Share
Unifor celebrated its largest Women’s Conference yet, with over 300 delegates from across the country. In addition to record attendance, the conference was energized by the nearly two-thirds of sisters who had never before attended a Women’s Conference.
"I am so uplifted by the women in this union," said Lisa Kelly, Director of the Women's Department. "From our rank-and-file to our leadership, there is a strong commitment to equity and to supporting each other. We've got the energy it will take to continue this fight and change the face of workplaces across the country."
This year’s conference entitled “Strong Women, Strong Unions” looked at how women in our union already have the skills and the experience to take on leadership roles. Workshops like Getting More Women Elected and Lobbying: Women’s Voices Needed examined how women sometimes doubt their own ability to lead when they are already well-equipped to tackle the business of their local and bring fresh perspectives to bargaining.
In the workshop Bargaining Equity: Past, Present and Future, women saw how transferable their skills are from bargaining with their families and friends to bargaining with employers. Participants of the workshop, Closing the Gender Wage Gap, discovered that there are many elements that contribute to women earning less than men – and it’s not just the difference in hourly wages. Factors like family responsibilities, childcare and elder care push women into part-time precarious work; social conditioning and well-established ideas of gendered occupations push women largely into “female” occupations that are paid far less than “male” occupations.
Sisters in the union shared their leadership strategies and talked about how important it is to help other women succeed.
