Staff
ELI E. STEIN
Eli E. Stein is the Lead Organizer for the Restaurant Opportunities Center of MN (ROC-MN). They have spent 15 years as a worker in the food-service industry in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Born and raised in Minneapolis, they have been organizing with youth and food-service workers for the past 6 years. They are a white, jewish, queer person who enjoys amateur car mechanics, cooking, building power and powerfully fighting for the future that we deserve.
CYNTHIA GOMEZ
ROC MN Organizer / Membership Development Coordinator
cynthia@rocunited.org
Cynthia Gomez (she/her) is the Membership Development Coordinator at Restaurant Opportunities Center United.
Was working as a waitress in the restaurant Industry then on 2011 went from a rank-and-file Janitor, became a steward, and was an Executive Board Member before finally coming on staff as an Organizer. She led the Janitorial division and became Organizer Director for Janitorial, Security Officers, Window Cleaners, Block by Block, Retail Janitors, Minnetonka Moccasins divisions of SEIU Local 26 Including a One day of strike for Janitors.
In April 2015 received training in Brazil with MST (Landless workers movement) at the Florestan Fernandez National School in which obtained the knowledge to Organize and train through popular education and learn their style of organization from the base. Having 9 years of professional experience Organizing workers and developing successful leaders. I am here fighting for economic, racial, and gender equality and eliminating workplace harassment; I am bringing my experience and knowledge to serve the working- class families.
Rafael Muñoz-Echavarria
Rafael Muñoz-Echavarria (he/him), or Rafa for short, is an Organizer for ROC-MN. They were born in Mexico City but grew up in Kenosha, WI. They lived in Milwaukee for 6 years and organized in the south side of the city of Milwaukee for the 2020 election. They worked in restaurants for 7 years before being furloughed, due to the covid-19 pandemic. They also enjoy watching movies, listening to podcasts, and rearranging furniture.