Polly Howe Papers

Accession Number: 
LP001233
Extent: 
1 linear foot (1 SB)

Polly Howe worked for much of her career as a teach in Livonia and Dearborn Public Schools. She was an active member of the American Federation of Teachers and served on their Women's Rights Committee from 1987-1991. Howe was also a founding member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and helped found the Metro-Detroit Chapter. CLUW helped found the Michigan Pay Equity Network (PEN) in 1985 to study pay inequities among state employees. The organization has worked for over 30 years to try and eliminate sex and race based wage discrimination. An active participant of PEN, Howe served as a State Coordinator and aided in organizing the founding conference. Over her years of involvement with PEN, Howe organized a number of other conferences and rallies throughout the state. She also served as Chair of PEN in 2005.

This collection primarily contains material related to pay equity, though there is a small amount of information on the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) 10th anniversary. Some of the pay equity material is directly a product of Michigan Pay Equity Network (PEN) including correspondence, mailings, and photographs from a rally. Other material in this collection includes draft legislation, equal pay proclamations, and literature from organizations with similar goals, as well as from labor unions and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Date: 
1984-2004
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