Maribel Mckinze Is a Union Organizer at United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 135. UFCW Local 135 is one of the largest unions in San Diego representing workers in retail food, meat, drug stores, packinghouses, food processing plants, pharmacies, laboratories and casinos. Maribel is responsible for improving the lives of the workers by informing workers of their rights and organizing them to achieve a collective bargaining agreement with their employer.

Maribel grew up in southeast San Diego and is first generation. In high school she was active in Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC), president of her Movimento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MECHA) club, and a member of Advancement Via Individual Determination Program (AVID). It was during that time she grew a profound love for education, democracy and advocating for an inclusive democracy despite race, gender, citizenship status, religion, class, and sexual orientation.

Maribel later went to community college to further her goal to become an educator while working as a courtesy clerk at Albertsons. During her time of study and working full time, she quickly became one of the few leaders during the historic 2003-2004 Southern California Grocery strike. Maribel played a pivotal role by overseeing over 100 of her fellow coworkers and pressuring a multibillion dollar corporation to not strip her and her coworkers of their healthcare, retirement and job security. From this strike she gained a further passion for workers’ rights and became determined to always empower those seeking to achieve social economic justice in their workplace.

Maribel will always be on the frontlines by either picketing or canvassing for candidates that are labor friendly, she has been recognized as a young change maker by the Interfaith Center for Worker Justice (ICWJ), UFCW International Walmart Associate Outreach program, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council and UFCW International Organizing training.