Women employees

Association of Municipal Professional Women Records

drice — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:25:45 -0400

Association of Municipal Professional Women (AMPW), organized in 1975, was an
organization open to women who were employed in the city of Detroit and held professional
titles. The organization’s primary purpose was to provide professional women in all departments to meet and network on a citywide basis, as well as to create a forum for common interests and discuss common problems. The organization disbanded in the late 1980s, early 1990s. Records of the AMPW reflect the organization’s administration including by-laws, committees, correspondence and meetings; membership rosters; annual reports; and visual materials documenting outreach practices.

Carol Haddad Papers

kschmeling — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 12:36:08 -0500

Dr. Carol Haddad is a long-time labor and technology researcher with a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. From 1978-1990 she served as a tenured faculty member at Michigan State University’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations, later holding senior positions with the American Society for Training and Development, the Industrial Technology Institute (at which she was the founding director of the Labor and Technology Program), and the Wayne State University College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs. She presently teaches at Eastern Michigan University in the School of Technology Studies and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, while also serving as the North American Associate Editor for the New Technology, Work and Employment Journal and as a member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee for AUTO21, a Canadian research project. Throughout her long career she has collaborated with colleagues in the UK, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan, and has done extensive work relating to labor technology, labor education, and women in labor.

This collection consists of materials relating to Dr. Haddad’s numerous labor and research related endeavors, mainly from between 1978 and the mid 1990s. Materials include copies of research articles, class outlines and lecture materials, conference speeches and materials, labor song books, union ephemera, and labor history materials. Of particular note are materials from the annual Michigan Women Workers Schools and relating to women in the workforce, the Labor Technology Program, and materials relating to international labor.

SEIU Communications Department Records

aorchard — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:52:19 -0500

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was founded in 1921 as a union of flat janitors. Over the years it has grown in size and scope, and now comprises three divisions: healthcare, property services, and public services. The records of SEIU’s Communications Department document the International’s mass mailings from 1974 through 1987. Included in the collection are (predominately) monthly summaries listing all the mass mailings sent by the International (with the exceptions of June 1983-October 1983, January 1985-March 1985, and January 1986-December 1987) and copies of the individual mass mailings (with the exception of January 1974-June 1976).

These mass mailings collected by the Communications Department were generated by a variety of individuals and departments (including Research and Publications). Topics include human rights and health issues, union resolutions, pensions, politics (including COPE), women (especially 925), scholarships, legislative actions, and various topics relevant to SEIU members. Document formats found within the records include correspondence, memos, articles, newsletters, and flyers.

Ann Shafer Papers

drice — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:53:10 -0500

Ann Shafer has lobbied in support of women's issues, including equal pay, sex and employment discrimination, reproductive freedom, and pregnancy disability benefits throughout her career. She began working in 1946 for W.K. Kellogg Company and was active in the American Federation of Grainmillers, retiring in 1983. She has been involved with the Michigan Democratic Party politics, co-founded a chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW), and was one of the founding members of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Ann Shafer's papers reflect her experiences with women in the labor movement, civil rights, politics, and women's rights.

Society of Women Engineers Publications

teller — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 12:09:11 -0500

The Society of Women Engineers Publications includes inactive serials published by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). The society's national publication was published under three different titles between 1951 and 1993: Journal of the Society of Women Engineers, SWE Newsletter, and U.S. Woman Engineer. The publication was renamed SWE in 1993. SWE is not included in this collection because it remains active, but is otherwise available for research at the Reuther Library. The Society of Women Engineers Publications also includes the newsletter produced for the society's members-at-large, which was published in print irregularly between 1970 and 2006 under multiple names.

Society of Women Engineers Records

drice — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:44:07 -0500

The Society of Women Engineers is a non-profit educational service organization, founded in 1950 as the first organization dedicated to the career guidance, advancement, and recognition of women engineers. The organization's national records exemplify the struggle women have faced over time, gaining entrance into a male dominated discipline and bear witness to the triumphs and honors women have enjoyed as engineering students and practicing professionals. While documenting the Society itself, and giving insight into women’s organizations in the twentieth-century U.S., they also provide a look at evolving scientific and technical challenges, the changing climate in the engineering profession, and the history of women in the workforce. Specifically, the records document the origins, operations, entities, programs and activities of SWE, from its inception, and the accomplishments of its members.

Wayne State University Association of Faculty Women Records

cwesterman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:44:08 -0500

The Association of Faculty Women was composed of female employees of Wayne State University in instructional or administrative positions. Its stated purpose was "to encourage membership of qualified faculty women to appointive and elective positions and responsibilities in the University and in the community; to promote the educational and professional welfare of all women, both staff and students, on the University Campus; and to enrich the educational and professional interests of faculty women."

The Faculty Women's Club of Wayne University was founded in January of 1935 by female faculty members of Wayne University. The organization's constitution initially stated that its purpose was "to promote the interests of all women on the campus and especially to forward the social life and professional interests of the women of the faculty"; later this purpose was changed to read "...the social life and professional interests of the members of the organization." The group was briefly named the Wayne University Women's Club, from 1939 until 1940. In 1960 the Faculty Women's Club became the Association of Faculty Women. The name change was intended to avoid confusion with Wayne State University's Faculty Wives' Club, and to emphasize the professional rather than the social aspects of the organization. The Association of Faculty Women represented the female faculty and staff of Wayne State University until 1971, at which time the group was superseded by the President's Commission on the Status of Women.

Jill Tietjen, Sandra Scanlon, and Kristy Schloss StoryCorps Interview, Clip 2, 2008

teller — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:34:24 -0400

Sandra Scanlon explains why it’s important to host career guidance events for young girls and women to introduce them to opportunities that engineering offers. Jill Tietjen explains that more work needs to be done to help the public understand what engineering encompasses and describes a poll in the early 2000s that found that two-thirds of women and one half of men did not know what engineers did. Kristy Schloss discusses the varied industries that engineering touches.

Tietjen is the president and CEO an electrical engineering consulting company. She is a Fellow and past president of the Society of Women Engineers and has received the Society’s Distinguished Service Award. Scanlon is the president of an engineering consulting firm. She is a Fellow of SWE and has received the Society’s Distinguished New Engineer and Entrepreneur awards. Kristy Schloss is the president and CEO of an environmental equipment design and manufacturing company. She is also SWE Fellow and a recipient of the Society’s Distinguished New Engineer and Entrepreneur awards.

This recording is Clip 2 of 4. Click on the "Tietjen / Scanlon / Schloss Interview" link above to find all clips from the interview. Click on the "2008 StoryCorps Interviews" link above to find all audio recordings from the 2008 SWE StoryCorps interviews.

This oral history interview was recorded November 7, 2008 at the Society of Women Engineers WE08 National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland as part of StoryCorps (www.storycorps.net), a nationwide initiative of Sound Portraits Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length and clarity. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Gallery Announcement: Stills from the World at War - The Home Front (1939-1945)

eclemens — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 09:17:17 -0500

In honor of Veteran's Day, the Walter P. Reuther Library is pleased to share a new image gallery: Stills from the World at War: The Home Front (1939-1945). The new gallery serves as a celebration of the extraordinary service of individuals, both military personnel and civilian, during the Second World War, a commemoration of the sacrifices made, and a glimpse back to Detroit as it developed into the industrial heart of the war effort. read more »

Introducing the SWE Stories: Tales from the Archives Podcast

teller — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:19:30 -0400

Reuther archivists are always looking for new ways to publicize the collections under their care and share the stories hidden within. Recently, Society of Women Engineers archivist Troy Eller English embarked on a new project to share stories from SWE's history and archival collections. Along with co-host Anne Perusek, SWE's director of editorial and publications, in September Eller English launched SWE Stories: Tales from the Archives, part of SWE's larger podcast series, Advance. read more »

Pay Equity and the Public Employee

jruss — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 17:07:18 -0500

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required that women be paid the same amount as men when performing the same work. This milestone, however, did not go far enough in protecting women from wage discrimination. This 1963 law promoted equal pay for equal work, but beginning in the 1970s, advocates for women’s rights waged a series of legislative and collective bargaining battles to provide equal pay for comparable work as well. read more »

Subject Focus: Women in Labor Unions

drice — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:44:25 -0400

“We didn’t come here to swap recipes!” Those words, uttered by Myra Wolfgang during the first Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) convention in 1974 set the tone for an agenda aimed at increasing women’s involvement and influence in labor unions. Coming on the heels of landmark legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1963), the Civil Rights Act (1964), and the Equal Employment Opportunities Act (1972), the formation of CLUW institutionalized the long-held ambitions of individual female union members to participate more fully in the labor movement. read more »

Subject focus: Women's organizations in the University Archives

cwesterman — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:30:00 -0500

In honor of Women's History Month, we present some collections from the University Archives demonstrating the parallel histories of two similarly-named organizations representing two different female communities of Wayne State University: the Faculty Women's Club and the Faculty Wives' Club.

Founded in 1925, the Faculty Wives' Club of the College of the City of Detroit actually predated Wayne University read more »

Women Engineers Moved the Midcentury Motor City

teller — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 16:04:11 -0400

While the number of women in engineering increased dramatically between 1900 and 1950, the actual number of women in engineering was still quite small: approximately 3,000 women, or just two-tenths of one percent of working engineers in the United States. Detroit's automobile industry presented a growing number of opportunities for women in engineering, however, and local papers in the 1950s and 1960s frequently published articles about these female curiosities in what was still very much considered "a man's world." The stories of Society of Women Engineers Detroit Section members provide a fascinating look at the opportunities and challenges faced by midcentury women engineers as they thrived–or not–in the Motor City. read more »

Action Agendas for Local Union Committees

jruss — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 16:15:04 -0400

In 1972, AFSCME created an Interim Committee on Sex Discrimination to address the issues of its female members. This pamphlet instructs councils and locals on how to create their own Women's Rights Committees to address concerns of AFSCME women. This item appears in the AFSCME Program Development Department Records, box 5, folder 9.

AFSCME Leadership Letter

jruss — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 15:54:59 -0400

In 1972, AFSCME created an Interim Committee on Sex Discrimination to address the issues of its female members. This edition of the AFSCME Leadership Letter focuses on one of the major concerns for AFSCME women as identified by the Interim Committee. This item appears in the AFSCME Program Development Department Records, box 5, folder 9.

AFSCME Oral History Transcript; Joan Goddard (President of Local 101), interviewed by Johanna Russ

mcourtney — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 15:57:13 -0400

Joan Goddard served as President of AFSCME Local 101 after the Union’s 1981 contract fight centered on narrowing the gap between male and female municipal workers’ pay in San Jose, California.

In this interview, she discusses her role in the negotiations and eventual strike during the 1981 contract struggle. Debate at the bargaining table focused on the Hay study, which compared jobs with similar levels of complexity in predominantly male and predominantly female fields to reveal a large pay gap.

Local 101’s strike is known as the first strike over comparable worth, which argues that a pay gap can only be closed when classifications with similar skill levels earn equivalent pay.

Salary Study Report to Governor (Washington state)

jruss — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 11:17:47 -0400

This report was produced by the Washington Higher Education Personnel Board and the Washington State Department of Personnel for then-Governor Daniel J. Evans. This Study analyzes the salaries of state employees to compare the wages for job classifications typically held by men to the wages of those typically held by women. This study conclusively shows that sex discrimination exists. It would take over a decade for the state of Washington to right this disparity. AFSCME Council 28, which represents Washington state employees, led the campaign to conduct the study and implement changes based on its results. This item appears in the AFSCME Program Development Department Records, box 4, folder 3.

Sex Discrimination Checklist

jruss — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 16:25:01 -0400

In 1972, AFSCME created an Interim Committee on Sex Discrimination to address the issues of its female members. The AFSCME Women's Rights Committee arose out of this Interim Committee. This document is one of its products, a Sex Discrimination Checklist that it sent out to AFSCME's councils, locals, and members to apply to their own workplaces to determine whether sex discrimination existed and needed to be addressed. This item appears in the AFSCME Program Development Department Records, box 5, folder 9.

Wayne State University Faculty Women's Club flyer, circa 1951

cwesterman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:51:08 -0500

A flyer advertising the Faculty Women's Club of Wayne State University, circa 1951.

Women's Teach-In at Wayne State University: flyer, 1970

cwesterman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:47:01 -0500

Association of Faculty Women Records: A flyer advertising a "Women's Teach-In" on the campus of Wayne State University on October 21 and 22, 1970. The advertised speakers are Betty Friedan, Ruth Gage-Colby of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Evelyn Reed, Beulah Sanders of the National Welfare Rights Organization, Frances Beale of the Third World Women's Alliance, Dorothy Haener of the U.A.W., and Martha Griffiths.

(11361) War Workers, UAW, Fort Knox, Tennessee, 1944

eclemens — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:52:34 -0400

Local 6 member Helen Murphy, left of center, dines with African American members of the Women’s Army Corps during a visit to Fort Knox, Tennessee.

Ms. Murphy was part of a delegation of two hundred UAW members from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin who spent three days at Fort Knox in order to to experience army life, learn how the the goods they make are used, and to have a chance to meet with soldiers to talk over the technical problems of production. The trip was sponsored by the CIO and the UAW War Policy Department.

(11362) War Workers, UAW, Fort Knox, Tennessee, 1944

eclemens — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:46:23 -0400

Female war production workers practice maneuvers on the infiltration course during their CIO sponsored visit to Fort Knox, Tennessee.

The women were part of a delegation of two hundred UAW members from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin who spent three days at Fort Knox in order to to experience army life, learn how the the goods they make are used, and to have a chance to meet with soldiers to talk over the technical problems of production. The trip was sponsored by the CIO and the UAW War Policy Department.

(11363) War Workers, UAW, Fort Knox, Tennessee, 1944

eclemens — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:04:36 -0400

Four members of UAW Local 174 inspect a machine gun at the Camby Hill infiltration course. The women were responsible for the production of the machine gun back home on the assembly line in Detroit, Michigan. read more »

(11364) War Workers, UAW, Fort Knox, Tennessee, 1944

eclemens — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:02:31 -0400

A war production worker named Virginia receives instruction on how to handle a rifle while on a visit to the firing range at Fort Knox, Tennessee.

The women in this photo were part of a delegation of two hundred UAW members from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin who spent three days at Fort Knox in order to to experience army life, learn how the the goods they make are used, and to have a chance to meet with soldiers to talk over the technical problems of production. The trip was sponsored by the CIO and the UAW War Policy Department.

(11365) War Workers, UAW, Fort Knox, Tennessee, 1944

eclemens — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:00:04 -0400

A female war production worker receives instruction on how to handle a machine gun while on a visit to the firing range at Fort Knox, Tennessee.

The woman was part of a delegation of two hundred UAW members from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin who spent three days at Fort Knox in order to to experience army life, learn how the the goods they make are used, and to have a chance to meet with soldiers to talk over the technical problems of production. The trip was sponsored by the CIO and the UAW War Policy Department.

(11366) War Workers, UAW, Fort Knox, Tennessee, 1944

eclemens — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:56:05 -0400

Female war production workers inspect a tank while on a visit at Fort Knox, Tennessee.

The women were part of a delegation of two hundred UAW members from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin who spent three days at Fort Knox in order to to experience army life, learn how the the goods they produced are used, and to have a chance to meet with soldiers to talk over the technical problems of production. The trip was sponsored by the CIO and the UAW War Policy Department.

(11562) Clerical Advisory Committee

jruss — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:08:27 -0400

AFSCME members of the Clerical Advisory Committee meet in December 1979.

(29155) Food Service Employees

aorchard — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:55:54 -0400

Food service employees (Ramona Rafael Gomez, Herminia Mota, Maria Lucia Munoz, and Cinoneva Castillo) work on the tortilla production line.

(29158) Female Food Service Employees

aorchard — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:11:50 -0400

Food service employees sorting on the line at Birds Eye. Image originally appeared as "Women at Work" in the AFL-CIO News.

(29161) Female Food Service Employees, Coffee Canners