. 

Rosa lives in Austin with her husband, Boyce Breedlove. She has one daughter, Debbie.