Hetty Rosenstein
Area Director
New Jersey CWA
Hetty Rosenstein is the Area Director for New Jersey
Communications Workers of America (CWA); she is also
the CWA District One Organizing Director, covering New
York, New England and New Jersey. Rosenstein has been
an active member of the Labor Movement since she was
a teacher at the New Jersey Job Corps and organized
her own workplace with CWA more than 35 years ago.
She has served as a Shop Steward, as the Secretary-
Treasurer, Executive Vice President, and President of
CWA Local 1037. In 1983, CWA in New Jersey included a
provision against LGBT discrimination in its State Worker
contract. The Union bargained for healthcare for domestic
partners in the 1990’s and in 2001, Rosenstein became
the first labor leader in New Jersey to endorse and call for marriage equality.
In 2007, she became the first rank and file elected Local President to be appointed by the National
CWA to an Area Director position. As the State Director in New Jersey, she is responsible for the
contract negotiations, enforcement, political action, mobilization and organizing taking place in
dozens of Locals and among 70,000 New Jersey CWA members.
Rosenstein has been repeatedly cited as one of the 100 most powerful leaders in New Jersey
and she is recognized as a leader committed to social and economic justice and direct action
organizing. Under her leadership, CWA has grown in both membership and in strength. Rosenstein
has emerged as a fearless and leading critic of the Christie Administration.
In 2016, she successfully helped lead a six and a half week strike with partners at IBEW against
Verizon, in which