This article is part of Next Up, a special section published June 30 about the future leaders of the Rock River Valley

ROCKFORD —"Living the dream" is often a flippant retort, but when Sara Dorner says it, she means it.

Dorner, 38, of Rockford, is an AFSCME Council 31 staff representative working on behalf of nine locals in the Rockford, Freeport and Dekalb areas. She loves her job, she says, because it's a way to improve the lives of union members and the health and vitality of communities.

"If we can raise people's wages, we can raise their standards of living," she said. "If we can keep them safe in the workplace, we can improve the quality of their lives. We can help them have more time with their families, and we can help them contribute to the community more. I think me being a union rep helps to make Rockford a better place to live. So this is my dream job."

Dorner is a Rockford native and a former United Airlines flight attendant and union steward. When she left the airline, she became a union organizer, which led to her present job.

"I felt like this was the best way I could come back and make a difference in my community," she said.

Negotiating contracts, she said, is challenging and rewarding.

"I used to bargain in Wisconsin, and I was a staff rep negotiating contracts during Act 10 (legislation) in Wisconsin when the governor (restricted)collective bargaining ... for public employees," she said. "That was a really difficult time to work for a labor union."

For a time, negotiating contracts for public employees in Illinois wasn't any easier.

"We went over two years without a state budget, and vital human services that are provided by our members, who for the most part are public employees, were cut or were at risk of being cut," she said. "So we were trying to negotiate collective bargaining agreements during a time when there were layoffs and a reduction in services."

Dorner said she finds her job rewarding when union members become active participants in negotiations and learn to appreciate their own value.

"Sometimes they'll come to the table thinking they are just a CNA or they are just a janitor or just a secretary, but you are never just anything," she said.

"What is really cool about the union process and collective bargaining is watching people feel empowered. They are at the same level as the boss when they are at the negotiations table. They are sitting up for themselves and their co-workers and being an active advocate. I get to see that every day."

Dorner said she wants to see all unions grow and contribute to their communities. While she believes unions in the United States are under attack, she said that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"If you look at our nation's history, at times when the sentiment against working people was at its strongest, union membership was at its highest," she said. "The best organizer is a bad boss."

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen