Page 9 - Work Force March 2021

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: CELEBRATING UNION WOMEN
During Women’s History Month, we are celebrating the accomplishments of all women.
Throughout the past century, women have come a long way. way. There is still a lot of work to do to ensure equal rights — and pay — for women, but union women are helping lead the way toward this goal.
A century ago, there were few opportunities for women to work outside the home. The jobs that they did hold were often low-paid and sometimes done under perilous conditions, as evidenced from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
that took the lives of more than 150 people, mostly young women.
However, years before the
1911 fire that would spur Frances Perkins to fight for workers’ rights, women made inroads into the labor movement. Kate Mullany formed the Collar Laundry Union, an all-female union, in the 19th century — and led a strike for better pay and working
conditions. Beulah Bailey
the union’s second female president, leading our
union during an unprecedented worldwide pandemic that has forced us all to make quick changes to keep our union strong.
In 1921, women had just won the Constitutional right to vote after a years-long campaign that cost many people their lives and freedom. Women of color would not get to use their right to vote for many more years.
A century later, women of color were the difference makers in the 2020 elections, with Kamala Harris, a Black and South Asian woman, being elected Vice President of the United States. Helping change the country’s political landscape was another Black woman, Stacey Abrams, whose efforts to get out the vote in Georgia are credited with major changes in that state and the country.
On these pages, we feature just
a few CSEA women who are key to making positive change in our union. They are groundbreakers, strong leaders and dedicated activists. We are proud to celebrate them — and all women.
— Janice Gavin
Thull served as
our union’s first-ever
female President
during the mid-1930s
and was key to
numerous decisions
at the highest level
of our union. Thull also had the
ear of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who appointed Perkins as the first female Secretary of Labor. Perkins helped pass numerous laws that protect worker rights to this day.
As the 20th century progressed, job opportunities began to open to women, largely thanks to trailblazers such as CSEA Statewide Secretary Irene Carr, who worked to secure training opportunities for office workers and secured worksite child care for members. She also mentored and inspired numerous CSEA women to hold leadership roles of their own.
In 2019, Mary E. Sullivan became
Thull
CSEA’s statewide
team also includes Executive Vice President Denise Berkley, the
first Black woman to be elected
to statewide office, and Statewide Treasurer Nicole Meeks.
In addition to fighting for equality for all workers, unions have served as a way to lift working women out of poverty. Union women are paid more than nonunion women in similar jobs, and women in unions are far more likely to have comprehensive health benefits and a pension.
Women have also gone far in politics.
Carr
Wilkie-Fields: ‘Your work precedes you’
BROOKLYN — When Brooklyn Developmental Center Local President Faye Wilkie-Fields first got elected as a local officer, she admittedly didn’t have much knowledge about CSEA.
Wilkie-Fields
her learn more about running the local are two of her local president predecessors: now CSEA Executive Vice President Denise Berkley, who initially had Wilkie-Fields join the local leadership slate, and CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Adriane Hudson, who pushed Wilkie-Fields to master her skills.
For one year, Wilkie-Fields would work her overnight shift and then voluntarily report to the CSEA local office during the day before going home to rest before her shift.
“This wasn’t for money; it was [to gain] knowledge,” she said. “I wanted to be ready to lead when the time came.”
After Hudson joined the union’s staff, Wilkie-Fields, who is from Guyana and speaks with a local accent, was still reluctant to step into a leadership role.
“I doubted myself, not knowing I had a greater thing within me,” she said. “I didn’t think I had it in me to lead.”
Then, Wilkie-Fields was selected to participate in the union’s
CSEA Leadership and Education Development (LEAD) Program, which grooms future CSEA activists. “I always thought my accent was a barrier,” she said. “Then, I went to LEAD and I learned to (publicly) speak.”
LEAD pushed her to not only
get past her reluctance to be in a leadership role, but to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Labor Studies.
“That’s what really opened up my knowledge,” she said. “It’s so important to our work. We really need to push forward because the future eventually becomes history.”
Wilkie-Fields also readily admits she is a fighter, including for social justice, labor rights and human rights. “When someone’s rights are being violated, I speak up and let my feelings be known,” she said. “Every day, I fight against segregation and for equality.”
Her strong determination to fight
for members was a key factor in helping Wilkie-Fields cope with a difficult time in her local. In Spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had hit New York City hard, with the virus claiming the life of the local’s 1st Vice President, Ed Holder.
“We went through a very bad time, but I still felt I had to be there (for members) because leaders never quit,” Wilkie-Fields said. “I had to
put my emotions behind me and continue to lead. I was determined to make sure that we don’t lose another member. I never left the front line.”
As chair of the union’s Standing Women’s Committee, Wilkie-Fields
is determined to give union women the tools, training and inspiration to succeed. “This is a sisterhood and we want women to know they’re not alone,” she said. “We must stand
up to be recognized and not be silent. We must fight for equality and inspire women to get knowledge and rise up.”
— Janice Gavin
Today, Wilkie-Fields also serves as the Metropolitan Region Secretary and chairs numerous committees, including the CSEA Standing Women’s Committee and her region’s Women’s Committee.
Her endless hard work and mentorship by other union women gave Wilkie-Fields the confidence to gain the knowledge and experience to lead. She is also fueled by her strong faith and determination. “I learned that your work precedes you,” she said.
Among the leaders who helped
March 2021
The Work Force 9