Highlights from the 2016 CLUW Women’s Leadership Conference
From left: Cecelia De La Torre, Laquania Davis, Janelle Bucci, Jennifer Threlfall
IBEW Local 1245 sent a delegation to an exciting and very informative Women’s Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, NV, hosted by the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). The 1245 delegation consisted of myself, LaQuania Davis, Janelle Bucci and Jennifer Threlfall.
The title of this conference was “Where Do We Go From Here? The Path Continues,” and focused heavily on next steps that we can take now that the election is over. We have a struggle ahead of us, and we will need to use the skills we have learned to defend and keep the rights that we have earned.
It was a jam packed conference, with four in-depth educational tracks to educate and push us ahead:
- Are You Thinking About Running For Office? Now Is The Time!
- Organizing For Change
- Public Speaking… Yes I Can!
- Skills For Emerging Leaders
And several workshops:
- Strengthening U.S. Policies to Reflect Working Families Lives
- Safety At Work: A Fight Worth Having
- Breaking the Stereotype
- Workplace Bullying and the Duty to Represent
- Using Digital Strategy to Win
- How Women Changed the Course of History
- …and more!
We also had motivating and informative speakers, including Rusty McAllister (IAFF) Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Nevada State AFL-CIO; Elizabeth McElroy, Deputy Director, Political Department, AFL-CIO; Rachel Lyons, Senior Government Affairs Manager, Workplace Programs, National Partnership for Women & Families; and Terry O’Neill, President National Organization for Women (NOW).
CLUW President Connie Leak closed the conference by reminding us that the struggle is real. Her message:
There are important issues that we can not be complacent about. We’ve got to speak up when you see injustices being done. When you get back home don’t let all this training go to waste. Write an article, talk about the education, run for office. We need more women to run for office, and we need more Labor people in offices.
The skills we learned at this conference are invaluable. I can’t wait to return to our local and start using them.
–Cecelia De La Torre, IBEW 1245 Treasurer