WOMENS

1S SUES

PHOTO COURTESY IWA WOMEN'S COMMITTEE

= Pictured are committee members (I. to r.) Bonnie Armstrong, Martha Ulch, Brenda Wagg, Cheryl Williams

Cheryl Cox and Mary Lou Scott.

Bread and Roses brigade

IWA Constitutional Women’s Committee marks progress
and hopes for more advances for entire union

THEY ARE THE CORE group of
active IWA women who have piloted
the union’s national constitutional
women’s committee through its first
few years of activities.

Committee chairperson Brenda
Wagg, joined by first vice chair Mary
Lou Scott, second vice Martha Ulch,
third vice Bonnie Armstrong, fourth
vice Cheryl Williams and recording
secretary Cheryl Cox, all remark that
IWA women are making progress
with the assistance of their union.

Sister Wagg, from Local 2171, who
also works as the manager for the
Industrial Musculoskeletal Injury
Reduction Program, says that “we've
seen some really positive changes
since 2000 (when the committee
was struck by convention action).”
She points out to the most recent
women-only leadership and organiz-
er training course held this past
March as a result.

“We're seeing women wanting to
organize and I think that it is a direct
result of our activities and the nation-
al executive board’s commitment,”
she says. Wagg also remarks that
seven IWA locals have already set-up
women representatives as liaisons
between the national and rank and file.

“We're also seeing women become
more involved in community activi-
ties and that can also raise the profile
of the union,” she adds.

Sister Scott, a Local 500 executive
board member who works at
Cardinal Brands in Stratford, says
that since the constitutional
women’s committee was formed,
there has been more cohesive actions
taken. “You wouldn’t have seen
things happening like this 20 years
ago or even ten years ago,” she says,
in reference to the assortment of
educational courses and coordina-
tion of activities that have taken
place. “We're seeing more interest in

the union from women in our local

-and for what the union stands for,

not only with regards to workplace
issues but for social issues like
defending public Medicare.”

“In our local (see letters to the editor
on page four) and, I’m sure in other
locals too, we are seeing women
undergo personal growth and that is
invigorating to see,” adds Scott.

Martha Ulch, a veneer splicer
operator at the Columbia Forest
Products in Rutherglen, Ontario, and
second vice president of Local 1000,
says that the national women’s com-
mittee is “making great progress”
and is taking the “necessary baby
steps” to involve more women in
union activities.

One of the original activists who
attended national women’s confer-
ence in ‘97 and ‘98, Sister Ulch
remarks about the success of the
educational conference, now guaran-
teed in the IWA constitution. “It
seems like we don’t need to push as
hard for participation as we did sev-
eral years ago, although there
remains much to be done to involve
more women. Women are beginning
to realize there is a conference where
they can go to learn, dialogue and
share experiences in an atmosphere
that they feel comfortable in.”

“Our educational conferences are
motivational experiences and they
assist us in building bridges between
the men and women in our union,”
she adds.

Local 1-424’s Bonnie Armstrong,
who works as a banding operator at
the Abitibi Consolidated Site 1 mill
in Mackenzie, B.C., says the definite
highlights for her are the educational
conferences that have taken place.
Her local union has always sent a full
contingent to the conferences, and
has promoted the advancement of
women and the diversification of the

membership.

“Women are enhancing the IWA,”
says the local executive board member.
“We are really becoming more involved
in both traditional and non traditional
workplaces.” Workshops on stress, she
says, are a‘ particular benefit. “Our
women have learned about what health
issues that are related to stress and how
to identify and deal with them.”

Sister Armstrong has posted and
maintained a website for the com-
mittee, which is receiving more feed-
back (visit htttp://iwa-mackenzie.home-
stead.com/iwawomen.html.

Local 1-3567 ranking officer Cheryl
Williams, who works at Pelton
Reforestation in Maple Ridge, B.C.,
says the women’s committee’s activi-
ties at the national level complement
what is happening in her local.

“We're trying to build our diversity
and there are new women being nom-
inated and elected to committees.”
She says progress is happening at the
national level and that conferences,
which include workshops on stress
and harassment are “a huge contribu-
tion to how our whole union can look
at issues and operate.”

Women are learning that they don’t
have to be overlooked and, at the same
time, they don’t have to be a
Superwoman to be involved in the
IWA,” she adds.

Alberta Local 1-207’s Cheryl Cox
who works at the Weyerhaeuser scal-
ing shack in Drayton Valley, says her
involvement in the womens’ commit-
tee has been her first role outside the
the plant committee.

“I see an increase in women com-
ing to the weekend local union educa-
tionals as well as the national conven-
tion that last few years - more women
want to take action and not just be a
voice at the convention,” she adds.
“With our brothers’ support, we'll be
an extreme team!”

IWA national education

conference in North Bay

The northern Ontario community of
North Bay will play host to this
year’s National Women’s Education
Conference. Between June 19-22,
women from IWA local unions
across Canada will participate in
what will be the third consecutive
annual conference held under the
IWA‘s constitution.

The theme of this year’s confer-
ence will be “Taking Responsibility.”
The conference will include work-
shops on how to fight back and
advocate against government cut-
backs, the structure of the WA,
assertiveness training, harassment
and discrimination, effective speak-
ing and motivating the membership.

The National Women‘s Committee
plans to meet with local union
liaisons on the 19th, and there will
be a social on the evening of the
same day. “We are looking forward
to a strong turnout this year and
hope to see women from every local
union in Canada,” says Brenda
Wagg, committee chairperson.

= Women from all over Canada
will gather in North Bay.

Southwestern Ontario local

holds sixth women’s annual

Fourteen women from across south-
western Ontario gathered on April
12 and 13 in Hanover for Local 500’s
sixth annual women’s educational
conference. Sister Mary Lou Scott,
reports that the conference, which
used the theme of motivating the
members, dealt with the reasons
why unions exist and the history of
the IWA. Participants brainstormed
ways to get younger workers,
women and the general member-
ship more involved in their union.
Considerable discussion took place
over how to increase attendance at
membership meetings.

Northeast Ontario women’s

committee surveys members

IWA Canada Local 2995 women’s
committee chairperson Louise
Dionne, from Hearst, Ontario, says a
survey has been sent to all local
operations to find out what types of
barriers to participation that women
are facing. It also asks for input on
how the committee, which was
elected on International Women’s
Day, 2002, can be of assistance. The
committee includes forest industry
workers, social service employees,
janitors, and extended health care
workers. During the March 8 confer-
ence, local women discussed barri-
ers and the history of the IWA
national constitutional women's
committee. They also held elections
for the 2002 and 2003 national
women’s conference.

JUNE 2003 THE ALLIED WORKER | 43