Rob Wheaton joined the OSEA staff in September as Director of Field Operations, working alongside current Director of Field Operations Cydnie Meyer.
Wheaton brings more than 25 years of experience in union building from the ground up. He first joined a union as an apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Las Vegas. After moving to Eugene and getting a job at a non-unionized workplace, he saw a clear difference.
“I saw a lot of things that made me say ‘this wouldn’t fly at my last job, where we had a union,’” Wheaton said. He and his fellow workers organized themselves into a union, which then elected Wheaton, age 19, to a leadership position. He never looked back.
In the years since, Wheaton has worked with AFSCME, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) and LiUNA 43. He comes to OSEA from our fellow AFT affiliate, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA). Rob has some family experience with classified school employees – his mother was an early childhood educator and his sister is an educational assistant.
“I am excited and proud to help OSEA improve the lives of people like my mom and sister, who give so much for their communities and schools,” Wheaton said.
Originally from Arizona, Wheaton spent a few early adult years in Las Vegas before moving to Oregon by way of Eugene. He is an avid whitewater rafter and even saw the 2017 solar eclipse while rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. He lives in Portland with his wife, Lalleh.
More Support for Chapters
The labor landscape has shifted since the 2018 Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision. Outreach and organizing are more important than ever to build membership and strength in numbers.
As OSEA has increased outreach in recent years, our field operations department has grown to more than 20 staff members who support bargaining, representation, grievance processing, training and, of course, organizing!
To support the important work happening in the field, the OSEA Board of Directors and Conference delegates approved a second Director of Field Operations position in the 2024-25 operating budget.