Bio Duwaine Walker
For more than three decades, my work has been guided by something bigger than job titles or positions: service, family, and a deep belief in the dignity of working people. I have been a union member, public servant, supervisor, advocate, father, and leader, but through it all, my heart has remained in the same place: with people. My purpose has always been to help others feel protected, respected, and heard.
My journey began with the City of Newark’s Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs, where I provided building maintenance services and operated the Zamboni at the Ironbound Recreation Center’s ice rink. That work taught me early on that service is not always spectacular. Sometimes it is opening a building, maintaining a safe space, lending a hand, and doing the quiet work that allows families, children, and communities to come together.
On weekends, I helped support overnight camping trips and summer activities at Camp Watershed, as well as ski trips that gave young people a chance to explore experiences beyond their communities. Those moments stayed with me. They reminded me that true leadership starts with care, patience, presence, and the willingness to serve even when no one is watching.
After six years with the City of Newark, a director wrote in my evaluation, “Tap his in-charge capabilities.” I never forgot those words. They helped me recognize the leadership others had already seen in me. In 1995, I moved into supervisory roles in the private sector, beginning at Freeze DBA/Div. of Central Mills in Edison, New Jersey. There, I oversaw maintenance operations, supervised 21 warehouse employees, taught OSHA Train-the-Trainer forklift operations and warehouse safety programs, and managed Right-to-Know compliance.
Even then, my focus was not only on getting the job done, but on helping people work safely
and confidently.
I later served as Housekeeping Manager at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside,
New Jersey, and as Environmental Services Director at Hamilton Plaza Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, currently Complete Care. In those roles, I supervised organized labor, developed budgets, prepared Medicare and Medicaid-billable laundry data, and managed complex daily operations. The work demanded accountability and discipline.
Then life called me closer to home. Following an untimely death and for deeply personal reasons,
I needed work that would allow me to work closer to home to take on a new role as a single father. That choice led me to the Northern State Prison, where I secured a good union job with a pension and healthcare for my family. It was more than a job opportunity. It was a lifeline for my family, a doorway to stability, and a continuation of a union legacy I had known since childhood.
My mother and grandmother were postal workers under the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), and their union jobs changed the direction of our family’s life. Because of the job stability, we were able to move from Newark Housing Authority into a middle-class life in East Orange, New Jersey. I grew up seeing what union strength could mean around the dinner table: dignity, security, opportunity, and hope passed from one generation to the next.
While at Northern State, I saw the need to strengthen our branch leadership. I supported a wise and capable woman in serving as Branch President while I stepped into the role of Executive Vice President. Some may wonder why I did not immediately seek the presidency myself. The answer is simple: I respected the work, and I knew I still had more to learn. Even then, I understood that real leadership is not rushed. It is built through preparation, humility, discipline, and wisdom.
In 2008, I was elected Branch President. Together at Northern State Prison, we built more than
a branch—we built a family. We raised thousands of dollars for members who lost loved ones, organized Unity Days that brought people together in fellowship and solidarity, and supported fundraisers like bake sales, where I proudly contributed my homemade lemon-coconut and pineapple-coconut cakes. To some, they were just cakes. To me, they were a small expression
of love, community, and the joy of sharing something from my heart with the people I served.
The sense of community we created was unforgettable. Members knew they were represented. They knew they were respected. Most importantly, they knew they were not alone. That remains my vision for every worksite: strong representation, meaningful connection, effective organizing, and a union family where every member knows they matter.
In 2015, the late President Carolyn C. Wade and President Emerita Michele Long-Vickers selected me to serve as a Staff Representative at Local 1040. At the time, I had hoped to pursue social justice work as an investigator with the Department of Corrections or another governmental agency. But God had another path for me. After receiving a thank-you-for-your-interest letter,
I later received the call to serve at the Local. Looking back, I believe that call placed me exactly where I was meant to be—standing beside working people, helping them find their voice, and fighting for the respect they deserve.
My years at the Local have been rich, meaningful, and deeply personal. As staff liaison to the Education Committee, I worked with a dedicated team to create some of our strongest convention workshops, including two that CWA National selected for its conference. Together, we also created a scholarship book to help students reduce college costs. That work reflected one of
my deepest beliefs: union work is not only about defending members on the job. It is also about strengthening families, growing leaders, educating our people, and opening doors for the
next generation.
Working under Carolyn C. Wade helped shape me as a representative and as a leader. She taught me the importance of preparation, accountability, and standing firm when members are counting on you. My assignments covered state and local government branches and worksites, where I sharpened my negotiation skills and eventually served as lead negotiator on numerous contracts, including Essex County Hospital Center (OEA), Township of Montclair, Bergen County Utilities Authority, Borough of Glen Ridge, Hillside Public Safety Telecommunicators, Town of Westfield, Morris County Law and Public Safety Telecommunicators, and Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance.
One of the victories closest to my heart came through the Morris County Law and Public Safety contract. The bargaining team fought for an independent study on staffing shortages, employee burnout, workplace morale, and competitive wages. That work helped CWA secure significant wage increases for Telecommunications Officers who had been grossly underpaid. It was a
hard-fought victory, and it reminded us of a truth we carry proudly: when we fight together, we
win together.
Another victory I will never forget happened during negotiations with a town in Union County.
We discovered that the town had failed to pay for our members’ Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) after one of our members developed cancer and was denied benefits while undergoing treatment. As the assigned Staff Representative, I filed a grievance that led to mediation and resulted in the Township agreeing to restore the TDI payment. That win was not just about correcting a benefit. It was about standing with a member and a family during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. That is what union work means to me.
Across my years of service, I have held many roles: CWA member, Election Committee chairperson, Branch Vice President, Branch President, Staff Representative, Local Higher-Level Vice President, Local Executive Vice President, and now President. Each role shaped me, humbled me, and prepared me to lead with experience, steadiness, and heart. I carry every lesson, every struggle, and every victory with me.
I am running for Local President because experience matters, service matters, and working people deserve a voice rooted in real-world knowledge. My career has equipped me with valuable skills in managing people and resources, budgets, and safety programs, as well as leading public advocacy, negotiating contracts, and navigating union environments with fairness and purpose.
Most importantly, I have learned that strong communities are built when leaders listen, serve, and stand up for the people they represent.