Sherry Golden is a veteran home care worker currently employed through Addus and residing in St. Louis, MO. Sherry has devoted 14 years to providing high quality care for seniors in the region and says this work is truly her passion.
Mrs. Golden started off caring for her ailing grandmother. When her grandmother passed, she knew she wanted to find a way to continue to give back to the elderly who were struggling to maintain their independence at home.
“Many of the seniors I serve don’t have anyone else around to help them. They end up becoming part of your family and you grow very attached,” explained Mrs. Golden. “Home care is so important, no senior should be forced into a nursing home if they don’t need to be there.”
Sherry fondly recalls how she first got involved in SEIU.
“Our shop steward, Val Gordon, would always call me up to try and get me out to meetings and actions, but I just never made time. Finally, one day she called and I explained I didn’t have a ride to go to the event. Val immediately offered to pick me up and I knew I was out of excuses at that point!”
“The first meeting I attended had a deep impact on me – I just remember feeling like SEIU was a family and that I wanted to be part of it. The rest is history! Now, I’m the one calling people up offering them rides to things!”
Sherry has developed into a member leader who wears many hats. She’s played a leadership role in the local Fight for $15 movement—testifying, speaking out in the media, and spreading the word to more local workers. But she says one of her favorite union activities is getting out in the neighborhoods and canvassing about the upcoming elections and important political issues.
“I love going out and knocking doors because you meet so many different people. I know I educate the people I encounter and usually I even learn from them, it’s a really great feeling. Talking to fellow voters about what’s at stake is an incredibly rewarding experience.”
Sherry Golden is not only a union leader and home care worker, she’s also a wife and mother of two sons ages 22 and 14.

“I am a very family-oriented person and my two sons continue to make me proud each and every day.”
Sherry’s message to members who have yet to get involved is this: “I understand because that was me too. But I can tell you firsthand that you will not find a more rewarding experience than standing up for your rights and the rights of others. There is power in knowledge that no one can take away from you. As workers, we are the union and it’s up to us to build an even more powerful voice.”