How to organize
a women’s auxiliary

OST Ar oe Ae Oe oe By JA CKEP HILLIPS

HOUSANDS of Can-

adtan women are in-
dustrial workers, and a
gteat many of them are
active workers in the trade
union movement. But
what about the thousands
of housewives, whose hus-
bands are union workers?
How can they be interest-
ed and drawn into the
general activities of the la-
bor movement? * This
article, a condensation of
a short manual on wo-
men’s auxiliaries, written
by Jack Phillips and pub-
lished in - mimeographed
form by Vancouver Civic
Employees’ Union, Out-
side Workers, provides
some of the answers to
that question.

&

HE purpose of this article is

to give a few ideas to all trade
union members on how to build
and maintaifi a women’s auxil-
iary.

‘To begin with, an auxiliary
cannot last if it is organized for
the sole purpose of ‘helping the
union, the parent body. In some
cases, this has meant no more
than dreary meetings and serv-
ing coffee at union conferences.
This. is an insult to the intel-
ligence, needs and capabilities of
working class women.

A group of women drawn to-
gether as an auxiliary to a trade
union must, in the first place, en-
joy complete autonomy in running
their own business, electing their

own officers and planning their.

own activities.

Their aim must always be to
serve labor in general and their
own union in particular.

a...

The union must guide and as-
sist, and develop the cooperation
of the women’s auxiliary through
consultation, request and a mutual
acceptance of common aims and
responsibilities.

To hold women in a trade union
auxiliary, we must give them full
opoprtunity to express themeslves
as women. We must give them
help to organize their activities in

_ such a way that even the most

house-bound ‘housewife will find
some attraction in the group.

Fifty union men leave a factory
near the waterfront in Vancouver
at 4:30 p.m. and scatter to almost
as many points in the Greater
Vancouver area. Thirty are mar-
ried but, in most cases, their wives
vary greatly in their ages, the
number of children they have to
look after, their health and their
social activities. They do not spend
eight hours a day, five days a
week, working together, pooling
their ideas and serving under the
game boss. Neither do they solve
the main-problems arising out of
their: work through one common
organization, a trade union. They
are housewives. Some.of them go
out to work, to put more money
in the home, and belong to trade
unions ‘themselves.

Thus they lack the common
focal point of their husbands, the
common’ place of work. Tihey do
not feel the same compulson to
organize for common objectives.
The care af small children, preg-
mancy, sickness, petty household
chores and, in many cases. a feel-
ing of inferiority or shyness pre-
vent many housewifes from join-
ing ‘an auxiliary.

That’s why special consideration
must be given to the special prob-
lems of women when. organizing
an auxiliary. While some auxil-
iaries will accept any female rela-
tive of a union man. the most de-
cisive member is the wife. She
has a bigger stake and a closer
interest in the affairs of her hus-
band’s union.
© sa

Where there is no women’s aux-
iliary to the union, the best
method of organizing one is to

stick to good trade union practice.
Contact a number of leading ex-
ecutive members and stewards and
discuss the matter with them.
Then. once you have their enthus-
iastic approval, get the proper en-
dorsation from your executive
board and local.

A committee, under the chair-
manship of a prominent and cap-
able member, should tbe assigned
to organize a women’s auxiliary.
This way, right from the begin-

ning, the auxiliary should be close-:

ly tied in with the union. If pos-
sible, a group of eligible women
should be drawn into the prelim-
inary organizational work.

The first step should be to
notify all union members, advising
them of the initial meeting for wo-
men and urging them to cooperate.
From there on the organizational
committee, drawing on its trade
union experience. should have lit-
tle difficulty. This committee
should stand discharged only when
the auxiliary has been firmly es-
tablished and ‘thas created its own
organizational framework and
committee. ora

The auxiliary should be given
every opportunity to take part in
the main struggles and campaigns
of the union, but in the way most
acceptable to them. For example,
the auxiliary to thé Civic Em-
ployees Union on several occasions
mobilized women to turn out at
Vancouver City Hall when we
were in collective bargaining with
the city council: This gave the
women a good lesson in trade un-

ionism and civie affairs. In Trail,

members of the Mine4Mill auxil-
iary gave out leaflets at the plant
gate in the fight against the union-
raiding Steelworkers, alongside
their men.

e

“Housewives are vitally interest-

ed in practical economics. They
are concerned with the price of
milk, the cost of beef, the propos-
ed boost in phone rates, the cost
of fuel and the payroll deductions
for Hospital Insurance. All these
issues bear heavily upon them
when they try and balance the
budget. It is not enough for a

women’s auxiliary to endorse the
position of the union. on such
questions. They must speak out
as organized women, speak out to
other women, organized and un-
organized. 2

They can cooperate with other
auxiliaries and with any group of'
women who will take a similar
position on a given issue. For ex-
ample, a trade union auxiliary
could circularize every PTA
branch on the question of a sub-
sidy for milk, because milk con-
sumption in schools has dropped
sharply because of high prices.

The whole field of schools, edu-
cation and care of children has
been neglected by trade unions
and their auxiliaries. Organized
labor must regain its traditional
role as the main force in the bat-
tle to extend educational opport-
unities, expand facilities.and pro-
vide ‘better conditions for students.
Trade union auxiliaries can play
a big role in this connection.

It is working class children who.
suffer most from the deficiencies
of our educational system. ‘lit is
the entire nation that gains with
every reform instituted.

* ,

Meetings of the auxiliary should
be as informal as possible and the
executive should assist the mem-
bers by bringing in recommenda-
tions on all correspondence and on
all matters they consider should
be acted on.

At the same time, care must be
taken to stimulate discussion and
to act on worthy suggestions,
amendments or proposals by mem-
bers.

Few meetings should last more
than two hours and at least half
the meeting should be devoted to
social, ‘educational or cultural
activities. Great care should be
taken to provide a comfortable
and congenial meeting place.
Don’t hold a meeting in a third
floor hall if you know some of
the older members suffer when
they climb stairs. A meeting of
20 members is a big meeting in a
small hall, or in a home. Hold
the same meeting in a big hall and

the new members will count the
empty dchairs.

There may be a case where the
wife of a good union man wants -
to go to the auxiliary meeting, but
will not travel alone at night. Her
husband has to look after the
children and she is stuck. The
president should try and arrange
to have another member call on
her. Better still, maybe this wo#

“man has a sister, cousin, mother

or girl friend who lives close by
and would like to join the auxil-
iary and go to the meetings with
her?

The Civic Employees auxiliary
provides that all female. relatives
of a union member are eligible to
join the auxiliary and enjoy voice
and vote. Any member can bring
a friend, who can join as a social
member, and enjoy all privileges:
except voting and serving on the
executive board or as a trustee.
The main thing is to make it as
easy as possible for women to join)
the auxiliary and participate in its
many-sided activities.

‘Certain social functions that ap-
peal to wide sections of the union
membership should be assigned to
the auxiliary, if it will accept. The* -
annual.Christmas party for chil-
dren is a good example. Affairs
must be organized to raise money’
for gifts and all the stewards and
active members ¢an be drawn in ”
to assist. Auxiliary members ac-
cept responsibility, keep busy and
the union membership appreciates
their work.

The Civic Employees Union re-
cently instituted a death benefit
fund. At the same time, it ex-
tended the same coverage to wives
of members who belong to the
women’s auxiliary: Dues were set
at $1 per year, plus $1.80 for death
. benefit coverage, both payable in’
advance. ‘In less than a month,
membership more than doubled.

This was something the women:
wanted, and something their hus-
bands heartily endorsed. Union.
smembers are signing up their
wives. Women are mailing in
their fees or delivering them in
person. An _ attractive monthly
bulletin ,written for the women,
will be issued in order to keep in
touch with the members and to
help draw them into the activities .
of the organization. i
e

_This deals with the role of an
auxiliary in a big city. In ‘a: small
town, where large numbers of
family men ‘work in one or two
similar operations ‘and live’ close
together, an auxiliary can play 4
decisive role in the social, cultural
and civic life of the entire, com-
munity.

For example, in a small logging
town, the union and its auxiliary
could provide the main entertain-
ment, develop a wide appreciation
of culture and play a dominant
role in civic affairs. Under these
circumstances, the. women’s auxil-
iary could speak for the majority
of the women in the community.

In closing, let me warn you
against mathematical equations,
such as two times two equals four
times one. It just doesn’t work
out that way.in building a trade
union auxiliary, If there are 800
married men in the local and you
recruit 100 wives in the first six!
months, don’t be downhearted.
Stand up and cheer! You’ve scored
a great victory!

It’s not too hard to get 100 per-
cent union membership in a saw~
mill. It’s a lot harder to get 100
percent membership in the auxil-
iary. Get your sights reasonably
high and work hard! Use your
imagination! Be bold! You won't
get 100 percent to begin with, but
you'll soon get the decisive ones—
the ones who will speak out for
labor — for all working-class W907
men — for the good of the whole
community. :

Two hundred ‘women, organized
in this fashion, can move tw?
thousand women who are isolate
in their 2,000 kitchens. That's
what counts!

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 7, 1952 — PAGE 10