After devoting countless hours of volunteer service to the Saint Paul Labor Studies and Resource Center (LSRC), Erica Dalager Reed now works for the organization as an AFL-CIO Community Services liaison.

Dalager Reed, a member of Local 277 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) for the last 20 years, accepted a position with the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation’s nonprofit arm last month, and she began work in her new position Oct. 12.

“I look forward to working with labor and our community at large to create coalitions and foster a culture of growth, giving and contribution,” Dalager Reed said.

The AFL-CIO Community Services Program represents a 70-year partnership between organized labor and Greater Twin Cities United Way.

Community Services volunteers and staff improve the lives of working families by working with broad and diverse coalitions to promote dignity and economic justice for workers. They also empower workers and their unions to make their communities better, more responsive places to live, work, raise a family and retire.

As a Community Services liaison, Dalager Reed’s work will focus on union member outreach and assistance, utilizing Greater Twin Cities United Way’s wide range of services and resources, as well as program expansion, fundraising and other initiatives set forth by the Regional Labor Federation.

“Coretta Scott King said, ‘The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members,’” Dalager Reed said. “Labor unions and our fellow union members have been pivotal in creating and contributing to the prosperity of our communities, and I want to assist in any way I can to ensure that narrative continues.”

Dalager Reed, a resident of Lakeland, has represented OPEIU Local 277 as a delegate to the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation for over 10 years, during which time she has also served as a Labor Community Action Committee member.

Prior to accepting a position with the LSRC, Dalager Reed worked as a public relations consultant. She has been active in the East Metro community as a disability advocate and as executive director of a Lutheran congregation in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood.

“Erica’s roots in the East Metro run deep, and she brings a vast network of connections inside and outside the labor community that will serve our movement well,” Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation President Kera Peterson said. “With Erica on staff, I am confident the Saint Paul Labor Studies and Resource Center will continue to play a critical role in making our communities livable, welcoming places for all people.”