Victoria Reodica: EAA’s Fixture at LAWA

By Evan Henerson

By her own admission, Victoria Reodica is a person who “likes to help people.” That mindset puts her in alignment with Engineers and Architects (EAA), the union of which she has been a member for 14 years.

“My staff members belong to a different union, but some of them are new and I try to guide them,” said Reodica, a senior management analyst at the Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA’s) Information Management Technology division. “I guide them to the MOU. It’s important.”

“I greatly appreciate what the unions do,” she added. “The benefits they negotiate, the cost of living, the raises … If you’re in private industry, sometimes those things are not guaranteed. I think employees at places that are non-union are missing out.”

Reodica’s staff at LAWA manages the accounting section, administering payment for the airport’s systems and technology projects as well as the IT portion of its capital construction projects. Previously, she managed human resources for LAWA’s Engineering and Facilities Management Division, overseeing hiring for multiple positions, including electricians, helpers and other trades.

When she first came to work for the City of Los Angeles in 2008, Reodica was an accountant with what was then called the Office of the Treasurer (it later merged with the Office of Finance). Her job involved working with the city’s investments.

“That was an interesting job, and it was very fast-paced” she recalled. “A billion dollars would come in in one day, and we would have to balance to the penny because they invest every penny.”

Her work with the City of L.A. is actually Reodica’s second career. She had previously worked in the title industry as an accountant, which she also described as being fast-paced. With the economic downturn in 2008, Reodica decided to leave the private sector for something that promised more stability.

“I went to night school and took the board exam to get my CPA’s license,” she said. “The license is inactive now, but I’m reactivating it so I can volunteer to help others with tax preparation.”

A native of the Philippines, Reodica came to the United States and threw herself into her work, attending night school to earn straight As, finish her degree and — once she joined the workforce –—move up through the ranks to quickly achieve management status.

Although she had little experience with organized labor before coming to work for the city, Reodica’s appreciation for the work of unions has been passed down to the next generation. Her son, Mike Reodica, is a shop steward and apprenticeship instructor with IBEW Local 40, a self-described “union evangelist.”

“I have really seen the value of what unions do through his experience,” said Victoria Reodica. “My son and I are the first two union members in our family, and I’m trying to encourage other people to be able to have unionized jobs in their industries. It’s beneficial.”

When asked if there was anything else she wanted fellow union members to know about her, Reodica, a woman who is deeply committed to her faith, shared her belief that “God loves them.”

“God is for you and not against you,” she said. “I feel that a big part of me is to share the goodness of God with people.”