December 16

Eight female bank tellers in Willmar, Minn. begin the first strike against a

bank in U.S. history. At issue: they were paid little more than half what

male tellers were paid. The strike ended in moral victory but economic

defeat two years later - 1977

_[Women have had to fight for their rightful place in American life -- the

right to own property, to vote, to work in "men’s" jobs. They’ve had to

fight for their place in the labor movement as well, and Rocking the

Boat: Union Women’s Voices 1915-1975 does a great job of recounting that

struggle, through the stories of eleven dedicated union women. As Dorothy

Haener of the United Auto Workers (and a founding member of the National

Organization of Women) said: "You have to take a look at how to rock the

boat. You don’t want to spill yourself out if you can avoid it, but

sometimes you have to rock the boat."

More info & ammo for unionists is available

online from Union Communication Services.

http://www.unionist.com/