Headline News
Teamsters Celebrate Women’s History Month
Every year the Teamsters commemorate Women’s History Month in March, and International Women’s Day on March 8. We honor women’s achievements every day because the Teamster women on the front lines of the struggle for social and economic justice are integral to making us the strongest union in North America.
Teamsters have been on the front lines of the struggle for gender equality throughout our history. In 1916, the union was involved in a contract for women laundry workers in Chicago, helping the workers successfully organize and create the first all-women negotiating committee. For over 100 years we have been negotiating gender and color-blind contracts for our membership. Women like Clara Day, Marie Kemple, Mazie Laham and Robbie Jupiter and others were essential to building the Teamsters Union into what it is today.
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare just how critical women in the workplace are to the fabric of our society. The Teamsters have always recognized workers as essential, but this year the world has fully seen just how essential working people are. Teamster women administer vaccines, keep grocery stores stocked, deliver essential goods and work in schools alongside our Teamster brothers. Women are in fields like health care, emergency services, sanitation, the food supply chain, and all the other jobs that help us and protect us during the pandemic, and for that we are thankful.
Teamster women can be found at the negotiating table fighting for fair contracts, working to get members all they deserve for their hard work, particularly during these trying times.
Women in unions are more likely to have access to paid leave, company-funded health care and financial security in retirement, so women taking a lead in union organizing is more important now than perhaps it has ever been.
The Teamsters Women’s Conference is a resource for Teamster women, providing timely, topic-specific webinars to help Teamsters get you through this stressful time.
Teamster women are the backbone of our union and we are proud of everything they accomplish. We look forward to honoring these women during the month of March and every day this year.