Cindy Rodrigues Memorial Scholarship

The Cindy Rodrigues Scholarship ($2,000 or more, depending upon candidates strength of application) will be given to a student of any age seeking to continue their post-high school/GED education in a certified technical and/or higher education program, including undergraduate and graduate-level studies.

Ideal candidates will embody the traits that Cindy personified:

Principled — she led with integrity, fairness, and a strong moral compass in every role she held.

Relentless — she never stopped organizing, advocating, or fighting for working people, even after “retirement.”

Compassionate — her empathy for coworkers, immigrant women, children, and her deep commitment to community guided her work and relationships.. All candidates will be considered, but those with experience in community organizing are encouraged to apply.

Cindy Rodrigues - Union Biography

Cynthia Rodrigues (July 22, 1944 – December 31, 2025) dedicated her life to the labor movement, public service, and community. Raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, and a proud graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, she began working in the garment industry at just 16 years old. Seeing firsthand how unions improved the lives of working people—especially immigrant women—shaped her lifelong commitment to advocacy and organizing.

Cynthia rose through the ranks of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, now UNITE HERE, becoming one of the first women Business Agents on the UNITE HERE New England Region Joint Board. Over more than two decades, she served as a Business Agent, International Representative, educator, organizer, and legislative advocate, including establishing ESOL classes in union shops across New England. Though she officially retired, she never stopped fighting for working people.

A trailblazer and respected leader, Cynthia served for 20 years as President of the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council—the first woman to hold that role—and held numerous leadership positions within the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and UMass Dartmouth Labor Education Center. Known and respected at every level, she worked closely with elected officials while always remaining grounded in her roots.

Guided by her motto, “Never forget where you come from. Always remember where you gotta go,” Cynthia was a mentor, teacher, and mother figure to generations of union members. This scholarship honors her enduring legacy of integrity, compassion, and solidarity, and reflects her deep belief in opportunity, education, and the power of working people.

Application Instructions

Submit a complete application packet by May Day/International Workers Day (May 1st) each year. Any late or incomplete scholarship application packet will be automatically rejected. One $2,000 or more scholarship may be awarded to the students selected as winners during the competition. Award decisions are made on the strength of the application and how the student embodies the values Cindy demonstrated.

All students MUST:

Be an active member of a labor union affiliated with the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council, or have a parent, stepparent, legal guardian, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or student applicant be a member of a labor union affiliated with the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council
NOTE: Please contact The Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council President Lisa Lemieux at [email protected] if you have any questions or want to verify your union’s membership in The Greater Southeastern Mass Labor Council
Be enrolled in a degree-granting program, including online, or a continuing education/certificate program, or plan to enroll in a program
Submit a completed scholarship application form which can be found here
Submit a completed essay

RODRIGUES SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY

Write a 700-word essay describing the history of your family’s union involvement and how you plan to use your education to benefit and strengthen the union movement. You MUST refer to the following five areas:

How and why you became involved in organized labor
Describe any special moments in which you have benefited from involvement in your labor union
Describe what you believe to be the value of belonging to a labor union
Explain your understanding of the union movement in America today
How do you plan to use your education to benefit and strengthen the union movement?

The essay must be typed using 12 pt. font. Margins should be no more than 1 inch on all sides.
All lines must be double-spaced. Please return the completed essay and completed application form by International Workers Day/May Day each year (May 1). Failure to submit any of the required items by the deadline will result in disqualification.
All recipients must have proof of acceptance to an accredited institution of higher education
All recipients must be present to be awarded a scholarship at a Labor Council meeting the third Monday of June each year, 6 pm-8 pm.

The Mission of the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council is:

To fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the working people of America through the democratic process within the framework of our constitutional government.
To responsibly serve the interests of all the American people at the collective bargaining table, in the community, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
To pledge ourselves to be a more effective organization of working men and women; to the achievement of even higher standards of living and working conditions; to the attainment of security for all the people; to the enjoyment of the leisure which their skills make possible, and to strengthen our way of life and the fundamental freedoms which are the basis of our democratic society.

The application can be mailed to:

The Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council

560 Pleasant St.

New Bedford, MA 02740-6236

Or materials can be e-mailed to [email protected] with the subject line "Scholarship Application."