BUFFALO — CSEA Erie County Local and Unit President Denise Szymura believes it’s extremely important unions continue to take an active role as positive change agents to advance women’s rights.
Szymura, chief dietician at the Erie County Senior Services Department, also serves as the Western New York Chapter President of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), an AFL-CIO constituency group that works to unify all union women to determine common problems and concerns, and to develop action programs to address them.
Denise Szymura
Szymura, who received our union’s Irene Carr Leadership Award in 2017 for her efforts to advocate for union women, readily admits union organizations like CLUW are absolutely vital for positive change to occur. She started her public service career with the county in 1981 and said she has seen limited progress for working women. “We are not even close to where we need to be,” she said.
“CLUW really provides a network for union women from different organizations to connect on the simplest level,” said Szymura. “We discuss what is going on in our workplaces and share strategies and remedies common to women. We develop action programs within the framework of our unions to deal effectively with those objectives.”
Szymura highlights a 2016 Economic Policy Institute study that reported that union women were paid 23 percent more than nonunion women. Moreover, she added unions have narrowed the gender wage gap significantly.
“It stands to reason if we want to improve work and life conditions for all working women, we must support the efforts and mission of our constituency groups like CLUW,” Szymura said. “Considering the fact women make up the majority of our CSEA membership, we also need to stake out our rightful place in making sure all our efforts are coordinated and fully inclusive of women.”
“Besides, women union members are also more likely to have various types of paid leave to balance work and family,” Szymura said. “Some union women are doing better than others — we would also like to level the playing field for workers who are lagging behind. That is something every worker, union and nonunion, should be fighting for. It’s just the right thing to do.”
— Ove Overmyer
Interested in joining CLUW?
The Coalition of Labor Union Women is America’s only national organization for union women. Formed in 1974, CLUW is a nonpartisan organization within the union movement. CLUW has a strong network of more than 40 chapters, including four in New York State:
- Kate Mullany CLUW (Albany)
- Long Island Chapter
- New York City Chapter
- Western NY Chapter
For more information about joining a CLUW chapter or to learn more about CLUW, visit cluw.org.
