IBEW 332 Women of Power Building Leadership and Solidarity

The IBEW is stronger when our policies and collective bargaining agreements reflect the needs of our brothers and sisters. Women's committees help to build solidarity and mutual respect among our membership and potential membership. Unions need women and women need Unions.

Women's committees demonstrate how inclusive union structures can be when steps are taken to break down barriers to those who have been traditionally disadvantaged in the workplace, the Union and in the community.

A women's committee will provide a venue for women to raise issues, press for change, and get issues of the membership to the convention floor, the negotiating table, and legislature. It will provide a place for women to develop skills, increase understanding and build self-confidence to become more active union members. Unionized women fare better; unionized women working together fare much better. Given the opportunity and security, women will share their experiences and work together to identify strategies for change that benefits all workers.

The key element in building leadership and solidarity is establishing dialogue. Through dialogue with one another we educate and help change attitudes and behavior. With the understanding and support of all members, we can become much better at effecting change through collective agreements, policies, practices and legislation. Improving communication in order to meet the needs of our diverse membership will help us to reach out to the unorganized and ensure that we can indeed be a strong UNION.

The first tasks of a committee should be to reach consensus on some short and long term objectives. From this we develop a plan to set realistic goals.

A women’s committee can:

1. Provide a safe environment for women to discuss current workplace, community or personal issues and strategies for change.
   
   
2. Educate women on their rights, obligations and responsibilities to themselves and to the union.
   
   
3. Educate and work with the male membership on understanding women' issues and perspective.
   
   
4. Provide advice and guidance to the leadership of the local union on issues that are important to women.
   
   
5. Network and communicate to women in local unions and in community, national and international organizations.
   
   
6. Research and present policies.
   
   
7. Lobby for legislative improvement and change.
   
   
8. Sponsor activities that raise the awareness and understanding of issues affecting women and working families.
   
   
9. Act as mentors to apprentices and newly organized women.
   
   
10. Organize informal educational and social events with community and local committees.
    
    
11. Assist in the planning and organization of conferences in local schools to ensure the content, speakers and participants reflect the diversity of the union's membership.
    
    
12. Assist the organizers in organizing and educating new members.