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.”
December 29 - The Day Work Was Made Safer
December 28 - Heroes in Space
December 27 - Musicians Fight Back
December 26 - Garment Workers Rise Up
December 25 - Debs Released; Real Gift is His Message
December 24 - A Christmas Eve Beating for Striking Workers
December 23 - The High Cost of Low Wages
December 21 - Red Scare Deportations Begin
December 20 - THE UNION IS DISSOLVED!!!
December 19 - Solidarity Gets the Goods!
December 18 - No More Beer
December 17 - Unraveling Anti-Japanese Hysteria
December 16 - No Justice, No Bagels!
December 15 - Troops Put Down the Mother’s March
December 14 - Another Hard Fought Victory
December 13 - The Beginning of the End of Apartheid
December 12 - We Disaffiliate!
December 11 - Right to Work is a Lie!
December 10 - August Spies is Born
December 9 - The Cordiner Doctrine
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast