Opening
Remarks
American Labor's
Second Century
Toward a Federation
of Labor
Federation of
Organized Trades & Labor Unions
A Testing Period
and Growth
Women in the Unions
Wartime Gains
and Post-War Challenges
From Murdered
Miners to Shiny Dimes
Depression, War and
A Labor Schism Healed
The AFL-CIO Years
On the Farm:
Workers Seek Equality
HOME
E-MAIL
|
|
WOMEN
IN THE UNIONS
A noteworthy event in the labor
movement of the early 1900s was the creation of the Women's Trade Union
League, to help educate women workers about the advantages of union
membership, to support their demands for better working conditions, and
to acquaint the public with the serious exploitation of the rising
number of women workers, many of them in "home industries" or
industrial sweatshops.
It was founded by Mary O'Sullivan, a bindery worker who became the first
woman organizer employed by the AFL; Jane Addams, the noted social
worker and founder of Chicago's Hull House; Mary Kehew, a Boston
philanthropist, and women who were officials in the unions of the
garment and textile industries.
For much of its first century, the labor movement was-in huge majority
composed of men. Except in a few occupations clerical work and the
garment, textile, retail and hotel industries-the labor force was
essentially male.
Since World War II, however, women have moved increasingly into new
occupations and larger numbers of women have become full-time wage
earners. As more and more women went to work, their union membership
climbed, passing seven million in 1980.
In 1984, two women were serving on the AFL-CIO Executive Council as
federation vice presidents. Women also head a major AFL-CIO staff
department and a national affiliate, while others hold offices of
increasing responsibility in their unions.
Back to
Top
[Home]
[373
Officers] [Upcoming
Events] [Links
to Other Unions]
[Local
373 E-mail] [Webmaster
E-mail] [373
Members E-mail Directory]
[Ironworkers'
Prayer] [History
of American Labor]
[Sign
Guestbook] [View
Guestbook] |