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Women's Conference: A Legacy of Labor Activism
CWA women, and a few of their union brothers, came together in Seattle this spring for the National Women's Conference, where speakers urged them to continue to build on the strong tradition of women's activism in the labor movement.
"I've always known that women are the backbone of our union—particularly on a picket line," CWA President Morton Bahr said, honoring the union's Women's Committee and recalling it's first women's conference 27 years ago in Minneapolis. "It was the first time such a gathering took place in all of American labor history. Those CWA members, 350 of them, were truly pioneers."
That event was chaired by Dina Beaumont, Bahr's executive assistant who will retire with Bahr following the CWA convention in August. Participants honored Beaumont with a resolution that recognized her trailblazing work in CWA and the union movement, and named her "chairperson emeritus" of all future CWA women's conferences.
"I have a favorite saying, 'There is joy in the struggle,'" Beaumont told her audience. "In this struggle, our union—your union—is in your hands. You can't walk away from that responsibility."
Another pioneering CWA woman, Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling said giving voice to the aspirations of fellow union women "is one of my most cherished responsibilities."
"You are the women who make CWA the most democratic union in the world, the women who make it possible for a telephone operator like me to have a position of leadership in the labor movement."
CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said that while times are tough for both the labor movement and working families, CWA members have what it takes to fight back.
"Our ability to come together in critical times and still enjoy ourselves is very important," Cohen said. "The friendship, the solidarity, and our ability to have fun are the reasons we will, ultimately, win."
Getting Involved
Nearly 200 women came from across the country for the event, hearing speakers in the mornings and attending skill-building workshops in the afternoons that dealt with everything from organizing to political action to talking to the media.
By telling their own stories of struggle and success, speakers urged women to take on roles in their locals, and even to consider running for political office.
"There are so many opportunities and so much work to be done, more than enough to go around," District 7 Vice President Annie Hill said. "Who better to take the lead than CWA women?"
Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, talked about her own rise through the ranks. By taking on even small roles at first, "You can make a difference for your members and gain leadership experience," she said.
Speaking on the same panel, Verlene Jones of the King County Labor Council spoke of hurdles she faced as both a woman and a person of color as she broke into the "boys' club" and moved into union leadership. "One of the biggest mistakes we make is sitting back and waiting for someone to pull us up," she said. "Don't wait for someone to give you the plan. Draw the plan. Stop asking and start demanding."
Janine Brown, who helped the Women's Committee put together the conference as CWA's representative for women's activities and community service, recalled her attitude toward what turned out to be a successful run for executive vice president of Local 3250 in Atlanta. "I said all along that if I lost the election, I was still going to be an activist in the union," she said.
Political Ambitions
Conference participants also heard from CWA members in Washington State who have been elected to local and state offices, and encouraged others to consider running, too.
It was an especially appropriate topic for the women meeting in Seattle, Malachy Sreenan, executive vice president of CWA Local 7800, said in welcoming the participants. After all, Washington is the only state in the union with a female governor and two female senators - not to mention that it was the first state to give women the right to vote.
Jean Godden, a member of TNG-CWA for 29 years, won her city council seat in 2003, inspired by her work with a program that encouraged women in Morocco to run for public office. Even in her high-profile work as a columnist for the Seattle Times she felt she wasn't making as much of a difference as she could. "After watching for a while, I got very unhappy with what was going on at the city council and I decided to run," she said.
Washington State Representative Zach Hudgins, a member of WashTech-CWA, noted the various union members—firefighters, nurses, people in the building trades and others—who are serving in the state legislature.
"I want to push this idea that you can change the world," he said. "We have to get involved. We have to look around at our friends and neighbors and decide which one of us is going to run. It doesn't take special skills. It takes having the guts to get out there."
"I've always known that women are the backbone of our union—particularly on a picket line," CWA President Morton Bahr said, honoring the union's Women's Committee and recalling it's first women's conference 27 years ago in Minneapolis. "It was the first time such a gathering took place in all of American labor history. Those CWA members, 350 of them, were truly pioneers."
That event was chaired by Dina Beaumont, Bahr's executive assistant who will retire with Bahr following the CWA convention in August. Participants honored Beaumont with a resolution that recognized her trailblazing work in CWA and the union movement, and named her "chairperson emeritus" of all future CWA women's conferences.
"I have a favorite saying, 'There is joy in the struggle,'" Beaumont told her audience. "In this struggle, our union—your union—is in your hands. You can't walk away from that responsibility."
Another pioneering CWA woman, Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling said giving voice to the aspirations of fellow union women "is one of my most cherished responsibilities."
"You are the women who make CWA the most democratic union in the world, the women who make it possible for a telephone operator like me to have a position of leadership in the labor movement."
CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said that while times are tough for both the labor movement and working families, CWA members have what it takes to fight back.
"Our ability to come together in critical times and still enjoy ourselves is very important," Cohen said. "The friendship, the solidarity, and our ability to have fun are the reasons we will, ultimately, win."
Getting Involved
Nearly 200 women came from across the country for the event, hearing speakers in the mornings and attending skill-building workshops in the afternoons that dealt with everything from organizing to political action to talking to the media.
By telling their own stories of struggle and success, speakers urged women to take on roles in their locals, and even to consider running for political office.
"There are so many opportunities and so much work to be done, more than enough to go around," District 7 Vice President Annie Hill said. "Who better to take the lead than CWA women?"
Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, talked about her own rise through the ranks. By taking on even small roles at first, "You can make a difference for your members and gain leadership experience," she said.
Speaking on the same panel, Verlene Jones of the King County Labor Council spoke of hurdles she faced as both a woman and a person of color as she broke into the "boys' club" and moved into union leadership. "One of the biggest mistakes we make is sitting back and waiting for someone to pull us up," she said. "Don't wait for someone to give you the plan. Draw the plan. Stop asking and start demanding."
Janine Brown, who helped the Women's Committee put together the conference as CWA's representative for women's activities and community service, recalled her attitude toward what turned out to be a successful run for executive vice president of Local 3250 in Atlanta. "I said all along that if I lost the election, I was still going to be an activist in the union," she said.
Political Ambitions
Conference participants also heard from CWA members in Washington State who have been elected to local and state offices, and encouraged others to consider running, too.
It was an especially appropriate topic for the women meeting in Seattle, Malachy Sreenan, executive vice president of CWA Local 7800, said in welcoming the participants. After all, Washington is the only state in the union with a female governor and two female senators - not to mention that it was the first state to give women the right to vote.
Jean Godden, a member of TNG-CWA for 29 years, won her city council seat in 2003, inspired by her work with a program that encouraged women in Morocco to run for public office. Even in her high-profile work as a columnist for the Seattle Times she felt she wasn't making as much of a difference as she could. "After watching for a while, I got very unhappy with what was going on at the city council and I decided to run," she said.
Washington State Representative Zach Hudgins, a member of WashTech-CWA, noted the various union members—firefighters, nurses, people in the building trades and others—who are serving in the state legislature.
"I want to push this idea that you can change the world," he said. "We have to get involved. We have to look around at our friends and neighbors and decide which one of us is going to run. It doesn't take special skills. It takes having the guts to get out there."