{"id":1399,"date":"2019-04-30T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T09:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=1399"},"modified":"2019-04-30T08:53:11","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T08:53:11","slug":"organized-labor-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/organized-labor-women","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Organized Labor \u2014 And the Role Women Play in That Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ken Green
\nCEO\/Founder
\nUnionTrack, Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n

Women weren\u2019t always welcome in unions. In the early days of the labor movement, many unions did not allow women to join and made it difficult for them to attain certain jobs in the workplace, explains Caroline Lynd Giannakopoulos<\/a> in her digital exhibit, Women and Labor: The History of Mollie West. <\/p>\n

But in spite of these barriers, those working women were determined to make their mark and fight for their rights in the workplace. And they made great progress, often without the support of the more established labor unions. <\/p>\n

Do not underestimate the role of women in the labor movement. Though they haven\u2019t always received the recognition they deserve, women have been a powerful force in organized labor from the start.<\/p>\n

And they continue to play an increasingly important role today. <\/p>\n

The Early Labor Movement: 2 Women to Remember<\/h2>\n

Melissa Cruz<\/a> at the American Immigration Council notes that women were some of the first workers to unionize after they were thrust into the workforce during the Industrial Revolution. Cruz explains that unionization gave women voices they didn\u2019t have at the polls because they weren\u2019t allowed to vote at the time. They became the energy behind the labor movement\u2019s early efforts at improving working conditions for all workers. <\/p>\n

One of those early pioneers was Lucy Parsons, who was a vocal supporter of the labor movement for more than 70 years. She and her husband, Albert Parsons, helped found the International Working People\u2019s Association in 1883. She was also one of the first two female members of the Industrial Workers of the World<\/a> (IWW) and was the first female to speak at its convention. According to her IWW biography, Parsons believed that social change required \u201ca well-organized working class movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

As historian William Loren Katz<\/a> describes her, Parsons \u201cwas an unrelenting agitator, leading picket lines and speaking to workers\u2019 audiences in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Harris Jones, also known as \u201cMother Jones,\u201d was another important member in the early labor movement. She was a seamstress by trade who dedicated herself to labor-union activism, often on the front lines of labor strikes across the country. Debra Michals, Ph.D.<\/a>, director of the Department of Women\u2019s and Gender Studies at Merrimack College, explains that Jones was influential with both the railroad workers during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the United Mine Workers in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n

These two women, and countless others, made their marks on the early labor movement and set a precedent for all working women and the roles they currently play in fighting for workers\u2019 rights. <\/p>\n

\"women<\/p>\n

Why Today\u2019s Labor Movement Needs Women<\/h2>\n

There is a strong parallel between some of the issues of the women\u2019s movement and the issues of the labor movement. By bringing women\u2019s issues to the forefront and allying with that movement\u2019s supporters, unions and labor organizations have gained valuable supporters to champion women\u2019s issues within the labor movement. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnions are rejecting the status quo and are working to build an America where all working people can sustain their families and realize their dreams,\u201d says Liz Shuler<\/a>, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. That support was a natural evolution for labor unions that have realized the potential of women as leaders of the labor movement. <\/p>\n

Women bring another perspective to traditionally male-dominated industries and organizations. As The Nation\u2019s Bryce Covert<\/a> explains, unions today recognize that women \u201care bringing new ideas and strategies to labor organizing, many of which are borrowed from the women\u2019s movement\u2014like making the connection between what workers face on the job and what they\u2019re dealing with at home. They don\u2019t only target corporate bosses but bring together a variety of stakeholders within communities to fight for change in the workplace and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gender Gap in Union Leadership<\/h2>\n

Women hold leadership positions at some of the biggest unions:<\/p>\n