Trisha Calvarese was a speech writer at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C. when she received a phone call from her mom telling Trisha that she had terminal cancer and did not have long to live. Her mom had been taking care of her dad who also had end-stage cancer.
With both parents terminally ill, Trisha needed to drop everything to be with them in her hometown of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She was a member of AFGE Local 3403, so her fellow union members pulled together and donated their leave so she could spend the last few months with her parents and provide end-of-life care.
“Donated leave was a life saver. That really helped me settle my parents’ affairs,” Trisha told AFGE about the phone call from her mom one year ago this month.
The time they spent together and the challenges they faced made her realize that without union benefits, they would have been in a very tough situation.
Her dad was a federal worker – he worked for the Security Exchange Commission – and his union retiree benefits covered his life-extending medication. When he was first diagnosed with kidney cancer, he was not given long to live. However, because his union retiree benefits covered the medication he needed, Trisha got four more years of life with her father. Without the benefits, it would have cost them $191,000 out of pocket.
“I don’t know how you put a price on more time with a loved one, but there it is,” she said.
During those tough times, Trisha’s husband, an AI patent examiner with the Department of Commerce, was able to move back home with her because his work is remote. Having his support meant a lot to her.
What happened during those few months got her to think about her future and what she could do to help others who were not as lucky in her community. To make a difference on the policy level regarding affordable health care, support for unions, more economic opportunities for middle-class families, and time with family, she decided to run for Congress in Colorado’s District 4 under a Democratic ticket.
Her dad, a lifelong Republican, encouraged her candidacy. He told her it was her responsibility to step up and give back to the community that helped raise her.
Her parents passed away only days apart at the end of last year. So besides helping those in her community, her candidacy was also to honor them.
“I’m just lucky I had that support of my union. No one should have to depend on luck,” she said.
Her first challenge on the path to Capitol Hill was the primary, which she won earlier this year. She didn’t have a big war chest, just a cell phone and passion for what she believed in. Her experience managing a congressional race in 2018 came in handy.
These days, Trisha has been busy reaching out to voters and listening to their stories. On the campaign trail, she highlights her support for workers through the PRO Act, which restores workers’ rights to unionize by closing the labor law’s loopholes that make it harder for workers to form and join a union. Federal policy is needed because Colorado has a state law called the Labor Peace Act, which, she explains, is the right-to-work-for-less law by a different name.
She discusses the danger of Project 2025 and points out her opponent Lauren Boebert’s anti-worker voting record, including her vote against lowering prescription drug costs like ones that extended the life of Trisha’s dad.
She also often tells the story that inspired her candidacy: the support she received from her union and fellow union members when she needed it the most.
“There’s no way I could not be there for my mom. I don’t know what would have happened. And that’s what kept me up at night. That’s why I’m running,” she added.
Her time at AFGE
Trisha has received endorsements from several elected officials and unions, including AFGE. She’s a labor activist through and through, having worked both at the AFL-CIO where she served as a speech writer and at NSF where she was active in Local 3403.
At the AFL-CIO, she was then AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka’s main speech writer on energy and climate and helped with the transition when he passed. She was also current AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler's longest serving speechwriter.
At NSF, she was not only an AFGE member but also played an important role in her local. AFGE Local 3403 President Jesus Soriano is proud that she’s running on the labor platform.
“Trisha Calvarese is a champion of workers’ rights. Her contribution to the wellbeing of federal workers represented by AFGE Local 3403 was profound, although not know by many because, as a public servant, Trisha worked tirelessly for the benefit of NSF and its employees with modesty and without seeking credit or fame,” he said.
Trisha was part of the local’s Election Committee and gave invaluable advice and support to the incoming local president during a tough time following the return to the office post-pandemic as NSF’s draconian approach tore the agency apart and pitched managers against employees, managers against managers, and employees against each other. Among that disarray, the union became the tie that bound everyone together.
“In addition to her strategic advice, Trisha’s leadership role in the Election Committee led us through a democratic process where new elected leaders could focus on defending workers’ rights and bring our community back together,” he added.
Paid for by Voices of the AFGE.