Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-05-30
Women
and
The Union
EDUCATION

EDUCATION
In looking over the report
issued for the Region 2-B
UAW- -CIO conference, l be-
lieve that our Regional Direc-
tor, Dick Gosser, pointed out
the real trouble with the
union-lack of education-and
suggested the way to remedy
this condition.
AS a woman, | am con-
Vinced that the female of the
species has a greater concern
and a higher regard for labor
education than the men. Per-
haps the reason for this is be-
cause women are more curious
than men about the principles
which lie behind certain things
in the union. Perhaps it is just
because am a woman that /
feel this way; but whatever
the reason, it is my belief that
we women couldn't do worse
job of educating ourselves
than the men in the union,
This isn't the war of the
sexes so far as labor educa-
ton is concerned. This isn't
even a good argument, be-
cause the fact is that unless
we do educate all our people,
both men and women, that we
are going to pay for our
failure and in a way that none
of us like to even think about.
DIRECTORS
Mr.. Gosser urged all Local
unions to appoint one of their
better informed members to
the post of educational dlrec-
tor and to have a planned
educational program.
OF course, nobody can ex-
pect man as busy as
regional director TO tell the
various Locals whom they
should appoint. He does sug-
gest, however, that the one
named be well informed and
capable of leading the educa-
ton of the other union
members.
Our director didn't say it,
but I'm sure he meant it, that
nobody can educate you. That
Is a job that union members
must accomplish for them
selves. Only by our own
efforts can we really find out
what the union is all about.
We can read and hear of
dozens of picket lines, but
until we walk one ourselves,
we can't realize what it means,
We can talk about collective
bargaining, wage rates, classi-
fications, hours, working
conditions, grievances and
how to settle them and all the
other things that go with the
work that is done by the
unions, but unless we attend
meetings in which contracts
and the things that contracts
include and take an interested
and active part in the discus
sions of the various clauses,
we are merely deriving the
benefits of the contract and
none of the education that
goes into its makeup.
POLITICS
We in the union can learn
by doing, by taking a part in
the union and, as our regional
director says making our
contribution" by giving our
time and attention to the
things which concern us.
All of us, and this is for
sure, must take a greater
interest in the political action
so necessary to the welfare of
the union. Those of us who
still remain indifferent and
fail to take an interest in
candidates and political issues
may see the day when they
will have only themselves TO
blame for what may occur in
in the near future.
These are things in which
we must take an interest, not
only as women, but as union
members. We SHOULD show the
men in the union by our ex-
ample that we realize the need
for a greater amount of educa-
tion and in doing this perhaps
give this necessary aid to
unionism the shove which it
needs TO teach us all what our
organization is all about.
We are fascinated bv the