Convention delegates overwhelmingly approved a resolution endorsing what will be the first GCIU symposium on women's issues.

The General Board resolution, which was endorsed by the first Women's Issues Workshop to be held at a GCIU convention, noted that win rates in organizing campaigns for bargaining units where women make up a majority average 51 percent, compared with an overall union organizing win rate of 41 percent.

This indicates "that women are a major untapped organizing resource for the labor movement in general and the GCIU in particular, which has only 18 percent females of the total membership, while the total workforce in the printing industry is 45 percent" female, the resolution said.

The resolution continued: "Union membership reduces inequality and discrimination, including raising workers' pay and narrowing the income gap for all workers, especially women and minorities, who all too often are exploited at lower wages and used to keep down wage rates of a male workforce."

The resolution also cited the need for GCIU women to "become more involved in the union, to play a greater leadership role and to participate in organizing, trade union and technical education programs, health and safety programs, and the particular concerns of women."

In addition to the symposium, the resolution called for the GCIU to develop practices to encourage the full participation of women in the union and to organize women in the graphic industry.

Speaking for the resolution, Lauren Baker of Milwaukee 577M cited the AFL-CIO's conferences on working women, the most recent of which drew 5,000 women and men to Chicago.

"At that conference, we were not coming together to say that women wanted special treatment," Baker said. "We were coming together to fight for pay equity or for equal opportunity. We weren't coming together to say that women were the only caregivers of children and the only people responsible for families. We were coming together to say that women were willing to carry the banner for decent and affordable child care."

The AFL-CIO conference "helped each and every one of us become better activists within our union, learning more about what we can do. And I see this resolution now as an opportunity to be able to do the same sorts of things within our union. To have an event for women and men members that will address some of these issues and activate a very important section of our union," Baker said.

Workshop maps issues for symposium

The Women's Issues Workshop, which attracted about 60 delegates and International officers and staff, was led by Chairperson Saundra K. Barringer of Salem 554M and Secy. Pat Chabot of Chicago 458M.

In introducing the workshop report to the convention, Barringer credited Baker, Chabot, and Barb Pollard from St. Paul 1M for their work in founding the women's caucus of the Midwestern States Regional Conference. She said the hard work and dedication of the members of that caucus led to the continued discussion of women's issues at the convention workshop.

Delivering the workshop report, Chabot said delegates discussed issues as a group, then broke into three groups to organize priorities in the areas of programs, building structures, and how to develop women leaders in the GCIU.

Issues given a high priority in the programs area, Chabot said, included zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment; the development of local ethics committees; contract clauses that allow members to retain seniority when changing jobs between departments; pay equity; trade union education; child care and other family issues; and advancement issues.

In the area of building structure on women's issues, the group recommended that the GCIU: name a representative to the AFL-CIO Women's Committee; organize a representative committee to advise the International; develop a GCIU Women's Conference; assign a "go-to" person at the International; and develop a section on the GCIU's Web page.

In the leadership area, the workshop group recommended steward training, a membership drive, and community involvement as important factors in developing leadership among GCIU women. Also urged was a newsletter between all GCIU locals and mentoring through the International.