2022 Woman of the Year - Delta Williams, USW 831
Delta Mae Terry was born on August 2, 1960, in Eden, North Carolina. She is the 5th of 10 children toJohnny and Odessa Terry. Her father was an Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) member, and she learned from him early on the importance of solidarity, serving others, workers’ rights and most importantly, the union’s impact on daily life for working people.
Delta enjoyed her union job so much that she expanded her work career in 1995 beginning her work at Goodyear, becoming a member of USW Local 831. Delta wasn’t just a union member, but a true labor activist as she has been serving as COPE Secretary for her local union since she became a member, she has served as alternate shop steward, on the Rapid Response Team, and as a CAT Coordinator. Outside of her local, Delta has been an active member of the Western VA Labor Federation Council, the Western VA Chapter Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), and the Virginia AFL-CIO Executive Board.Family, service, and hard work were three principles in her family that she is no stranger to and has embodied them for the way she has lived her life every day. Upon graduating from Laurel Park High School in 1977 and enrolling into Danville Community College, Delta took heed to her family’s teachings, and joined her dad and brothers in Fieldcrest Mills in Eden, NC working her first union job; where she also became an ACTWU member which is today known as UNITE HERE.
Though Delta spends much of her time doing the work of the union and helping others by ensuring those in the community she serves have the worker rights they deserve; in her spare time, she enjoys attending church, crafting, bowling, fishing, cooking, gardening, and spending time with family – especially her son Tony and 3 grandchildren.
Delta resides in Axton, Pittsylvania County, Virginia with her lovingly devoted husband Calvin Williams.