The Lioness of The CLC | Load Time with Kimetra Simpson-Lewis

This episode is a candid interview with Kimetra Simpson Lewis, the CLC’s “lioness,” about her life before politics, her path into the Postal Service, and the union experiences that shaped her leadership. She talks through family influence, grievance work, branch leadership, and the role faith has played through cancer and public service. We discuss how Oak Cliff shaped her, why the Postal Service and NALC became central to her life, and how she leads a branch through Zoom access, bylaws changes, and hard decisions. The episode also closes with a faith-centered reflection on perseverance, second chances, and encouraging others through hardship.

Key topics

• Austin introduces Kimetra Simpson Lewis and explains that this episode is meant to show her outside of campaign politics and let listeners know her as a person.
• Kametra shares that she grew up in Oak Cliff, Dallas, where she learned early how to defend herself and adjust to a tougher neighborhood environment.
• She explains how Skyline High School gave her a computer science cluster, which exposed her to options beyond her home district and helped broaden her perspective.
• She talks about college at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she majored in business administration and initially wanted to become an entrepreneur.
• Her mother’s advice to “get your own money” led her to the Postal Service, where she applied after marriage and becoming a mother, and eventually built a long career.
• She describes co-parenting after divorce, including holiday child swaps and major help from her father, who watched and transported the children because of her postal work schedule.
• Faith and family shaped her union mindset, especially her stepfather and uncle, who were both union leaders and helped her understand the value of labor representation.
• She reflects on what changed in the Postal Service over time, saying pride in the job declined and that the creation of the CCA classification contributed to disrespect and exploitation.
• She entered deeper union work in 1994, later becoming a formal A, then an arbitration advocate, and eventually a DRT member.
• She explains her writing-driven approach to grievances, emphasizing line-by-line analysis, just cause principles, and careful documentation.
• Her leadership as branch president since 2016 was tested early, especially because she inherited a hostile environment and had little support from outgoing officers.
• Zoom became a major tool for branch participation, especially for members far from the hall or working during meeting hours, and the branch later updated bylaws to support hybrid access and voting.
• She speaks candidly about leading as a woman, noting that some men underestimated her at first, but she leads with calm authority and knows how to stand firm when needed.
• Faith is central to her life and leadership, and she shares her role as a lay leader at Village United Methodist Church and her belief that God guides both her personal life and her representation of carriers.
• She shares a powerful cancer testimony, describing her 2003 breast cancer diagnosis and how she trusted God through treatment and kept moving forward.
• Austin closes by sharing his own cancer journey, which creates a meaningful moment of mutual encouragement and hope.
• Kimetra ends by thanking her children, Brittany, Bryce, and Gary, for their sacrifices and support as she serves others.

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