Coalition of Labor Union Women

Coalition of Labor Union Women
Name	Coalition of Labor Union Women
Formation	1974
Type	Labor organization; women's advocacy
Headquarters	United States
Region served	United States
Leader title	National President

Coalition of Labor Union Women is a U.S.-based organization formed in 1974 to represent and mobilize women within the labor movement, linking trade unions, civil rights activists, and feminist organizations. The group grew from conferences and coalitions that included unions such as the AFL–CIO, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the United Auto Workers alongside women's groups like the National Organization for Women and civil rights actors like the Congress of Racial Equality. Its mission combined workplace representation with campaigns on issues including pay equity, reproductive rights, and anti-discrimination policies.

History

The organization emerged from early 1970s gatherings influenced by leaders from the United Farm Workers movement, activists associated with the Black Panther Party, and labor feminists connected to the National Women's Political Caucus and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Founding conferences drew delegations from unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Service Employees International Union as well as delegates from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the League of Women Voters. During the 1970s and 1980s it worked alongside campaigns led by figures from the Democratic National Committee, the NARAL Pro-Choice America, and civic coalitions responding to rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States on issues affecting working women. In subsequent decades it intersected with organizing efforts by the Women's March, collaborations with the A. Philip Randolph Institute, and solidarities with international labor federations like the International Labour Organization while responding to policy debates involving the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Organization and Structure

The group's governance model has mirrored structures found in unions such as the Amalgamated Transit Union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, with elected national officers, regional coordinators, and local chapters often hosted within union halls of the Teamsters and the United Steelworkers. National conventions convene delegates from state chapters similar to delegate systems used by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. Committees address issues paralleling those of union policy councils in the AFL–CIO—categories include legislative affairs, rank-and-file organizing, and training programs comparable to apprenticeship committees in the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Administrative functions have involved partnerships with legal clinics linked to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and research collaborations resembling initiatives by the Economic Policy Institute.

Activities and Programs

Programs historically included leadership training modeled on curricula from the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and community education initiatives inspired by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. The organization coordinated workplace campaigns alongside unions such as the United Food and Commercial Workers and supported strikes and bargaining drives involving the International Longshoremen's Association and the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Advocacy projects targeted legislation debated in the United States Congress and agency rulemaking at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, while public campaigns invoked high-profile events like rallies beside organizers from the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and solidarity statements for workers associated with the Solidarity movement. Training seminars addressed collective bargaining tactics used by the Transport Workers Union and health and safety issues explored by affiliates of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Political Advocacy and Endorsements

The organization has issued political endorsements and mobilization directives resembling those of the AFL–CIO political action committees and has engaged in coordinated get-out-the-vote efforts used by the Democratic Party and allied caucuses. Endorsements have intersected with campaigns of candidates backed by the Working Families Party and labor-oriented lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. The group has lobbied on legislation connected to the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and measures affecting union organizing rights debated in relation to the National Labor Relations Board. It has also participated in coalition lobbying with organizations such as the Center for Community Change and the Human Rights Campaign on intersecting social policy goals.

Membership and Demographics

Membership draws from rank-and-file women in unions including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Auto Workers, and the Service Employees International Union, along with retirees affiliated with the AFL–CIO Retiree Council. Chapters have formed in metropolitan centers like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and San Francisco, reflecting industrial concentrations and public-sector workforces found in municipalities such as Washington, D.C. and Seattle. Demographic outreach targeted women of color through ties with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and Asian American Resource Workshop affiliates, and sought participation from immigrant workers represented by the United Farm Workers and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.

Notable Leaders and Figures

Prominent leaders and allied figures have included labor feminists with backgrounds in unions such as the Amalgamated Transit Union and advocacy groups like the National Organization for Women; their networks connected to political actors in the Democratic National Committee and civil rights leaders associated with the NAACP. Past presidents and national officers have collaborated with union presidents from the AFL–CIO and organizers from the Teamsters and United Auto Workers on national campaigns. The organization’s leaders have been speakers alongside figures from the Reuther Library oral histories and participants in forums with scholars from institutions such as Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and the Columbia University labor centers.

Category:Labor organizations in the United States Category:Women's organizations based in the United States