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ISSUES

PHOTO COURTESY CHERYL COX - IWA LOCAL 1-207
= Pictured at the Kelowna conference are, I. to r., Local 1000’s Martha Ulch, Local 1-3567's Cheryl Williams,

Local 1-425’s Carla Berkelaar, Local 1-423’s Lenette Terry, Local 500’s Mary Lou Scott, Women’s Committee
chairperson Brenda Wagg of Local 2171 and B.C. NDP leader Carole James.

Women meet in Kelowna

IWA Canada holds fourth annual national women’s
conference in the Okanagan Valley city

THIS YEAR’S IWA CANADA Women’s
Educational Conference, was held in
Kelowna, B.C. from June 3 - 6.

National Women’s Committee chair-
person Brenda Wagg reports that there
were 46 IWA women from local unions
across the country present.

Asocial took place on the evening of
June 3 and the opening address was
given by IWA Canada third vice presi-
dent Wade Fisher on June 4, followed
by. comments from the host local’s
Lenette Terry, secretary of IWA
‘Women’s Committee.

‘The conference’s workshops ran June

4and 5 and the wrap -up plenary session
took place on June 6. Topics included
Facing Management, Conflict Resolution,
Effective Speaking, Stress, Time
Management and Women in Leadership.

Various IWA-trained instructors
oversaw the workshops. In addition to
Sister Wagg, they included Local 1-424’s
Shannon Eeuverman and Bonnie
Armstrong, Local 363’s Leslie McNabb ,
Local 1000's Martha Ulch, Local 500’s
Mary Lou Scott and Local 1-85’s Crystal
Doucette. Also present as a co-instruc-
tor was Steelworker District 3 rep Carol
Landry. As the IWA and USWA are

undergoing a merger process, the
women’s conference allowed IWA
women to break into “buzz groups” to
submit questions around the merger
and find outmore about the USWA’s
“Women in Steel” program.

Sister Terry gave a well-received pre-
sentation on the early history of the
IWA Ladies’ Auxliary.

During the conference, IWA nation-
al secretary-treasurer David Tones was
recognized for his support of the
Women’s Committee. B.C. NDP leader
Carole James spoke and host local pres-
ident Ben Landis was present.

FILE PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA

One of the original activists!

SHE’S BEEN A UNION member and
activist for nearly 20 years and has seen
the evolution of women’s programs with-
in the IWA during that time period. At
timesit’s been a lonesome struggle and at
other times very rewarding. Sister Mary
Lou Scott, the first vice chair of the IWA’s
National Women’s Committee, is also an
executive board member in Local 500.
She works as a shipper at Cardinal
Brands in Stratford, Ontario, handling

orders for school supplies and other
goods. When she hired on in 1980, the
company was known as Eagle Brands.
Goods were manufactured on the
premises and 100 workers, mostly
women, were gainfully employed. The
manufacturing jobs disappeared when
the U.S.based successor company,
Atapco, moved facilities to Mexico in the
early gos.

“People now understand what we were

saying back then,” says Sister Scott. “The
free trade agreements, as they are set-up,
are a threat to family supporting jobs all
over this country.”

As one of five surviving members of the
workforce, Mary Lou has forged ahead,
with other IWA members, to promote
women in the organization. “Twenty years
ago we'd see only four or five women at

TWA conventions — today there are usual- .

lytwenty or more,” she says. Mary Lou has
seen dramatic shiftin the involvement of
women since 1997, where she attended a
national women’s conference. She was a
member of the original steering commit-
tee for that Vancouver conference and
attended one the following year in
that had to be taken,” she adds.

At the local union level Mary Lou for-
warded a resolution to establish an annual
women’s educational conference at the
local level. This year, about 21 Local 500
women will be holding their seventh
annual conference. The National
Women's Committee was enshrined in
the Constitution in September, 2000.
‘This year it held its third annual education
conference. “These conferences go a long
way to empowering women,” she adds.
“There is an energy among women par-
ticipants that you don’t find anywhere. We
are making progress each year.”

Let’s hear more through local
women’s liaisons says chair!
Women are out there working hard
within our union and the labour
movement, says Brenda Wagg, chair
of the IWA’s national women’s com-
mittee. She also says the committee
would like to hear more about what
is taking place at the national, local
and sub-local
levels. “There's
a lot of positive
things happen-
ing out there
and we encour-
age our mem-
bers to let their
local union lia-
sons know, SO
that the infor-
Brenda Wagg mation can be
communicated throughout our
union,” says Sister Wagg. Local
union liaisons are able to dialogue
with members of the committee.
Today nearly
every local
union has a
women’s liaison
at either the
4) executive and/or
rank and file
level.
i) In the past
months, IWA
Local 363 orga-
nizer Leslie
McNabb and
Local 1-425 organizer Carla Berkelaar
have been assisting Local 2171 orga-
nizer Sonny Rioux and Local 1-3567's
Gordie
Mcintosh, in
surveying and
| conducting a
] sign-up cam-
paing at a fish
processing plant
in Pt. Hardy,
northern
Vancouver
Leslie McNabb [sland (see story
page eight). “It’s
great to see the union calling on our
sisters to pitch in,” says Sister Wagg.

Carla Berkelaar

Local 2995 holds women’s
educational conference

IWA women in northeastern Ontario
held their second educational confer-
ence in Kapuskasing on April 16.
Sixteen members from as far away
as Hornepayne and Chapleau partici-
pated. Local 2995 president Guy
Bourgouin wel-
comed the dele-
gates on behalf
of the officers.
EFAP coordina-
tors Micheline
Lemieux and
Sonia Gravel
gave a presenta-
tion on harass-
ment in the

workplace which
also involved discussions on the

issue in society. Elections were held
for local union delegates to the 2004
and 2005 national women’s educa-
tion conference and a brainstorming
session was held to set the agenda
for future conferences. “In my opin-
ion, education is opening new doors.
for women in our local and more
members are asking for information
on how they can become. involved,”
says Louise Dionne, Local 2995's
women’s liasion.

Louise Dionne

14. | sTHE*AELAED WORKER JUNE 2004 ~ -