Women Working in Trade Unions

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the barriers that women face to becoming active members in trade unions. The paper then describes the strategies and methods women have used to overcome these barriers in order to press for change in the union movement, raise issues of concern to women, and obtain more equal representation. Finally, the paper evaluates to what extent these actions been successfully translated into negotiating collective agreements that reflect issues of concern to women.

From the Paper:

"Yet another barrier is that women are all too often excluded from jobs considered "male" - which are almost invariably the better paid jobs. For example, Luxton and Corman (1991) document the extraordinary struggle that women had to wage to get jobs in the steel industry with Stelco (the Steel Company of Canada). In this struggle they were backed by the United Steelworkers of America Local 105, as well as an ad hoc committee. Luxton and Corman (1991) highlight the sheer sexism which conspired to keep women out of these higher-paying jobs. All of this suggests that true pay equity will not be achieved until society itself is fundamentally restructured under feminist principles - and none of us should make the mistake of holding our breath waiting for that."

Sample of Sources Used:

• David, Francoise. (1983). Women's Committees: The Quebec Experience. Union Sisters: Women in the Labor Movement. Eds. Linda Briskin and Lynda Yanz. Toronto: The Women's Press: 285-292.
• Fudge, Judy and Patricia McDermott. (1991). Conclusion: Pay equity in a declining economy: The challenge ahead. Just Wages: A Feminist Assessment of Pay Equity. Ed. Judy Fudge and Patricia McDermott. Toronto: University of Toronto Press: 281-288.
• Guberman, Nancy. (1983). Working, mothering and militancy: Women in the CNTU. Union Sisters: Women in the Labor Movement. Eds. Linda Briskin and Lynda Yanz. Toronto: The Women's Press: 272-284.
• Labor Studies 332 Study Guide.
• Luxton, Meg and June Corman. (1991). Getting to work: The challenge of the women back into Stelco campaign. Labor/Le travaile, 29: 149-185.

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