 Her first job was as a union organizer for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 125, working on a campaign to organizer clerical workers at PGE.She became a lobbyist for the IBEW in 1997, representing the union before the Oregon Legislature.One of her chief accomplishments for the union was the defeat of a bill (promoted by the Enron Corp.) to deregulate Oregon's electricity market.