Phyllis Willett

Phyllis Willett, who dedicated her life to social justice work and the labor movement, died on July 9 after being struck by a car near her Berkeley home. She was 76.

“She was one of the most dedicated, hard-working committed people when it came to her values and the changes she wanted to see in the world,” Willett’s daughter, Rebecca Willett said. “She put her whole life into it.”

Born into a politically radical family in Brooklyn, New York, Willett moved to Berkeley in 1963. She became active in the Free Speech Movement and played an integral role in a community of activists who fought for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam. She made a career working in unions, finding a home directing the Operations Department at SEIU, Local 250, which grew into SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.

In 2009, after rebelling against SEIU leaders in Washington, D.C., for making deals with employers without input from local workers, Willett and other local leaders formed the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW).

Willett worked full-time for no pay as the union’s one-woman Operations Department, mentoring young organizers and establishing the union’s culture of free speech and full transparency.

“She could be very tough, very direct, relentless, never compromising on her principles,” said NUHW President Sal Rosselli. “On the other hand, she was so compassionate and warm, and had the ability to recognize folks having a tough time and responding with open arms.”

When Willett finally stepped away from union work, she began volunteering on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers. And she never stopped marching in the streets, even during the pandemic. “I saw her at every protest, at every action,” recalled Sam McEwen Page, Willett’s friend and an NUHW organizer. “She walked the walk.”

Willett is survived by her sister, daughters, grandchildren, and many friends and extended family.