2025 Hall of Fame Inductees
CATHY STEVENS
Mediation, Facilitation, Training, Organizational Change Management
Cathy brings 10 years of Labor/Management facilitation, mediation, consulting, and training experience from her work with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
Before joining the agency, she worked as an independent consultant, mediator, and facilitator with her own company, Stevens Consulting. Her clients included premier health care and Fortune 100 companies including Kaiser Permanente, Chevron Chemical, Chevron Oil, and Pacific Gas & Electric. In addition, she has worked with BART, the cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Richmond, and a number of California school districts and colleges. Her work with labor unions included affiliates of SEIU, IBEW, ATU, PACE, AFSCME, IFTPE, OPEIU, and AFT, CTA, and CSEA.
In both her work with FMCS and Stevens Consulting, she mediated contract negotiations, negotiated working agreements between unions and management so that both parties operated more effectively separately and together, and worked with labor organizations and management together to restructure processes and whole organizations for their mutual benefit.
She has developed and delivered training and workshops on Interest-based Bargaining, labor-management partnerships, mediation, communication, change management, and conflict resolution, and has been the keynote speaker at a variety of conferences. Additionally, she has published articles for the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, the Center for Collaborative Solutions, and the American Bar Association among others.
Cathy received her Masters degree from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations with concentrations in Collective Bargaining and Organizational Behavior and continues a passionate commitment to helping clients create workplaces of dignity and meaning for all.
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CAROL GUTHRIE
Business Manager, AFSCME Local 1624
Nominee: 2025 Texas Labor Management Conference Hall of Fame
Carol Guthrie has dedicated over four decades to fighting for public service employees in Texas. She is a visionary labor leader, a respected negotiator, and a steadfast voice for dignity and fairness in the workplace. As Business Manager of AFSCME Local 1624, Carol leads one of the largest and most influential public employee unions in Central Texas, representing nearly 5,000 workers across the City of Austin and Travis County. Her legacy is built not just on policy wins, but on the deep relationships, principled leadership, and everyday commitment to workers that define her career.
Carol began her public service journey in the early 1980s as a City of Austin employee with a background in accounting—a skill set that gave her a rare and valuable mastery of municipal finance. That fluency with city budgets and operational systems quickly became a foundation for her union work. She brought numbers to the table, not just rhetoric, and used her knowledge to hold departments accountable, advocate for transparency, and ensure that labor proposals were not just righteous, but rock solid.
Her commitment to the labor movement quickly deepened, and she rose through the ranks of AFSCME Local 1624, serving as Chief Grievance Representative before becoming the union’s first-ever female Business Manager—a historic milestone in what had long been a male-dominated space. Carol never asked for special treatment—she simply outworked, out-prepared, and outlasted. Her clear and direct approach, combined with strategic insight, has established her as a trusted presence at the table.
One of her most enduring achievements was serving as chief architect of the City of Austin’s Municipal Civil Service (MCS) Guidelines—a pivotal framework that established clear and consistent job protections for thousands of public employees. In a state without collective bargaining rights, the MCS system provided a backbone for due process, fairness, and worker voice—foundational to the union’s advocacy to this day.
Carol has steered Local 1624 through some of its most challenging moments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, where she helped the union not only survive but emerge stronger. Under her leadership, the union pushed for and won critical health and safety protections, remote work policies, and hazard mitigation plans. She expanded communication infrastructure, deepened member engagement, and ensured that workers’ voices were front and center—even when buildings were closed and fear was high.
She has also been a leading force behind significant policy advancements, including championing Paid Family Leave at both the City of Austin and Travis County—a transformative benefit that has set a new standard for public employees in Texas.
Beyond her local work, Carol’s influence spans across the state and nation. She has served as a labor liaison to the Democratic Party at the local, state, and national levels, where she is widely viewed as an expert on issues facing public service workers. She has played key roles in organizing and revitalizing several other AFSCME locals, including HOPE Local 123 and AFSCME Local 1550 in Houston, and AFSCME Local 2021 in San Antonio—expanding the reach and power of organized labor throughout Texas.
Carol is also a graduate of the Harvard Trade Union Program, one of the most prestigious and intensive labor training programs in the country. There, she sharpened her strategic vision, studied labor trends, and brought back insights that have helped shape AFSCME 1624’s internal development and external advocacy.
Through it all, Carol has built one of the most effective grievance teams in the state. Her ability to defuse conflicts, clarify policy gaps, and hold management accountable—while preserving long-term working relationships—is a masterclass in labor-management relations. A recent example: when union members raised concerns about a third-party background check initiative, Carol didn’t escalate. She listened. She gathered facts. She contacted HR and initiated a respectful, fact-based discussion. Within 48 hours, the City revised the program, clarified its scope, and prevented harm. Carol’s approach didn’t just win a fight—it preserved trust. And that’s what she does best.
Carol’s days are filled with phone calls, texts, and emails from employees, supervisors, elected officials, and city staff. She leads negotiations, drafts policy language, attends grievance meetings, trains staff, and mentors the next generation of labor leaders. Her work is often behind the scenes, but it is the foundation on which countless improvements have been built.
And perhaps most importantly, she has done all this while raising a family. Carol is a proud mother of two and wife, managing the demands of labor leadership and home life with strength, patience, and humility. She has spent over 40 years balancing the needs of her union family and her own—and doing so in a way that models what it means to be a full person in the movement.
In a time when labor is evolving and new challenges arise every day, Carol Guthrie’s example remains powerful. Carol rose through the ranks of a labor movement that had long been shaped by male leadership. By bringing her full voice, deep knowledge, and undeniable grit to the table, she helped reshape those spaces—paving the way for more inclusive leadership across Texas and beyond.
Carol’s style is firm but fair. She’ll go toe-to-toe with department heads when needed, but she’ll also shake their hand and find common ground when possible. She’s tough in negotiations, but never makes it personal. Her reputation—across labor and management—is that of a straight shooter, someone whose word means something.
Carol Guthrie’s nomination to the Texas Labor Management Conference Hall of Fame is not just a recognition of past accomplishments—it’s an acknowledgment of a legacy still being written. She has shaped policy, empowered workers, influenced leaders, and helped define labor-management relations in Texas. Her example continues to inspire, to challenge, and to guide.
For those who believe in fairness, in worker dignity, and in the power of collaboration, Carol Guthrie is the gold standard.