Senator joins in honoring Vera Gobeski and other WWII workers at American Rosie The Riveter Association’s Day at the Capitol
NOTE: Photos of Sen. McDonald Rivet and Vera Gobeski are included below.
LANSING, Mich. (March 21, 2023) — Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet celebrated “Rosie the Riveter Day” with her constituent Vera Gobeski, a real-life Rosie who gathered with hundreds of women in manufacturing from across the state at the Capitol Tuesday.
“It’s a privilege to thank Vera in person,” said Sen. McDonald Rivet. “Whether jumping into manufacturing roles for the war effort like she did, or working small business jobs so things could run on the home front, women like Vera helped keep America open for business and win a war. I’m really glad to see that she, and Rosies past and present, are getting honored today.”
Gobeski, a centenarian from Bay City, was one of many American women who felt it was their duty to fill jobs left behind by men who enlisted to fight in World War II. When her husband, Frank, joined the U.S. Army, Gobeski worked the third shift at Dow Chemical as a core maker for magnesium castings for 80 cents an hour. She doesn’t remember what she spent her first paycheck on but says she managed to save $3,000 in just over two years.
“Today’s celebration is a great reminder to value every generation’s working-class members,” McDonald Rivet added. “From the Rosies of WWII to the pandemic’s frontline workers, so many women and men never get the recognition they deserve until everyone realizes how much we all rely on what they do or make.”
The Capital Area Manufacturing Council and the American Rosie the Riveter Association Willow Run Chapter organized Tuesday’s event, which included educational presentations and displays honoring the hard work and dedication of Michigan women in today’s manufacturing industry and paying tribute to the Rosies who blazed trails for them.
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Selected to serve as one of the Michigan Senate’s two Assistant Majority Floor Leaders, Sen. McDonald Rivet has 30 years of experience in educational and economic policy and strategic leadership. She represents the 35th Senate District.
