Celebrate Women's History Month

(This article appeared in the March/April 2003 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

In 1908, labor unions and women's groups all over the world joined forces to recognize the accomplishments of the women who fought to end child labor and in support of the right of women to vote. International Women's Day has been celebrated ever since and continues to be an annual event on March 8.

Several decades later, a "Women's History Week" was born in Santa Rosa, CA. It was organized in 1978 by schoolteachers to raise awareness of the achievements of women of all races, ages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. The "Week" includes International Women's Day.

In 1987, at the behest of women's organizations, museums, libraries, youth leaders, and educators throughout the country, the National Women's History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the U.S. celebration to the entire month of March. A National Women's History Month Resolution passed easily in both the House and the Senate.

American Working Women

American women have always been workers - they just haven't always been paid for their labor. But as far back as the 1620s, women were apprenticed in trades that were carried out in homes, such as dressmaking and other millinery work, confectionary arts, and laundering. Domestic service was an acceptable way for a woman to earn a living, especially if she had no man to support her. Before their expected marriages, even women from prominent families were encouraged to learn spinning and weaving.

But as more factories and textile mills were developed, domestic service lost its appeal for the simple reason that manufacturing work outside the home paid more. With industrialization on the increase, Black women, banned from almost all factory work, turned to domestic service to earn a living.

Women and Labor Unions

The National Union of Cigar Makers, in 1867, was the first union to admit women as members. Other unions slowly followed, but it wasn't until 1881, when the multi-craft Knights of Labor admitted females, that their presence in labor was strongly felt.

At the turn of the 20th century, jobs opened up for women outside their homes--in offices, laundries, beauty parlors, restaurants and hotels. As America modernized, more and more hospitals and schools were built, opening up jobs for nurses and teachers.

Fighting for Equality

Although women were eligible for membership in labor organizations, most national unions ignored their issues and concerns.

The year 1914 marked a turning point. The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), which sought to organize workers along industry lines rather than craft lines, broke away from the other surviving national workers' body, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which organized only along craft lines. Organizing many crafts at once, the CIO needed to reach out to women and other minority workers to gain strength.

Sixty years later, in March 1974, 3500 women from across the nation met to form the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). This organization set about to work within the framework of the labor movement to increase women's participation in their unions at every level, to stimulate political action on women issues, and to promote affirmative action in the workplace.

Today, women are closer to receiving full and equal recognition for their efforts and are becoming more and more involved in the decision-making processes and day-to-day operations of their unions.

Women's Participation in APWU

APWU POWER (Post Office Women for Equal Rights), the women's committee within our union, was founded in St. Louis on April 28, 1979. POWER is essentially a communications network for APWU women to exchange ideas and to assist women in achieving leadership positions.

Largely due to APWU POWER's efforts, 14 women now hold positions as APWU national officers, and many others hold leadership positions at the local and state levels.

The American Postal Workers Union celebrates Women's History Month by saluting all the women, past and present, who have made a difference in APWU's History!

To obtain additional information on National Women's History Month, contact the National Women's History Project at www.nwhp.org or 707-636-2888.