The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the AFL-CIO and the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) have launched an unprecedented global campaign to help women organize under the slogan "Unions for Women, Women for Unions." The campaign's long-term goal is to double the number of women members and to improve working conditions for women in the trade union movement. The drive to attract more women to the movement is based largely on the results of the 2001 "Ask a Working Woman" survey sponsored by the ICFTU Women's Committee.

The campaign, which begins one day prior to International Women's Day (March 8), will contribute significantly to the labor movement's efforts to achieve genuine equality between men and women at every level. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2001, the number of women who are union members is at an all time high of 6.77 million. Union membership increased by 93,000 among all women and 42,000 more Hispanic women were union members in 2001 than in the year before.

Women make up nearly 42 percent of the labor movement worldwide and unions continue to step up organizing campaigns for women workers. For example, the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU) recently organized thousands of domestic workers, majority of whom are women, who are determined to build a strong union.

Between 1997 and 2001, 425,000 women joined the U.S. labor movement. According to research by Kate Bronfenbrenner of Cornell University, women have outpaced men as new members of unions for the last 20 years, and workplaces with a majority of women workers are more likely to win organizing campaigns.

"In order to attract even more women to the labor movement, it is crucial that we break down the barriers which prevent them from joining unions and change the perception that trade unions are not doing enough to meet their needs," said Nancy Riche, chair of the ICFTU Women's Committee.

The ICFTU and the International Trade Secretariats, united under the banner of "Global Unions," are calling all their affiliates to reinforce their activities to help women organize under the slogan, "Unions for women, Women for Unions."

Around the country, union leaders are successfully helping women workers organize in various professions. In Milwaukee, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organized two home health agencies last year totaling about 1400 workers. The union has a long-term goal of helping to organize 10,000 home health care workers in the state. And in Kentucky, the majority of 4,000 clerical, technical and paraprofessional workers employed by the state voted for a voice on the job last month with the Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union (UAW).

"We want a seat at the table when it's time to talk about our wages, our pensions and our health care and now we've got it," said Betty Collingsworth, a secretary in the Kentucky Department of Corrections in Paintsburg.

In the 2001 "Ask A Working Women Survey (AAWW)," undertaken by the ICFTU Women's Committee, women listed five reasons why they do not consider joining trade unions:

· They don't understand how unions can help them.
· They don't have the time due to family responsibilities.
· Nobody has made contact with them.
· They have a negative image of trade unions.
· Trade unions do not cater to their needs.

But other AAWW Surveys show that women believe in working together to solve problems on the job. In the 1997 survey, eight out of 10 women said the best way to solve problems in the workplace is to "join together and work as a group" rather than to "work separately as individuals." Seventy-five percent view unions as an important institution to act on women's issues. The 2000 AAWW survey showed more than eight in ten say they want the backing of an organization that listens to their concerns and gets results.

The results of the "Ask a Working Woman Survey 2002" will be released in May. The ICFTU adopted the successful U.S. survey and used it as an international tool.

Due to an increasing number of women in the workplace, the campaign will respond to the needs of young women, migrant women and women from ethnic minorities to substantially boost the number of women trade union activists and women at the decision-making level and in leadership positions. For more information about the campaign, visit www.icftu.org and www.aflcio.org.

The AFL-CIO represents 13 million workers, including 5.5 million women, and is the largest union federation in the United States. The ICFTU represents 157 million workers in 225 affiliated organizations and territories and is a member of Global Unions.

For interviews and information:
Suzanne Ffolkes (202) 637-5279 cell (202) 262-1581
Gemma Adaba cell (917) 645-5777