On this day in Labor History the year was 1980.
That was the day that Joyce Miller became the first woman ever elected to the Executive Board of the AFL-CIO.
In her 2012 obituary the New York Timesdescribed Joyce’s commitment to women’s rights in the labor movement.
Writing “Ms. Miller saw union membership, collective bargaining and labor contracts as the road to equality for working women, and she believed that women should be a part of union management to make sure that attention was paid to issues like equal opportunity, equal pay, parental leave, child care, health insurance and discrimination in the workplace.”
Joyce grew up in Chicago, where she her earned her Master’s Degree in education from the University of Chicago.
She first entered the labor movement as worker at a gumball factory while attending college.
After graduation, she became the Education Director for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers in Pittsburgh.
She remained dedicated to union education for rank and file members.
Joyce was a founding member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women or CLUW.
She served as CLUW’s East Coast Vice President eventually being elected CLUW President in 1977, a position she held for 15 years.
Under her leadership CLUW worked as a powerful voice for women’s reproductive rights, improving child care, and increasing the number of women in union leadership positions.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton named Joyce Miller the Executive Director of the Glass Ceiling Commission.
The purpose of the commission was to gather testimony about women’s experiences in the workplace and to draft a report about their findings.
Of her career Joyce said, “I came to the labor movement with stars in my eyes, I saw it as a vehicle for social change, and I’ve never changed my mind.”
June 8 - Tragedy in the Butte Mines
June 7 - Boston Carmen Organize
June 6 - Raid at Rocky Flats
June 5 - The Big One
June 4 - Union Busting Thugs Assault Local Leaders
June 3 - Victory at Auto-Lite Paves the Way
June 2 - Wartime Strike Defies Presidential Seizure
June 1 - Standing Up by Sitting Down
May 31 - The 1921 Tulsa Race Riot
May 30 - The Memorial Day Massacre
May 29 - The Little Steel Strike Revs Up
May 28 - The 54th Massachusetts
May 27 - Rubber Workers Push Back Against War Profiteering
May 26 - SWOC Strikes Little Steel
May 25 - Striking Teamsters Triumph
May 24 - Operation Humanity Marching for Dignity
May 23 - The Battle of Toledo
May 22 - The Battle of Deputies’ Run
May 21 - Striking to Save Their Union
May 20 - Relief Workers Sit Down in Vancouver
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