Andrea Finne Struller

Andrea Finne Struller, a third-generation docker, will be clerks Local 52’s business agent this year. She came over to the clerks in 2000 from longshore Local 19, where she had been a member since 1992.

She had spent most of the last year as dispatcher and relief BA for her local.

“I felt pretty confident running for the position because I had worked on it and I felt like I knew what I was getting into,” Finne said. “I loved sitting on the LRC [Labor Relations Committee]. That’s where my heart is—jurisdiction—that means the world to me.”

Her father and grandfather’s names are Paul Finne, Jr. and Sr.
“My uncle, John Finne, a Local 13 member, encouraged me to take my dad’s book when he died and I can never thank him enough,” she said.

She has three stepchildren and two kids of her own.

“A lot of my time is spent being a mom, which I love,” she said. “I’m a runner, I run triathlons and marathons. I’m into physical fitness, so if I have any spare time it’s mostly doing that. And there are always jurisdictional arbitrations to read. I’m always reading about what’s going on with the Coast and what we’re trying to get done with the local.”

Finne spends a lot of time reading past membership meeting minutes and learning the history of the local. She would like to move ahead in several areas.

“I look forward to updating our constitution, and getting our port working rules and dispatch rules updated, since that hasn’t been done for quite some time,” Finne said.

She had a lot of positive feedback while dispatching and serving as relief BA, and many members asked her to run for BA.

“I’m not daunted by the fact that I’m the first female, but I’m really excited that I can be a part of this union in this position,” she said. “It’s a great honor.”

—Tom Price