Local 904L’s Cindy Odden Champions the Power of Legislative Activism

This article is part of Women of Steel’s “Sister Stories” series.

Cindy Odden has held a lot of positions in Local 904L throughout her 28 years of union membership. Most significantly, perhaps, was her role serving as the local’s first female president from 2021-2024.

Odden, who works as an inspector at ContiTech in Wisconsin, said she was driven to step up to the plate because of the women who have come before her in the labor movement.

“When women are empowered to lead, they become better role models for us and inspire others to get involved,” she said.

One of the many ways Odden continues this tradition of mentorship is through the USW Women of Steel (WOS) program. She serves as the WOS Coordinator in southern Wisconsin and always encourages members to get involved through community service, lobbying, and political education.

Recently, Odden joined other labor activists in supporting Susan Crawford, who won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Elon Musk and other billionaires had spent more than $21 million to support Crawford’s opponent. It wasn’t enough to beat the power of voters who turned out in record numbers.

“This sends a message that we’re not going to be bought,” Odden said. “It’s going to make a huge difference in the future.”

Odden hopes this momentum will help in the fight to overturn right-to-work (for less) legislation that passed in Wisconsin in 2015. She said the more members who get involved with their locals and with the USW Rapid Response program, the more likely workers are to beat back the anti-union law.

She also said that union members engaging with legislative activism is one of the only methods to balance the scales that have forever tipped in the direction of greedy employers.

“If we’re not strong politically, we won’t be strong at the bargaining table,” said Odden. “It’s so much easier to get good contracts when you get the support from legislators.”

Despite the multiple crises facing the labor movement, Odden’s outlook remains optimistic. 

“Look what we did in Wisconsin, look what happens when we stand together,” she said. “People are waking up. There is still a lot of hope.”