Forty years ago, a dedicated group of 3,200 female union members and activists from all over the country gathered in Chicago for the first time to address the issues that affect all women in the workplace, and the Coalition for Labor Union Women (CLUW) was born.
IBEW 1245 members (from left) Rachel Ramirez Hill, Cecelia De La Torre and Anna Martinez at the 2014 CLUW National Executive Board meeting
IBEW 1245 has been an active part of CLUW for decades, and this year, three female leaders from Local 1245 –Anna Martinez, Cecelia De La Torre and Rachel Ramirez Hill — attended CLUW’s National Executive Board Meeting in Baltimore, where the main theme was advancing the concerns of working women.
“We focused on issues such as equal pay, raising the minimum wage, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, paid family leave and voter protection,” said IBEW 1245 Treasurer and CLUW Board member Cecilia De La Torre. “We are fortunate in California & with IBEW to already have paid leave, but others states are still fighting to receive it, and we continue to fight for everybody.”
Civil rights was also a major focus of the meeting, and a resolution in response to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri was a hot-button topic of conversation (and highly relevant, as Brown’s mother was a UFCW union worker). Other highlights from the meeting included special presentations from Jeanette Senecal with the League of Women Voters and Liz McElroy, Assistant Director of the AFL-CIO Political Department.
“After attending these sessions, our groups reported back with suggestions and action plans to bring back to our Union Locals, local CLUW chapters and Central Labor Councils,” said IBEW 1245 E-Board member Anna Martinez, who has been active with CLUW for 20 years. “With an election coming up, we have a lot of work to do.”
Learn more about the Coalition of Labor Union Women and get involved at www.cluw.org.