JOANN MARMOLEJO
MARTEL FRASER, Recorder
Union Leader,
Tireless
Advocate for
Working Men
and Women
Joann Marmolejo began her
early career working in the fields
of Bakersfield earning seventyfive cents an hour, while men
received a dollar an hour for the
same work. That early
introduction to disparity
motivated her to pursue better
working conditions and pay, not
only for herself but for all
working men and women.
Joann stepped into her first union
job in June of 1962 at Thriftimart,
a grocery chain in Bakersfield,
bringing her hourly rate up to
$2.12 an hour-working only 40
hours a week instead of 48. When
the company asked if she would
transfer to Santa Ma