This document provides an overview and suggested agenda for a workshop on why women should join unions. The workshop uses historical information about Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady and union member, to discuss strategies for organizing women workers and developing women leaders, such as finding mentors, building coalitions, and communicating effectively. The goal is to strengthen the labor movement by highlighting the accomplishments of women in the labor movement, past and present.
Tina Tinde, International independent Diversity Advisor, talks about the opportunities, social media offers to support diversity objectives in international recruitment.
Tatva Leadership: Women leadership development in Pune develops the ability to build strategic alliances...think globally...and manage change, key components in women leadership development. For more details : http://tatvaleadership.com/leadership-development-program-pune.html
Tina Tinde, International independent Diversity Advisor, talks about the opportunities, social media offers to support diversity objectives in international recruitment.
Tatva Leadership: Women leadership development in Pune develops the ability to build strategic alliances...think globally...and manage change, key components in women leadership development. For more details : http://tatvaleadership.com/leadership-development-program-pune.html
Case Learning Outcomes Bytheendofthiscasestudy.docxcowinhelen
Case
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this case study, students will better understand:
• the characteristics of servant leadership;
• servant leadership as a style leaders can use to lead others and organizations;
• how leaders can effectively use the characteristics of servant leadership to positively affect the
leadership process.
Introduction
This case study focuses on servant leadership, specifically the servant leadership of Nelson Mandela.
Throughout his life, Nelson Mandela displayed many servant leadership characteristics, but his
leadership behaviors also cast doubt on his servant leadership at various points in his life. Nelson
Mandela was, without doubt, a great leader, but was he a true servant leader? Before analyzing Nelson
Mandela’s servant leadership abilities, it is necessary to be familiar with the history of South Africa and
the issue – apartheid – that influenced Mandela more than any other.
A brief history of South Africa
When the Union of South Africa came into existence in 1910, African Blacks and other people of color
were barred from becoming members of the new Parliament. In 1912, the African National Congress
(ANC) was formed in an attempt to give minorities a voice and to protest the laws that essentially gave
all political power to the White minority; laws that would eventually lead to apartheid, an Afrikaans
word meaning “the state of being apart”. South Africa gained its independence from Great Britain in
1934, and the Nationalist party, which appealed to extreme Afrikaner nationalists, was formed around
that time.
In 1948, the Nationalist party won the Parliamentary elections and remained in power for the next fifty
years. The Nationalist party made apartheid the official ideology for the new government and for their
fifty-year reign (South African Histroy Online, 2015). Examples of legislation passed by the Nationalist
party to advance apartheid included:
• The Group Areas Act of 1950 (enforced the racial division of land);
• The Population Registration Act of 1950 (classified all citizens by race);
• The Pass Laws of 1952 (restricted movement of Blacks).
The Nationalist party goal was to develop a policy of “separate development”: the division of the Black
population into ethnic nations, each of which was to have its own homeland and eventual
independence. All of this was to be decided, of course, by the Nationalist party in ways that would likely
keep the White minority in power indefinitely (South African Histroy Online, 2015).
The next thirty years featured constant clashes between Blacks and White authorities as the Black
majority attempted to abolish apartheid and gain basic rights. Although Indian and Asian populations
were also involved, Blacks formed the majority of those impacted. In 1961 the United Nations passed
economic sanctions against South Africa to support the abolishment of apartheid, but the Nationalist
Party did n.
The purpose of this Book is to clear the misunderstanding of many Leaders in the corporate world. Those who believed and lived with the notions that best leaders are meant for the Corporate World and evolution of good leadership is in the world of business; I would want them to have a rethink as I explained the social and societal evolution of good leadership that has impacted the corporate world today. Please come along with me to some historical contextual truth derived from this concept of leadership. This book will deal with styles and concepts of leadership and help to build your understanding as to what is needed to be good leaders in Society. From Chapter to Chapter you will see the chronological order of leaders’ leadership and duty requires of them for better Society, Nations and the World at large.
When people talk about leadership, they mostly want to learn how to be good leaders at work. Leadership in the corporate context is one of the hottest topics in the world, and everyone wants to learn how to become a billionaire and be the best possible boss. However, leadership is not just limited to the work frontier; it extends to all of society. In fact, leadership began as a societal phenomenon much before it evolved into a professional one. In fact, many of the present-day leadership qualities that corporate and professional leaders aspire to are based on the social and political leaders of the yesteryears.
Human beings are social animals and living together in large groups naturally meant that people needed to adopt different roles and accomplish different groups. In order to give structure to society and help society grow and develop, people were naturally divided into leaders and followers. The leaders paved the way and moved from one frontier to another, directing the others, while the followers completed the tasks assigned to them and helped bring the changes about.
G@W Action Learning Process with Four South African Trade UnionsGender at Work .
The Gender at Work Action Learning Process
with Four South African Trade Unions. Part of The Transformation of Work research series which is produced by the Solidarity Center to expand scholarship on
and understanding of issues facing workers in an increasingly globalized world.
Friends and People with Intellectual Disability - Angela Amado Nov 11 2013 La...Christine Bigby
Presentation at one day Research to Practice workshop on inclusion for people with intellectual disability held at LaTrobe University in collaboration with ASID Vic, 11 Nov 2013.
Illiteracy In India Essay. Short essay on illiteracy in india - lawwustl.web....Danielle Torres
Essay Writing (Illiteracy in India) | CAPF Essay Topics 2020 | English .... Short Essay on Illiteracy in India - Important India. India: Illiteracy Issue Research Paper Example | Topics and Well .... Eradicating Illiteracy in India by Rejuvenating Education - Hindrise. Essay on Illiteracy in India 10 Lines (With Quotes). Short essay on illi
On May 14, 2018, women from ad agencies across the Twin Cities gathered at Colle McVoy to show their support for the TIME’S UP/ADVERTISING movement. The event was part of the movement’s launch when community meetings took place in 15 cities across North America to begin drawing a roadmap for real change. Here is a recap of highlights and learnings from the TIME’S UP/ADVERTISING Minneapolis event.
my daily life essay||essay on my daily life||10 lines on my daily .... Essential Part Of Everyday Life - Free Essay Example | PapersOwl.com. My Daily Life/Paragraph on my daily routine/write an essay on my daily life/Best handwriting English. Use of Mathematics in Daily Life Essay | Essay on Use of Mathematics in .... Essay For Daily Life - Daily Routine Essay. Essay (your daily life )in english very easy &simple - YouTube. Essay on My Daily Life / Routine in English | short essay on daily life .... My daily life essay in english || my daily life essay || my daily life .... Write An Essay On My Daily Life In English ll - YouTube.
People in communities across this country want to live where they have the chance to thrive as they age. This is true in all kinds of places – small and large, rural and urban. This discussion will help us talk about the kind of community where people midlife and beyond can live successfully.
NIDM (National Institute Of Digital Marketing) Bangalore Is One Of The Leading & best Digital Marketing Institute In Bangalore, India And We Have Brand Value For The Quality Of Education Which We Provide.
www.nidmindia.com
Case Learning Outcomes Bytheendofthiscasestudy.docxcowinhelen
Case
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this case study, students will better understand:
• the characteristics of servant leadership;
• servant leadership as a style leaders can use to lead others and organizations;
• how leaders can effectively use the characteristics of servant leadership to positively affect the
leadership process.
Introduction
This case study focuses on servant leadership, specifically the servant leadership of Nelson Mandela.
Throughout his life, Nelson Mandela displayed many servant leadership characteristics, but his
leadership behaviors also cast doubt on his servant leadership at various points in his life. Nelson
Mandela was, without doubt, a great leader, but was he a true servant leader? Before analyzing Nelson
Mandela’s servant leadership abilities, it is necessary to be familiar with the history of South Africa and
the issue – apartheid – that influenced Mandela more than any other.
A brief history of South Africa
When the Union of South Africa came into existence in 1910, African Blacks and other people of color
were barred from becoming members of the new Parliament. In 1912, the African National Congress
(ANC) was formed in an attempt to give minorities a voice and to protest the laws that essentially gave
all political power to the White minority; laws that would eventually lead to apartheid, an Afrikaans
word meaning “the state of being apart”. South Africa gained its independence from Great Britain in
1934, and the Nationalist party, which appealed to extreme Afrikaner nationalists, was formed around
that time.
In 1948, the Nationalist party won the Parliamentary elections and remained in power for the next fifty
years. The Nationalist party made apartheid the official ideology for the new government and for their
fifty-year reign (South African Histroy Online, 2015). Examples of legislation passed by the Nationalist
party to advance apartheid included:
• The Group Areas Act of 1950 (enforced the racial division of land);
• The Population Registration Act of 1950 (classified all citizens by race);
• The Pass Laws of 1952 (restricted movement of Blacks).
The Nationalist party goal was to develop a policy of “separate development”: the division of the Black
population into ethnic nations, each of which was to have its own homeland and eventual
independence. All of this was to be decided, of course, by the Nationalist party in ways that would likely
keep the White minority in power indefinitely (South African Histroy Online, 2015).
The next thirty years featured constant clashes between Blacks and White authorities as the Black
majority attempted to abolish apartheid and gain basic rights. Although Indian and Asian populations
were also involved, Blacks formed the majority of those impacted. In 1961 the United Nations passed
economic sanctions against South Africa to support the abolishment of apartheid, but the Nationalist
Party did n.
The purpose of this Book is to clear the misunderstanding of many Leaders in the corporate world. Those who believed and lived with the notions that best leaders are meant for the Corporate World and evolution of good leadership is in the world of business; I would want them to have a rethink as I explained the social and societal evolution of good leadership that has impacted the corporate world today. Please come along with me to some historical contextual truth derived from this concept of leadership. This book will deal with styles and concepts of leadership and help to build your understanding as to what is needed to be good leaders in Society. From Chapter to Chapter you will see the chronological order of leaders’ leadership and duty requires of them for better Society, Nations and the World at large.
When people talk about leadership, they mostly want to learn how to be good leaders at work. Leadership in the corporate context is one of the hottest topics in the world, and everyone wants to learn how to become a billionaire and be the best possible boss. However, leadership is not just limited to the work frontier; it extends to all of society. In fact, leadership began as a societal phenomenon much before it evolved into a professional one. In fact, many of the present-day leadership qualities that corporate and professional leaders aspire to are based on the social and political leaders of the yesteryears.
Human beings are social animals and living together in large groups naturally meant that people needed to adopt different roles and accomplish different groups. In order to give structure to society and help society grow and develop, people were naturally divided into leaders and followers. The leaders paved the way and moved from one frontier to another, directing the others, while the followers completed the tasks assigned to them and helped bring the changes about.
G@W Action Learning Process with Four South African Trade UnionsGender at Work .
The Gender at Work Action Learning Process
with Four South African Trade Unions. Part of The Transformation of Work research series which is produced by the Solidarity Center to expand scholarship on
and understanding of issues facing workers in an increasingly globalized world.
Friends and People with Intellectual Disability - Angela Amado Nov 11 2013 La...Christine Bigby
Presentation at one day Research to Practice workshop on inclusion for people with intellectual disability held at LaTrobe University in collaboration with ASID Vic, 11 Nov 2013.
Illiteracy In India Essay. Short essay on illiteracy in india - lawwustl.web....Danielle Torres
Essay Writing (Illiteracy in India) | CAPF Essay Topics 2020 | English .... Short Essay on Illiteracy in India - Important India. India: Illiteracy Issue Research Paper Example | Topics and Well .... Eradicating Illiteracy in India by Rejuvenating Education - Hindrise. Essay on Illiteracy in India 10 Lines (With Quotes). Short essay on illi
On May 14, 2018, women from ad agencies across the Twin Cities gathered at Colle McVoy to show their support for the TIME’S UP/ADVERTISING movement. The event was part of the movement’s launch when community meetings took place in 15 cities across North America to begin drawing a roadmap for real change. Here is a recap of highlights and learnings from the TIME’S UP/ADVERTISING Minneapolis event.
my daily life essay||essay on my daily life||10 lines on my daily .... Essential Part Of Everyday Life - Free Essay Example | PapersOwl.com. My Daily Life/Paragraph on my daily routine/write an essay on my daily life/Best handwriting English. Use of Mathematics in Daily Life Essay | Essay on Use of Mathematics in .... Essay For Daily Life - Daily Routine Essay. Essay (your daily life )in english very easy &simple - YouTube. Essay on My Daily Life / Routine in English | short essay on daily life .... My daily life essay in english || my daily life essay || my daily life .... Write An Essay On My Daily Life In English ll - YouTube.
People in communities across this country want to live where they have the chance to thrive as they age. This is true in all kinds of places – small and large, rural and urban. This discussion will help us talk about the kind of community where people midlife and beyond can live successfully.
NIDM (National Institute Of Digital Marketing) Bangalore Is One Of The Leading & best Digital Marketing Institute In Bangalore, India And We Have Brand Value For The Quality Of Education Which We Provide.
www.nidmindia.com
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Modern Society.pdfssuser3e63fc
Just a game Assignment 3
1. What has made Louis Vuitton's business model successful in the Japanese luxury market?
2. What are the opportunities and challenges for Louis Vuitton in Japan?
3. What are the specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market?
4. How did Louis Vuitton enter into the Japanese market originally? What were the other entry strategies it adopted later to strengthen its presence?
5. Will Louis Vuitton have any new challenges arise due to the global financial crisis? How does it overcome the new challenges?Assignment 3
1. What has made Louis Vuitton's business model successful in the Japanese luxury market?
2. What are the opportunities and challenges for Louis Vuitton in Japan?
3. What are the specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market?
4. How did Louis Vuitton enter into the Japanese market originally? What were the other entry strategies it adopted later to strengthen its presence?
5. Will Louis Vuitton have any new challenges arise due to the global financial crisis? How does it overcome the new challenges?Assignment 3
1. What has made Louis Vuitton's business model successful in the Japanese luxury market?
2. What are the opportunities and challenges for Louis Vuitton in Japan?
3. What are the specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market?
4. How did Louis Vuitton enter into the Japanese market originally? What were the other entry strategies it adopted later to strengthen its presence?
5. Will Louis Vuitton have any new challenges arise due to the global financial crisis? How does it overcome the new challenges?
Resumes, Cover Letters, and Applying OnlineBruce Bennett
This webinar showcases resume styles and the elements that go into building your resume. Every job application requires unique skills, and this session will show you how to improve your resume to match the jobs to which you are applying. Additionally, we will discuss cover letters and learn about ideas to include. Every job application requires unique skills so learn ways to give you the best chance of success when applying for a new position. Learn how to take advantage of all the features when uploading a job application to a company’s applicant tracking system.
This comprehensive program covers essential aspects of performance marketing, growth strategies, and tactics, such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, content marketing, social media marketing, and more
Want to move your career forward? Looking to build your leadership skills while helping others learn, grow, and improve their skills? Seeking someone who can guide you in achieving these goals?
You can accomplish this through a mentoring partnership. Learn more about the PMISSC Mentoring Program, where you’ll discover the incredible benefits of becoming a mentor or mentee. This program is designed to foster professional growth, enhance skills, and build a strong network within the project management community. Whether you're looking to share your expertise or seeking guidance to advance your career, the PMI Mentoring Program offers valuable opportunities for personal and professional development.
Watch this to learn:
* Overview of the PMISSC Mentoring Program: Mission, vision, and objectives.
* Benefits for Volunteer Mentors: Professional development, networking, personal satisfaction, and recognition.
* Advantages for Mentees: Career advancement, skill development, networking, and confidence building.
* Program Structure and Expectations: Mentor-mentee matching process, program phases, and time commitment.
* Success Stories and Testimonials: Inspiring examples from past participants.
* How to Get Involved: Steps to participate and resources available for support throughout the program.
Learn how you can make a difference in the project management community and take the next step in your professional journey.
About Hector Del Castillo
Hector is VP of Professional Development at the PMI Silver Spring Chapter, and CEO of Bold PM. He's a mid-market growth product executive and changemaker. He works with mid-market product-driven software executives to solve their biggest growth problems. He scales product growth, optimizes ops and builds loyal customers. He has reduced customer churn 33%, and boosted sales 47% for clients. He makes a significant impact by building and launching world-changing AI-powered products. If you're looking for an engaging and inspiring speaker to spark creativity and innovation within your organization, set up an appointment to discuss your specific needs and identify a suitable topic to inspire your audience at your next corporate conference, symposium, executive summit, or planning retreat.
About PMI Silver Spring Chapter
We are a branch of the Project Management Institute. We offer a platform for project management professionals in Silver Spring, MD, and the DC/Baltimore metro area. Monthly meetings facilitate networking, knowledge sharing, and professional development. For event details, visit pmissc.org.
New Explore Careers and College Majors 2024.pdfDr. Mary Askew
Explore Careers and College Majors is a new online, interactive, self-guided career, major and college planning system.
The career system works on all devices!
For more Information, go to https://bit.ly/3SW5w8W
1. WHY WOMEN SHOULD JOIN UNIONS
ORGANIZING AND LEADING WITH
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
A DISCUSSION GUIDE
To help workshop facilitators use historical information and documents about union women to
organize women workers and develop union women leaders today:
using our past to change our future!
2. 2
PREPARED BY
BRIGID O’FARRELL
MILLS COLLEGE
BASED ON
SHE WAS ONE OF US:
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND THE AMERICAN WOKER
Cornell University Press, 2011
ADAPTED FOR USE WITH UNION WOMEN IN TEN SUMMER SCHOOLS,
CONFERENCES, CAUCUSES, AND ORGANIZING INSTITUTES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY: FROM FLORIDA TO HAWAII
Available at: www.bofarrell.net
Funded by: Berger-Marks Foundation
www.bergermarks.org
www.bofarrell.net
3. 3
WHY WOMEN SHOULD JOIN UNIONS
OVERVIEW FOR
FOR WORKSHOP FACILITATORS
The following materials are designed to be flexible so that you can create a workshop that will
meet the interests and needs of your audience. Every workshop, the participants, and the amount
of time available differ. The suggested workshop format is 90 minutes for 10 to 20 participants.
Depending on the interests and skills of your group, you can choose from the various handouts
and discussion guides to focus on what is most useful for you in the time available. This guide
can be used as one unit or the different sections and materials can be used independently or
incorporated into existing workshops.
If you are organizing and training women workers, then this new information on Eleanor
Roosevelt can be of help in various formats. Be creative and take risks!
Workshop Goals
Organize women workers
Energize women members
Develop women’s leadership skills
Selected Strategies
Becoming mentors
Building coalitions
Developing new leaders
Identifying women’s priorities
Using traditional and new media to communicate
Potential Audiences
• Union organizing departments and committees
• Worker and community meetings
• CLUW chapters
• Women’s committees
• Local union executive boards
• Regional and international education departments
• Workshops at conferences dealing with union women’s issues.
www.bofarrell.net
4. 4
Materials Needed
Flip chart and markers
Optional computer and video projector if you are using the Power Point Presentation
Flexible Workshop Handouts
(6 pages doubled sided)
1. Title—With Eleanor Roosevelt’s Union Card
2. Workshop Agenda
3. Eleanor Roosevelt: Union Leader
4. Resources: Eleanor Roosevelt and Berger Marks Reports
5. The Union Advantage Fact Sheet
6. Mentors and Friends: Photographs of Eleanor Roosevelt and Rose Schneiderman
7. My Day Column, March 13, 1941
8. Current Opinion Piece, May 3, 2011
9. Human Rights and Workers Rights in Multiple Languages
10. Lessons Learned from Eleanor Roosevelt
11. Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes (2 pages)
Optional Small Group Discussions
(With questions and answer guides)
• Leadership: Different Decisions
• Leadership: Different Styles
• Organizing: Human Rights
Action Plan: Close to Home Activity
Who is your Eleanor Roosevelt Today?
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Brief Biography
Slide Presentation
www.bofarrell.net
5. 5
WHY WOMEN SHOULD JOIN UNIONS
WORKSHOP AGENDA
1. INTRODUCTION
Instructors &Participants
Goals & Strategies
2. WHY ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Brief Background
Why Should Women Join Unions?
3. STRATEGIES
Mentors
Coalitions
New Leaders
Women’s Priorities
Communication
4. OUTREACH
A Human Rights Example
5. CLOSE TO HOME
Small Group Discussion
Report Back
6. CONCLUSION
Handouts 1 & 2: Provide the participants with the Union Card cover page, sponsoring
organization or program information, and the workshop agenda. The union card, printed
separately in card size and on heavy paper, is an effective handout. The back can be used as an
invitation, announcement, or you can add favorite quotes.
www.bofarrell.net
6. 6
1. Introduction
(10 Minutes)
ARE YOU REACHING OUT TO WOMEN WORKERS
TO INTEREST THEM IN JOINING THE UNION?
Every union member should answer this question with a resounding YES.
If you’re a union organizer then it’s your job.
If you’re a union officer then it’s your job.
If you’re a union member then it’s your job.
Unions win more elections when the organizing drive is conducted by ordinary members. One
of several strategies shown to be effective for organizing women workers and developing women
leaders is to highlight the accomplishments of women in the labor movement, past and present.
Today, we are going to introduce you to a champion for women workers and then ask you to
identify women in your community who can be role models to help organize and develop new
women leaders.
What can savvy women activists of the twenty-first century learn from a woman born to a life
of privilege and wealth in 1884; the wife of the President of the United States? Just wait….
www.bofarrell.net
7. 7
A. Introduction of Discussion Leader (s)
Discussion leaders introduce themselves, including some
information about their work life and union experience.
B. Introduction of Participants
Ask participants to introduce themselves and suggest one thing they know or would like
to know about Eleanor Roosevelt. Use the flip chart to note common themes.
• Your name, local union, & role (e.g. activists, steward, organizer, etc.)
• One thing you know or would like to know about Eleanor Roosevelt
C. Overview of Goals and Strategies
• Agree on the basic goals
Organizing women workers, energizing women members, and developing women’s leadership
skills are the goals of many unions. These are the goals of this workshop to help strengthen the
labor movement by building on our labor history. Like many union women, Eleanor Roosevelt’s
labor story has not been told before so this will be new information for most participants.
• Learn the basic strategies to organize women and develop leaders
Researchers have identified several important strategies to organize women and develop their
leadership skills. Eleanor Roosevelt’s words and actions provide historical examples for several
of today’s strategies: being mentors, working with coalitions, encouraging new leaders,
identifying true priorities, and communicating with new and old media. Discuss how to apply
these strategies in your organizing and leadership efforts.
• Discuss how to apply these strategies in your organizing and leadership efforts.
We’ll provide specific examples of Eleanor Roosevelt’s words and actions. Then we can talk
about how lessons from her experience can be used by your union. Can you use the human rights
message to reach out to women and the community? Who is your Eleanor Roosevelt today?
What makes sense to help your union:
Organize Women Workers, Energize Women Members, and Develop Women Leaders
www.bofarrell.net
8. 8
2. Why Eleanor Roosevelt?
(10 Minutes)
A. Background
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most admired and controversial women of the
twentieth century: a gifted teacher, skilled political operative, effective government negotiator,
successful diplomat, inspirational public speaker, influential columnist, respected author—and a
proud union member for over twenty-five years:
• Worker, Newspaper columnist and author
• Union Member, The Newspaper Guild 1936-1962
• Member, National Women’s Trade Union League
• Advocate, for working women, unions, & civil rights
Eleanor Roosevelt brought her labor perspective to her roles as First Lady of the United States &
the world, political leader of the Democratic Party, delegate to the United Nations, Chair of the
UN Commission on Human Rights, Chair of the President’s Commission on the Status of
Women, and as wife, mother, daughter-in-law, grandmother, friend. Eleanor and Franklin
Roosevelt had six children in the first ten years of their marriage. She overcame tragedy and
great personal loss.
ER, as she often signed her name, took risks and faced serious consequences for her activism.
Over her lifetime she received numerous death threats and had her column canceled for her civil
and labor rights positions. A bomb exploded in church where she was to speak, the Ku Klux
Klan had a bounty on her head, and she had one of the largest FBI files on record.
Handouts 3 & 4: Point out to participants the one page summary about Eleanor Roosevelt
highlighting her union role and the additional resources available both about her life and the
reports on union women’s organizing and leadership.
www.bofarrell.net
9. 9
B. Why Should Women Join Unions?
“Mrs. Roosevelt asked many questions but she was particularly interested in why I thought
women should join unions...”
Rose Schneiderman was a cap maker by trade and union organizer by vocation. She was a
member of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and president of the Women’s
Trade Union League when Mrs. Roosevelt asked her that question in 1922.
Ask Participants: What do you think Rose Schneiderman told Mrs. Roosevelt?
Use the flip chart to write down the key words participants use to answer Mrs. Roosevelt’s
question. Many women will mention wages and economic benefits, as well safety and health
concerns. Prompt them with questions like, Have you heard of the Triangle Fire where 146
young workers, mostly immigrant women were burned to death in 1911? What were their
issues?
Then ask for a volunteer to read the actual response.
I remember so well telling here that that was the only way working people could help
themselves. I pointed to the unions of skilled men and told her how well they were doing. By
contrast, women were much worse off because they were less skilled or had no skills and could
be easily replaced if they complained. They were working for $3.00 a week for nine or ten hours
a day, often lower. It all seemed understandable to her.
Rose Schneiderman offered poor wages and long hours as the key reason for joining a union.
While wages and working conditions have improved dramatically since 1922, many of the issues
are similar today and unions continue to improve wages and working conditions for their
members.
Today the Union Advantage is a very critical aspect of union organizing. Union women and
men earn more money, are more likely to have health insurance, disability benefits, and pensions
than are non-union workers. Women, however, are also very likely to be concerned about
dignity and respect on the job and the importance of having a voice of work.
Handout 5: The Union Advantage Fact Sheet provides data on the economic benefits to joining
a union.
www.bofarrell.net
10. 10
3. STRATEGIES
(30 minutes: 5-6 minutes for each strategy or select one or two strategies to focus on in depth.
Using the small group discussion material requires more time)
A. Finding and Being Mentors
Many union leaders say that they had an important mentor in their life. Mentors identify new
women leaders, share their knowledge and expertise, and help develop skills.
Rose Schneiderman was Eleanor Roosevelt’s mentor. Rose not only taught Eleanor about wages
and working conditions, but she introduced her to the social unionism of the garment workers.
Eleanor Roosevelt was familiar with the craft model: improving wages and working conditions
for skilled workers, primarily white men in the American Federation of Labor. Social Unionism
included not only improved wages and working conditions, but also concern for issues of
housing, health care, and cultural life. The two women became life long friends and Eleanor
Roosevelt went on to mentor new generations of women leaders.
Handout 6: Show the photographs of the young Eleanor Roosevelt in her shirtwaist blouse and
Rose Schneiderman behind her sewing machine bring the friends and mentors to life.
Discussion Questions: Do you have a mentor? Are you a mentor to other women?
Optional Small Group Discussion—Leadership: Different Styles highlights the important
similarities and differences between three women mentors such as Frances Perkins, Rose
Schneiderman, and Eleanor Roosevelt and how they worked together.
B. Building Coalitions
Coalitions are an important source of strength and strategy within the workplace, the union hall,
and the local community.
Rose Sehneiderman was president of the Women’s Trade Union League and this was one of the
first coalitions that Eleanor Roosevelt joined. The WTUL brought together wealthy women
“allies” and working “girls” in the factories. There were many tensions, but the allies learned
about terrible working conditions and wages and were able to bring much needed publicity and
financial resources to working women’s organizing drives, strikes, and legislative initiatives.
Eleanor Roosevelt worked with new coalitions as she learned more about issues and expanded
her labor alliances particularly on civil rights issues. In 1958 she joined the National Farm Labor
Advisory Committee with A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters. She and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., both addressed the AFL-CIO Convention
in 1961. Shortly before she died she was working with Esther Peterson, of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers Union, and President Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women with
women and men from many different areas and backgrounds.
Discussion Question: Are you part of a coalition in your union or in your community?
www.bofarrell.net
11. 11
C. Developing New Leaders
It is not enough to educate other women and encourage them, you have to take steps to help them
achieve leadership positions. This can include helping women run for office, as well as
recommending or appointing them to positions within the union or on outside boards and
committees that give them visibility and skills. In organizing drives you identify women leaders
and ask them to be on the organizing committee, a next step in their leadership development.
Eleanor Roosevelt often did this behind the scenes and in public. One example is Frances
Perkins. ER actively encouraged Governor Roosevelt to appoint Frances Perkins as the first
woman industrial commissioner of New York State. After working together for several years,
President Roosevelt quickly appointed Frances Perkins Secretary of Labor, the first woman to
hold a cabinet position. There was no need for ER to be involved this time, but she certainly
approved.
Optional Small Group Discussion
Leadership: Different Styles highlights the important similarities and differences between three
women leaders such as Frances Perkins, Rose Schneiderman, and Eleanor Roosevelt and how
they complemented each other and worked together.
D. Identifying Women’s Priorities
A key component of organizing and leading is to learn the skill of listening to people and
observing what is going on in the workplace and in the community. It is critical to hear what
women are saying about their work lives, their families and their communities and not assume
you know the answers. In organizing drives listening to workers, especially during home visits,
is particularly important.
As a young debutant volunteering in a settlement house and working with the Consumers
League, ER learned the importance and the skill of listening to people, visiting their workplaces,
asking questions, and observing conditions. She learned about immediate needs, but also about
underlying social and structural problems. During her early days as First Lady she focused on
having women included in the New Deal programs, receiving equal pay for equal work, and
joining unions. During World War II she encouraged women’s access to jobs traditionally done
by men and championed child care programs for working mothers.
After President Roosevelt’s death in 1945, she went to the United Nations where equal pay and
an end to discrimination by race and gender were priorities. She carried these issues to her final
official position as chair of President Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women. She
gradually dropped her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, but continued to listen to
many union women who feared that the ERA did nothing to protect their hard won protections in
the low-wage often unsafe jobs where they worked.
Discussion Question: How do you currently identify women’s priorities?
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E. Communicating
Social media has been identified as a crucial new way for unions to organize workers and
energize members. Newspapers, television, and radio continue to be effective ways to educate
members and the public about workers’ issues.
Eleanor Roosevelt believed that unions must tell their stories to the public. She wrote over 8,000
syndicated My Day newspaper columns between 1935 and 1962. On average twice a month she
would talk about unions, educating the public about issues, praising union strengths, but also
criticizing the unions when they did not live up to her standards. She wrote an average of 50
magazine articles a year, testified before Congress and commissions, delivered 50 speeches
annually including major address to labor union conventions, authored 27 books and answered
thousand of letters a year.
ER also loved new technology and readily adapted to new media outlets. She had her own radio
show and she hosted one of the first Sunday morning television talk shows visiting with
politicians, diplomats, actors, and trade union leaders. There is little doubt today that Eleanor
Roosevelt would have her own web page and be on Facebook, while tweeting and blogging.
To watch ER address the merger convention of the AFL and the CIO in 1955 click here:
http://www.bofarrell.net/teaching.html. Her My Day columns are now available on-line at:
www.gwu.edu/~erpapers.
Handout 7: My Day, March 31, 1941, is an example of ER’s columns in support of unions and
the right of workers to learn about unions without fear and intimidation.
Handout 8: The Right to Join a Union is an example of a current column using ER’s words to
argue against the anti-union activities in Ohio in 2011.
Optional Small Group Discussion
Leadership: Different Decisions highlights the careful way in which Eleanor Roosevelt made
decisions about the organizations she joined and the coalitions in which she participated. Here
are examples of how she handled two different situations and communicated with the public first
with the Daughters of the American Revolution and then with her own union, The Newspaper
Guild.
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4. Outreach: Human Rights
(10 minutes)
Better wages and working conditions are the cornerstone of union organizing. For many
workers, however, being treated with dignity and respect is also crucial. Unions give people a
voice at work. The human rights approach offers another way to reach out to women not that
familiar with unions and go beyond the negative stereotypes that employers put forward about
unions as outsiders interested in taking dues money away from workers.
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, delegate to the United Nations, and union
member believed that workers’ rights were a “fundamental element of democracy.” She
practiced what she preached and her work at the United Nations provides a case example of how
she did this. Under her guidance, and working closely with union allies, Article 23 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that everyone, without discrimination, has the
right to a decent job, fair working conditions, a living wage, equal pay for equal work, protection
against unemployment, and the right to form and join a union.
Handout 9: The UN Photograph shows ER with a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, with the right to join a union translated into several languages. The document is available
on-line in over 300 languages at: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml.
Optional Small Group Discussion
Organizing: Human Rights offers a more detailed case example of ER’s human rights efforts
and encourages discussion of global awareness and materials that might help in reaching diverse
workforce with different languages.
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5. Close to Home: Small Group Exercise
(30 Minutes)
A. Small Group Breakout (10 minutes)
When asked, “Where after all do universal human rights begin?” Eleanor Roosevelt answered,
“In small places, close to home…the neighborhood…the school…the factory, farm, or office…
Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for
progress in the larger worlds” This exercise helps participants to take back home what they have
learned about strategies in this workshop. They should draw on the on-going activities of their
union, including organizing drives, women’s committee plans, holidays, or other special
celebrations.
First, ask participants to look at “Who is your Eleanor Roosevelt Today?” (attached) Do they
know these women? Discuss these leaders and ask them identify their union women leaders and
other community leaders they know and could involve in an organizing drive or leadership event.
Second, break into small groups of 4 or 5 participants. Each group should identify someone to
report back. Give each participant a copy of the Action Plan to read (attached). This outlines a
community event they can develop to take home with them. Assign each group to either the
Birthday or the Human Rights Day activity.
Who is your Eleanor Roosevelt Today?
Action Plan: Close to Home Activity
Two more handouts provide them with additional resources and ideas. From Handout 10 ask
them to pick an Eleanor Roosevelt quote and from Handout 11 chose a lesson learned to use as
themes in their event.
Handout 10:Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes
Handout 11:Lessons Learned From Eleanor Roosevelt
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Who Is Your Eleanor Roosevelt Today?
Here several union women leaders on the national level, as well as women leaders on the
political front. Who in your union or your community can you involve as mentors or role
models? How can you use the stories of women leaders national and local to educate others
about organizing, mobilizing, and developing women leaders?
WHO IS YOUR ELEANOR ROOSEVELT TODAY?
NATIONAL? LOCAL?
Liz Shuler, IBEW
Sec.Treas., AFL-CIO
Michelle Obama
First Lady of the US Hillary Clinton,
US Sec. of State
Arlene Holt Baker,AFSCME
Hilda Solis, Rose Ann DeMoro, Ex. Dir.
. Exec. VP, AFL-CIO
US Sec. of Labor National Nurses United
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ACTION PLAN: CLOSE TO HOME
October 11, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Birthday
October 11 is Eleanor Roosevelt’s birthday. Design an event for that week to celebrate her
birthday and highlight an issue important to women you are organizing or union women you
want to be more active.
ISSUE: What is the most pressing issue? How do you know-survey, news, instinct?
MENTORS: Are there mentors you can honor who have led on this issue?
YOUNG LEADERS: Can you identify young women leaders to speak or highlight their stories?
COALITIONS: What other community organizations can you partner with for this event:
women, civil rights, consumer, environmental, churches, immigrant organizations?
COMMUNICATION: How will communicate about the issue and the event to include the most
people: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, Facebook, Twitter?
LOGISTICS: When and where will the event be held? How many participants do you expect?
FOLLOW-UP: What is your measure of success?
December 10, International Human Rights Day
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Organize an event that week to celebrate
International Human Rights Day and highlight an issue important to women you are organizing
or union members you want to be more active.
ISSUE: What is the most pressing issue/s? How do you know-survey, news, instinct?
MENTORS: Are there mentors you can honor who have led on this issue?
YOUNG LEADERS: Can you identify young women leaders to speak or highlight their stories?
COALITIONS: What other community groups can you partner with for this event: women,
civil rights, consumer, environmental, church, immigrant organizations?
COMMUNICATION: How will you communicate about the issue and the event to include the
most people: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, Facebook, Twitter?
LOGISTICS: When and where will the event be held? How many participants do you expect?
FOLLOW-UP: What is your measure of success?
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B. Report Back (15 minutes)
After ten minutes bring the small groups back together and have each reporter give a two minute
summary of their event. After they are done reporting lead a discussion about the events with
the full group.
6. Closing (5 minutes)
Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most admired and at the same time most vilified women on the
twentieth century. Women today have much to learn from Eleanor Roosevelt about organizing,
leadership, workplace issues, and the labor movement. She believed that women would
eventually find their place in the leadership of the union movement and would some day not
need separate organizations. That goal has not been reached, but one of the lessons to take away
today is found in her closing remarks to the last CIO convention: “We can’t just talk, we have
got to act…And we must see improvement for masses of people, not for the little group on top.”
We hope that each of you leave here today wanting to know more about this remarkable woman,
who contributed to the American labor movement, but with the intent of seeing if there are not
more of her words and actions that can be used to inspire and activate women across the country
and around the world—workers rights are human rights.
Thank You!
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