Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-06-03
German Trade
Union Members
In Toledo
Continued from Page l

! meetings OF working girls 1Or
discussion groups to further the
interest of women as citizens in
the new German denocracy and
acts as their representative with
the government.
Interest Among Women
In her work with the women
of the various trade unions,
Frau Starick has found a great
interest among women in de-
mocracy and points out that the
success of the airlift was the
most potent weapon in strength
ening the morale of the Germans
and in converting them to the
aims and ideals behind the gov
ernment of the Western powers
as opposed to that of the East.
She hopes that through the trade
unions women of Germany will
become more aware and alert
as citizens in democracy. She
herself does not believe in ally
ing women with political parties
but works toward organizing the
women to raise the social and !
economic status of all women in
Germany, irrespective of poll
tics, she said.
Union membership in Ger
many, as in this country, is vol
untary, she points out, and the
unions are not political organi-
cations. Their objective, on the
contrary, is to be non-partiSan
for in that way they find women
join more quickly and cooperate
on an overall program of well
fare.
Mrs. Gebel's Background
Mrs. Starick'S partner on this
study which includes education
al and training opportunities,
and participation of women in
community life in the United
States is Mrs. Christine Gebel,
secretary of Women's Affairs for
the Bavarian Trade Union in
Bavaris, Germany and one of
the outstanding young women
leaders in Germany.
AS secretary of the Trade IN
ion Mrs. Gebel visits factories
and homes and does organiza-
tional work among wome
workers, many of whom, she
says stand apart from the trade
union movement because they
fear that its incluSiveneSs re-
sembles the Nazi party. A con-
stant job of education must be
done among these workers, Mrs.
Gebel says. She also inspects
factories to assure that working
conditions are kept up to STAN
dard and she works tirelessly at
the difficult task of achieving
equal pay for equal work.
Tremendous Handicap
Women workers are under
the tremendous handicap of
male prejudice and economic
discrimination" she says -
situation that she feels is much /
more serious in her country than
in the United States, because
Germany has a tremendous sur
plus of women.
The Bavarian Trade Union
has 100000 members, 10000
of whom are women. It includes
all types of factory workers and
business and professional groups
from those who make clothes
and shoes to those working on
e e tr i C fixtures telephones,
household equipment, etc.
Native OF Munich
A native of Munich, Mrs. Ge-
bel is the daughter of a director
of the German Railway System.
Upon the completion of her high
school course she studied first
to become kindergarten teach
er and thereafter was graduated
in 1946 from the Social Women's
School in Munich, which gave
social work training.' In the
summer of 1947 she did social
work in a refugee camp in
Allach, near Munich-a camp
filled with thousands of refugees
from CzechoSlovakia and Ger
mans swarming in from the Rus
sian zone.
During the war her home in
Munich was bombed and de-
stroyed. Because of the bitter
experiences German women un-
derwent during the war Mrs
Gebel says they form one of the
greatest forces for peace and
democracy in the future. Many
of them are banded together in /
the League of Freedom and are
working very hard for peace.
Women are more hopeful about
this she believes, than men. The |
youth of Germany particularly |
fears another war she says.
Mrs. Gebel is married to
student attending the University |
of Munich. Majoring in history, |
English, German and philosophy
her husband plans to become a
university instructor