Summer Institute on Union Women, Class of 2016 (Photo: Carla Zarate S. carlazarate.com / solartradio.com)

Hundreds of union women leaders convene in Los Angeles for Summer Institute on Union Women 2016

Every summer, women organizers from unions, community rank-and-file activists from the Western States, British Columbia and beyond come together for a week of leadership development, engagement on current issues, skills-building and networking.

Sponsored by the United Association for Labor Education and hosted by the UCLA Labor Center, the 2016 Western Regional Summer Institute on Union Women brought together hundreds of workers and leaders from unions, worker centers, and student and community organizations from the western United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and Japan.

AFM Local 47 was represented at this summer’s institute by Communications Director Linda Rapka. Also present from the musicians union was AFM Local 105 Secretary/Treasurer Rachel Dorfman from Spokane. Both were the fortunate to attend the conference as recipients of registration fee waivers awarded by the Berger-Marks Foundation.

This year’s theme, breaking down barriers and borders, focused on building a space to collectively address working women’s issues. With anti-immigrant sentiment and violence against women on the rise, the conference emphasized the importance of women coming together to build a culture of loving solidarity across the world.

The four-day residential conference featured leadership development training, workshops on the history, struggles, and achievements of working women, and the opportunity for participants to share strategies, information, experience, and skills. Attendees collaborated in a full program of in-depth classes on organizing, political action and more. Workshops and plenary sessions examined current issues.

Adding a level or richness to the conference, a solidarity action including the entire conference was held outside an El Super grocery store in Inglewood, whose workers have been fighting for a fair contract for more than two years — a powerful way to close out an empowering Summer Institute.