Gloria Johnson, 85, a founding member and former president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), died Feb. 13 at Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton, Md. She also served as an AFL-CIO vice president. Says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:

Gloria’s values and unapologetic stance for the full inclusion of women and minorities in the workplace and society will continue to inspire and improve the lives of working women and men….The barriers she broke and the foundations she helped lay will undoubtedly live on in history.

Johnson served as CLUW’s president from 1993 to 2004 and secretary-treasurer for 17 years prior. She fought for equal access to economic opportunities and led on a number of issues such as women’s and children’s health care, family and medical leave, sweatshops, labor law reform, as well as voter education and participation.

Current CLUW President Karen See told Press Associates: 

Gloria Johnson was a giant in the Labor Movement. She was strong and not afraid to go after what she thought women needed.

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