Greetings Teamsters,
Teamsters Local 2010 is proud to recognize International Women’s Day and all of the incredible women who have fought for equal rights and labor rights.
“I am woman, hear me roar,” was an empowering women’s anthem of 1972 that has stood the test of time and remains a familiar phrase today. When it came to the empowerment of women, a great moment for women’s rights took place in 1908 in New York City when 15,000 women marched through the streets demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
It was not until March 8, 1975, that International Women’s Day was celebrated by the member states of the United Nations, including the United States. In 1980, The national Women’s History Alliance lobbied for national recognition of International Women’s Day by the United States government. In March 1987, Congress officially declared March as Women’s History Month in America.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Choose to Challenge.” According to www.internationalwomensday.com:
“A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.
“We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.
“From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.”
On International Women’s Day and throughout Women’s History Month, we celebrate great women who have challenged and changed history, such as: Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights activist, Gloria Steinem, social political activist, and Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United states Congress. Dolores Huerta is an American labor leader and civil rights activist, most of whose work was here in California. Women continue to be a driving force in the United States with the election of Kamala Harris as the first African American woman Vice President of the United States.
We applaud all of these amazing women, but we are most proud of the Teamsters Local 2010 leaders, activists and members who are choosing to challenge the status quo at the UC and CSU each and every day to make their campuses and the institutions as a whole better places to work. Roughly two-thirds of our membership are women. They are dedicated to their fellow Teamsters, serving as stewards, activists, Bargaining Team and committee members, trustees, vice president and president.
Let us continue to fight for gender equality everywhere – starting where we are in our own workplace, family and circle of friends.
In Solidarity,
Jason Rabinowitz
Secretary-Treasurer
Catherine Cobb
President