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SPEAKER 1: Well, the Coalition of Labor Union Women is a group of women who are working women. They are rank and file. They're factory workers, school teachers, social workers.

SPEAKER 2: They're trade union.

SPEAKER 1: They're trade union women, right. And we all have common gripes and common concerns because we are working. And most women that are working are supporting families. We want our employers and our unions to be more responsive to our needs.

SPEAKER 2: As women.

SPEAKER 1: As women, right.

SPEAKER 2: One would think that your power would come as men, as women, as people, in simply speaking to your employers through your unions. But your implication is that women have particular needs within the union organization that have been ignored.

SPEAKER 1: Right. I think that, well, if you look at the leadership of unions, it's always been men who are the leaders. And naturally, they're not feeling the same things that women are feeling on the job or at home. They might be very concerned about women and understand to an extent the problems that women are facing on the job. But the only way that they can be effective in dealing with employers is if the women themselves speak to the unions and tell them exactly what they need and what they want.

SPEAKER 2: What are some of the things that union women would tell their organizations that are their needs particularly because they're working women?

SPEAKER 1: Child care facilities. Daycare might be something that's overlooked by a male, probably because he's always expected the woman to be able to sufficiently make arrangements to take care of the child. And when he comes home from work, that child has been taken care of and greeted, and everything is set.

And also, I think maternity benefits are something that men aren't really all that responsive to. I think just contract negotiations themselves with equal pay for equal work, and more apprenticeship programs for women, and more job opportunities opening up for women.

SPEAKER 2: Have organizations like the Twin Cities Coalition of Labor Unions Women grown up all over the United States, small groups?

SPEAKER 1: Yes, they have. The Twin Cities is one of the leaders right now in the United States. We've had really good response from the women in the Twin Cities. And right now, we're numbering about 100 members of the coalition. And we've only had three city meetings so far.

And the women are very responsive and they represent all ages and backgrounds, and all occupations and colors. And it's very exciting to go to a meeting and listen to these women and meet these women, and find out that we do have a lot of the same problems. But yet, we might be experiencing them in different ways on the job.

SPEAKER 2: Is there any resistance from union men that you've formed a separate organization within the union?

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. I think there have been some leaders that have said if you're going to form a women's coalition, then we should have a men's coalition. And there certainly is no need for a women's coalition because we're all in it together. But I also think that a lot of the men in the unions were afraid that we were women's libbers. That was the expression that I've heard many times, which I think can be a good expression. But a lot of times, it's used in a very derogatory way.

And if they're saying, are you a group of women's libbers? And by that, meaning are we a group of man hating, bra burning neurotics? Then I'd say, definitely, we're not that. But if we're women's libbers and the idea that our minds are opening up to new opportunities and we want to make our own decisions, and be our own person-- our own individual-- then the group is a liberated group.

But I think the Coalition of Labor Union is a real shot of adrenaline in unionization right now because more and more women are working. There are 34 million women working right now in the United States and only 4 million are organized. And one of the major goals of the Coalition of Labor Unions Women is to organize the unorganized women. Women who are unorganized are earning $1,500 less a year than women who belong to unions.

And this aspect can be a real selling point for unionization. And I think women feel more comfortable right now learning together about trade unionism rather than going to a meeting that's predominantly men and asking questions that they might feel uncomfortable asking because of their naivety.

I think just lately, more and more women have been joining unions. And so we really are at the first level of understanding what the union is and what it can really do for us. But we can make it stronger and better.

SPEAKER 2: Has this group been spurred on by the observation that many women, even if they are union members, are passive union members?

SPEAKER 1: Union women are no different than the average woman. And I think she has basically been taught to be passive. And like I said, most women are working because they have to work. Their husbands earn probably less than $7,000 a year. And she's going to work in a factory or in an office.

And the next thing that's on her mind is running home and cooking and cleaning, and taking care of the children. And don't worry about looking for equal pay for equal work or different job opportunities that are there, but just be passive and be thankful that you have a job.

And what the coalition is saying is if there's a job that you can do as well as a man and it's going to pay you $100 more a week, this is your opportunity. And if your contract isn't responsive to you, this is the way we can get our contract to be responsive to our needs.

I think we have to evaluate whether we're going to be working all our lives, which most of us will be, and just what kind of a future we want. And that's why the Coalition is so important because this is giving us an opportunity to better our roles in the workforce.