¢ Women activists from 18 local unions were at the National Women’s Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The conference was the second one ati
by I.W.A. women in the last two years.

cena 2)

|.W.A. CANADA women meet for second consecutive
year and make recommendations to executive board

orty-nine I.W.A. CANADA

women activists from 18

local unions got together

in Winnipeg, Manitoba on

June 7, 8 and 9 for the Sec-
ond National Women’s Conference.
The purpose of this year’s confer-
ence was to educate the participants
on becoming more active member in
the 1.W.A. and make recommenda-
tions to the union’s National Execu-
tive Board on possible future direc-
tions to further the cause of women
in the organization.

National Third Vice President
David Tones kicked off a social on
the first day with the statement
that “the I.W.A. recognizes the
importance of diversity in our union
and the importance of women in
positions of leadership.”

“Our organization is ‘on the move’
and women are a significant part of
the future the union,” he added.
“The I.W.A. is the best union on the
block.”

Also greeting the delegation was
Sister Heather Grant, President of
the Winnipeg and District Labour
Council and a member of CUPE
Local 1475.

Sister Grant said it’s important
for I.W.A. women to work with their
national executive board.

She said the whole issue of women
in unions is both personal and polit-
ical in nature. It is related to fam-
ily, homes and role models. The
demands can be prohibitive while
trying to balance work, family and

- union responsibilities.

“Women organizing themselves
and pushing themselves has brought
them to where we are today...” said
Grant.

“Each and every one of us has
strength and the ability (and) has
commitment and drive and each of
us needs to set our goals and achieve
only what we can and want to, not.
what anyone wants you to do.”

Day two of the conference started
with I.W.A. National President Dave
Haggard greeting the participants.

“The type of activities that the
women in the I.W.A. put forward
are on the leading edge of where our
union is going and how we are going
to get there,” he said.

NANCY RICHE ADDRESSES WOMEN

The first speaker up was Nancy
Riche, Executive Vice President of
the Canadian Labour Congress and

officer responsible for the Women’s
and Human Rights departments.
She also leads the CLC’s Women’s
Committee.

“A union that has a low percent-
age of women, that takes on the
issues of women by going ahead and
having conferences and setting up a
women’s committee should be com-
mended,” she said of the I.W.A.

Sister Riche said that women are
facing more challenges as they head
into the next century and that
progress made during the 1970’s is
being erased.

“We have gone through a period
in this country where we’ve moved
from political parties making deci-
sions to, in effect, (corporation)
board rooms making decisions,” she
said.

“The best vehicle for women’s
equality is the trade union move-
ment,” she added. “While women’s
groups make speeches, we can nego-
tiate an article (in a collective agree-
ment).”

She said that earnings of union-
ized women are 21% higher than

their non-union counterparts.

Riche cited 1997 Statistics Canada
data which shows that 1.4 million
children are living in poverty.

“If children are poor, it’s because
their parents or parent is poor.
They’re often in a single parent
home and that single parent is quite
often a women...that is still making
only 70 cents to a dollar that a man
makes.”

¢ CLC Executive V.P. Nancy Riche.

Thirty-six percent of women of
colour and aboriginal women live in
poverty compared to 20% of the gen-
eral population and 45% of their
children under the age of 6 are liv-
ing in poverty.

“If women find jobs they tend to
be in lower paid jobs, they're part
time, they’re precarious.....

“Wages (for women) are kept low.
If you keep unemployment up, you
keep wages low. They do want a low
wage economy,” said Riche.

She said that most women in the
country are still working in clerical
jobs, sales and services and don’t
have the protection of collective
agreements.

The CLC executive officer said
that 67% of collective agreements
have anti-discriminatory language.
Child care, paid educational leave,
leadership training for workplace
advocacy and anti-harassment lan-
guages are also commonplace for
unionized women.

“The bottom line as the boys in

Continued on page thirteen

¢ I.W.A. CANADA Local 2693 sent a three m:

are France Luloff, Kathleen Gravel, and Dawn Sands.

ember delegation to the conference. At the front table, left to right,

12/LUMBERWORKER/MAY, 1998