Samuel “Sam” Forest
A rank-and-file fighter ready to reawaken Local 481.
Candidate for President
Email: sam@go481.com
Sam grew up in union towns from upstate New York to Tennessee, raised by a unionized professor and an activist mother. That upbringing, along with a master’s in political science, grounded him in labor, civil rights, and social justice.
Since 2006 he has worked as a San Diego Zoo line employee after years across SeaWorld, local colleges, and universities. He knows the toll of low pay, favoritism, and insecurity, and he is ready to bring rank-and-file grit to reawaken Local 481.
Bio
Sam’s journey spans New York City, Norfolk, and San Diego, where he completed a master’s degree in political science in 1988. His career has taken him from kitchens and stages at SeaWorld to classrooms at local colleges and roles within the University of San Diego and Remington College.
Since joining the San Diego Zoo in 2006, Sam has proudly served as a Teamster and is a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He is also an 8th Dan martial artist with a self-taught working knowledge of Spanish and French.
Why he is running
Sam has spent most of his life as a rank-and-file worker in kitchens and public-facing jobs, enduring the same housing, food, and health insecurity as many of his coworkers. He has lived the toll of corporations that demand everything while paying little and rewarding favoritism over fairness.
Those experiences are why he is running: to fight alongside the members who live on the edge, delivering the pay, security, and dignity every worker deserves.
Vision for Local 481
Sam believes the labor movement is reawakening, and Local 481 can be at the forefront. He wants the local to be a place where every member is seen, heard, and empowered to demand better.
By organizing relentlessly and standing united, he envisions a union that declares independence from poverty, oppression, and discrimination.
Day-one commitments
On day one, Sam will bring rank-and-file voices into every decision, prioritize contract fights that raise wages and benefits, and challenge discrimination wherever it appears.
He will harness his organizing experience, academic training, and frontline grit to build a union that meets every member eye to eye and offers a hand forward.