March 8 is celebrated around the world as International Women's Day, a day to recognize economic, political and social achievements of women. The day is also an opportunity to discuss issues that still affect women in many countries, like wages inequalities, lack of sick leave policies and workplace violence.

The first National Women's Day was observed in honor of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, when women protested against long working hours and low pay, and demanded voting rights and an end to child labor.

According to the ILO report on 2009 Global Employment Trends for Women, women are "often in a disadvantaged position in comparison to men in labor markets around the world [and] in most regions, the gender impact of the economic crisis in terms of unemployment rates is expected to be more detrimental for females than for males."

The TWU has been dedicated to continuing founder Mike Quill's vision of fair working conditions and equality for all, regardless of race, creed, religion and gender. The union's Women's Committee was formed several years ago to fill a need for union women to collaborate and learn from each other. Today, both the Transit and Air Divisions, and some locals, have their own, referred to as Working Women's Committees (WWC). More than 100 women and some men are involved in WWCs today, and the numbers continue to grow. Read more about TWU WWC's here , and watch a video that features Local 100's WWC here.

The TWU remembers women that made a difference in America's Labor Movement on this day, to name a few: Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, American Labor Union activist Karen Silkwood, the first woman professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of occupational medicine Alice Hamilton, the director of the Occupational Safety and Health during the Carter Administration Eula Bingham, and the former director of OSHA's Office of Risk Assessment Susan Harwood, who helped develop OSHA standards to protect workers exposed to blood borne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.

Today the tradition continues with the current Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The TWU congratulates these sisters and expresses its commitment and solidarity with all women workers who fight for workplace rights and economic justice with equal opportunities.

Fighting for Women's Rights with CLUW
Sister Seher Tumer, branch secretary of SES, the Trade Union of Public Employees in Heath and Social Services in Turkey, was imprisoned in April 2009 for her activist in the Labor and Women's movement, according to Public Services International. The TWU supports the Coalition of Union Women's efforts to demand that charges against sister Tumer be dropped. If you can, please help in CLUW's efforts to demand the charges be dropped. See the letter below to learn how you can help.

Letter from Karen J. See,
CLUW President:

According to Public Services International, the global union federation for public sector workers, Seher Tumer, branch secretary of SES, the Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services in Turkey, will spend International Women's Day 2010 in prison. But international solidarity action, they say, could open the door to freedom for her.
Please take a moment to send a message to the Turkish prime minister, demanding that all charges be dropped and that Seher Tumer be immediately released. Her next court appearance is planned for March 9.

Ms. Tumer has now been detained in a Turkish prison for almost a year, with no clear charges being brought against her. PSI is convinced that her arrest is linked to her activities in the labor and women's movements in that country, including participating in International Women's Day activities last year. Tumer, who is Kurdish, was arrested and imprisoned in April 2009.

In solidarity,
Karen J. See,
CLUW President