Headline News

A Message From Teamsters Women’s Conference Director Nina Bugbee

Women's conference

Dear Teamster Sister,

Every year we bring together Teamster sisters from across North America for our annual Teamsters Women’s Conference. This time of year, under normal circumstances, many of us would have been landing in Las Vegas, excited to be together to share in education, camaraderie, and empowerment. Instead, we started this year under circumstances that were far from normal.

Teamster sisters may shine when we are together, but it’s in challenging circumstances that we prove what we are made of! Thousands of our 1.4 million members are women, and early in 2020 women became more than 50 percent of the U.S. work force!

While we cannot physically be together for this year’s Conference, we are instead producing webinars on topics that we hope are helpful to you, such as managing stress during COVID-19; health and safety awareness; domestic violence and more. You can find these pre-recorded webinars on our website: http://ibt.io/WomenWebinars

As Director of the Teamsters Health Care Division and President of a local with thousands of health care members, I represent Teamsters working on the front lines of this pandemic and know just how important union representation is in protecting them and all workers.

This year we repeatedly heard the words we knew were true all along: we are “essential workers.” Teamsters are essential. We can never let any employer forget that, not in the workplace and not at the bargaining table.

On behalf of our Women’s Conference Planning Committee, IBT and local union staff, and everyone who dedicates their year to planning this wonderful Conference, I wish you and your families, coworkers and friends, good health and Teamster strength.

We are eager for when we can safely gather again, and we will. I want to invite any sisters who have never attended a Women’s Conference to join us in person when we are able.

In solidarity and sisterhood,

Nina Bugbee

Director of the Teamsters Women’s Conference

Teamsters Women’s Conference Planning Committee: VICKIE BEAVERS, Local 728 • CATHERINE COBB, Local 2010 • ROBIN COOPER, Local 502 • SAMI GABRIEL, Local 320 • OLGA GONZALEZ, Local 79 • NATHALY GUILLEMETTE, Teamsters Canada • BERNADETTE KELLY, Local 210 • FERNANDA SANTOS, Local 847 • DEBRA SIMMONS-PETERSON, Local 743 • MICHELLE WOODROW, Local 117