wa

WOMEN’S

ISSUES

PHOTO BY NORMAM GARCIA. = At the IWA Council conference, women’s committee chaiperson Brenda Wagg (middle) delivered a report. Left is committee fourth vice chair Cheryl Williams and right is Steelworkers secretary Irene Bing.

Looking forward to the future

IWA Council Women’s Committee submits report to first-ever conference as United Steelworkers

AT THE INAUGARAL IWA Council conference in September, the council’s National Women’s Committee report- ed on the past year’s activities and reflected on how far the union’s women’s program had advanced in the past several years.

Council chairperson Brenda Wagg, accompanied by fourth vice-chairperson Cheryl Williams, reviewed the national IWA Women’s Conference that was held in Kelowna in June and thanked all those who participated, including the host Local 1-423, BC NDP leader Carole James and numerous workshop presen-

ters including Local 500’s Mary Lou Scott, Local 1-85’s Crystal Doucette, Local 1000’s Martha Ulch, Steelworkers District 3 Education Coordinator Carol Landry, Local 1-424’s Bonnie Armstrong, Steelworkers District 3 Women’s Committee chairperson Karen Adams, Local 363’s Leslie McNabb, and Local 1- 424’s Shannon Euvermann.

The workshops were on Effective Speaking, Conflict Resolution, Facing Management, Women in Leadership, and Stress in the Workplace.

“It's been amazing, over the years, and gratifying, to see the impact that attend-

ing this conference has had on women of the IWA,” said Sister Wagg, adding that women have used the conference as a springboard to becoming active in their locals and have learned new skills enabling them to make a difference.

“We look forward to the continued support of our sisters and brothers as we unite our committees with the Steelworkers,” added Sister Wagg. “Counting on the vibrancy and enthusi- asm of women, our goal is to build upon. our previous accomplishments and explore our new horizons within the Steelworkers.”

PROFILE

CHERVL WILLIAMS - LOCAL 1-3567

PHOTO BY ELAINE BRIERE

Planting the seeds for union women

SHE HAS SPENT MOST ofher work- ing life in a tree seedling nursery, doing the many tasks that need to be be done to produce the seedlings which are planted to help regenerate our forests. Born in Maple Ridge and raised in near- by Pitt Meadows, B.C., Steelworkers Local 1-3567 member Cheryl Williams (above right) has emerged as one of the union’s leading women activists. Hiring on at Pelton Reforestation in Maple Ridge in 1985, Sister Williams road

through the many ups and downs that workers do in a largely seasonal indus- try. “The company would hire a bunch of us — keep us for 29 days, then lay us off, so we would not become ‘regular employees’ entitled to benefits,” she recalls, “But through our union (the for- mer IWA) we put on end to that!”

Tt was through empowerment of the union, and a basic desire to assist others, that Cheryl became involved in plant committee and safety committee activi-

ties. In 1999 she was elected as warden for the local union, a position she still holds today. Then she joined IWA Canada’s National Women’s Committee which, in 2000, established itself along with an annual education conference, in the union’s constitution.

As a Steelworker, and fourth vice chairperson of the Steelworkers - IWA Council Women’s Committee, Sister Williams says union women will have more opportunities within their new union. As an IWA activist, she wit- nessed, more and more women becom- ing active at the plant, local and nation- al level. “We are proud of our accom- plishments, especially in terms of edu- cating our membership, both women and men, on workplace, social and eco- nomic issues.”

In late November, Cheryl took a week-long Instructors Level 1 course with colleagues in her new union. “It was a very impressive course,” she said. “Like others I look forward to instructing Steelworkers courses to our members. They have a greater variety of courses that our entire membership, including our women workers, can benefit from.”

She looks forward to meeting with Women in Steel, in order to utilize the union’s many progressive programs and policies.

PHOTO BY ELAINE BRIERE

= Nearly half of all Canada’s union members are women.

Women have become more

active in labour movement The involvement of women in their trade unions is growing. The overall percentage of women that are mem- bers of the labour movement rises steadily. By 2003 nearly half (about 48 per cent) of all trade unionists in Canada were women. Compare that to only 12 per cent in 1977. Today about 30 per cent of wage-earning ag) Women belong to a union. In ‘T7 that number was about 10 per cent. A big change indeed! Much of the growth can be attributed to several factors. Although women are still society's primary caregivers, today a higher percent- age have paid work and thus a high- er presence in unionized sectors of the economy. Trade unions like the Steelworkers and the former IWA, have organized more service sector workplaces, increasing the number

of women in recent years, who now share in the benefits of union mem- bership.

With that growth, important issues that affect many women have increasingly become collective bar- gaining priorities. Those issues include benefits for part-time work- ers, pay equity provisions (equal pay for work of equal value) and mater- nal leave provisions. The last Women of Steel conference focused on devel- oping bargaining skills and strategies. Bargaining priorities for women include anti-harassment and violenc prevention measures, provisions th! help balance work and family responsibilities and pay equity. In some workplaces, women are bar- gaining basic health and safety issues like access to secure washroom and shower facilities. Steelworkers have strong policies that help to address equality issues.

“The challenge, as with many issues, is to develop a strategy in advance of collective bargaining to build support for particular proposals that will address women's issues in the work- place,” says Sue Milling, head of the Steelworker’s Education, Equality and Political Action Department. “While an increasing number of Steelworker “-@ lective agreements are addressing women and human rights issues, there is still a long way to go.” Women's committees are helping identify and encourage women to get more active in workplaces and in col- lective bargaining processes: helping to identify issues, develop argu- ments, and running for positions on negotiating committees.

Sue Milling

14 | THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2004