TEAMSTER WOMEN READY TO ORGANIZE! POWER TO THE POLLS!
When Teresa Shook, a retired attorney in her 60's living in Hawaii, who never considered herself much of an activist, heard the results of the presidential election she turned to Facebook and asked: What if women marched on Washington around Inauguration Day en masse? No one could have predicted what was about to happen, how history changing events would soon follow from one woman just asking a question.
It's been a whole year since our group marched alongside 100,000 in St. Paul, MN. We joined in solidarity with our sisters and brothers for the Women's March On Washington Jan. 23, 2017 in support of women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, protection of the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, freedom of religion and workers' rights. It was the largest one-day protest in U.S. history.
I remember how inspiring It was as I chanted with others, "This is what democracy looks like!" and "What do we want? EQUALITY! When do we want it? NOW!" More than reading words on a document or a book can describe, an empowering feeling came over me, this is what people power feels like, what "We the people" really means and I knew that I would not face an uncertain future alone.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary has chosen “feminism” as its word of the year, and it has certainly been an extraordinary 12 months for women. Pause for a minute to think about just a few of these extraordinary moments...
"Nevertheless, She Persisted"
'Fearless Girl' Arrives in New York
Maxine Waters Reclaims Her Time
The #MeToo Movement Goes Global
Women Run For Office in Record Numbers
Black Women Defeat Roy Moore in Alabama
Time Names 'The Silence Breakers' Person of The Year
#Time's Up initiative launched to fight systemic sexual harassment in workplaces nationwide
"It seems that right now, women, more than ever, are recognizing that our voices mean something. We've taken a lot of crap over the years, aware of the injustices, but given the statement of "that's just how it is". Well no more! It's time we stand, raise our voices, and stand for equality and advantages for all! I stand behind my sisters and brothers and will help in any way I can to further the pursuit of all, not just the few!" Anne Hustvedt
The next stage of the movement, Power To The Polls, will channel the energy and activism of the Women's March into tangible strategies and concrete wins in 2018. Like our Teamster sisters before us who hosted "D.R.I.V.E. Goes To A Party" activities and talked about the goals of D.R.I.V.E. (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education) discussing issues relating to their families and communities, registering people to vote, talking with politicians and sharing evaluations about how well they understood their needs, we can too! We are the leaders we have been waiting for! It's time for Teamster Women to ORGANIZE!
"It is important to make your voice heard because your opinion does matter; voting is one of the ways to voice your opinion. As women it is especially vital to exercise your right to vote because we haven't always had that privilege. We need to elect politicians who have their hand on the pulse of women's issues because there is still much work to be done so that all women ACTUALLY HAVE equal rights." Mary Eikholtz
ALERT! Minnesota is now ground zero in the 2018 midterm elections. All Minnesota voters will have these races on their ballot: U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor & Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, State Representative and signs are already pointing to yet another record-breaking year for "outside spending" by national interest groups like The National Right To Work Foundation and the Koch funded Americans for Prosperity. "Ohio is the new Missouri, Wisconsin is the new Ohio, Minnesota is the new Wisconsin," tweeted Republican ad-maker Brad Todd and President Trump supports the National Right To Work (for less) Bill.
"On the anniversary of the Women's March, we women and our allies are going to let this administration know that We Won't Back Down! As a Teamster Woman, I will get involved in anyway that I can, volunteering in voter registration drives, phone banking, caucusing for candidates who support both union and women's issues." Maggie Tuff
Dan Tobin, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1907 to 1952, foresaw a strong future for Teamster women when he said, “Women members are coming into their own. In the future they will be out in ever increasing numbers…an army of labor amazons that the exploiters will learn to fear.” in 1947.
This is our defining moment, now is the time, the war on women is real, the war on workers is real and to quote Mother Jones, the fearless fighter for workers’ rights—once labeled "the most dangerous woman in America" by a U.S. district attorney, "WE NEED TO FIGHT LIKE HELL FOR THE LIVING!"
As Teamster Women we join our Sisters and pledge:
We are ready!
We will organize!
We will bring our power to the polls!
RESOURCES:
https://teamster.org/about/teamster-history/drive
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/it-started-with-a-grandmother-in-hawaii
http://www.powertothepolls.com/
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/elections-calendar/
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/elections-calendar/
https://teamster.org/news/2014/02/teamsters-celebrate-womens-history
https://teamster.org/news/2015/04/daniel-j-tobin-teamster-visionary
https://aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-people/mother-jones
