The program, sponsored by the University of Minnesota Labor Education Service in cooperation with the Minnesota AFL-CIO, was held May 21 in St. Paul.
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| Shar Knutson urged women to get involved in the labor movement. |
Knutson described her path to leadership, which started when she was a clerical worker and AFSCME member for the City of St. Paul. She rose through the ranks of her union, served as labor liaison to St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel, then was hired into a staff position at the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly, now known as the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation.
In 1998, she was the first woman elected as full-time president of the St. Paul federation. Last year, she took the helm of the state AFL-CIO.
Along the way, many people – both women and men – mentored her, Knutson said. At each level, she improved her skills. But she also learned some tough lessons.
“Not everybody is going to like you no matter what you do,” she said. The experience can be difficult, especially for women who take on greater responsibility but often are perceived negatively when they engage in assertive behavior.
Sommers said she did not win the first time she ran for union office and had to learn to deal with that failure. She bounced back and worked harder, eventually becoming president of a local union that is predominantly male.
Now she is focused on getting more women to take on leadership roles in the local. “You have to get people involved to continue your success,” she said.
 |
| Tee McClenty and Denise Specht look on as Michelle Sommers describes her experiences in running for union office. |
McClenty and Specht, who both represent unions that have a majority-female membership, said they did not expect to be leaders of large, statewide unions.
“Somebody saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and they challenged me to do things,” said Specht, a longtime classroom teacher.
McClenty, a hospital emergency room technician, honed her skills as a member-leader in SEIU before assuming one of her union’s top elected positions this spring.
“Everyday I pinch myself,” she said. “This is such an incredible opportunity. My hope is somebody else can feel this way someday.”
Though women now make up the majority of the U.S. workforce and close to half of all union members, they are not proportionately represented in the leadership positions of unions.
The panel urged all women to get involved in their unions and offered some advice to individuals and organizations.
“Recognize other people’s talents” and ask them to participate, McClenty said.
“If you want people there, you have to think about the barriers that are keeping people from being there,” said Specht. Unions need to consider alternative strategies to recruit and retain women leaders, she said.
Sommers offered some personal advice: “Find a stress reliever. I have a pinball machine at home and I burn it up all the time.”
Knutson urged women not to get discouraged. “It’s not going to be a straight path,” she said. “If it were easy, it would be done by now.”
The program was part of the Labor Education Service’s ongoing series of educational programs for working women. Learn more at the LES website
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MAPE forms women\'s caucus
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The program, sponsored by the University of Minnesota Labor Education Service in cooperation with the Minnesota AFL-CIO, was held May 21 in St. Paul.
|
| Shar Knutson urged women to get involved in the labor movement. |
More than 60 participants heard keynote remarks from Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson, the first female leader of the state labor federation, and a panel composed of Tee McClenty, executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota; Michelle Sommers, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005; and Denise Specht, secretary-treasurer of Education Minnesota.
Knutson described her path to leadership, which started when she was a clerical worker and AFSCME member for the City of St. Paul. She rose through the ranks of her union, served as labor liaison to St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel, then was hired into a staff position at the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly, now known as the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation.
In 1998, she was the first woman elected as full-time president of the St. Paul federation. Last year, she took the helm of the state AFL-CIO.
Along the way, many people – both women and men – mentored her, Knutson said. At each level, she improved her skills. But she also learned some tough lessons.
“Not everybody is going to like you no matter what you do,” she said. The experience can be difficult, especially for women who take on greater responsibility but often are perceived negatively when they engage in assertive behavior.
Sommers said she did not win the first time she ran for union office and had to learn to deal with that failure. She bounced back and worked harder, eventually becoming president of a local union that is predominantly male.
Now she is focused on getting more women to take on leadership roles in the local. “You have to get people involved to continue your success,” she said.
|
| Tee McClenty and Denise Specht look on as Michelle Sommers describes her experiences in running for union office. |
McClenty and Specht, who both represent unions that have a majority-female membership, said they did not expect to be leaders of large, statewide unions.
“Somebody saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and they challenged me to do things,” said Specht, a longtime classroom teacher.
McClenty, a hospital emergency room technician, honed her skills as a member-leader in SEIU before assuming one of her union’s top elected positions this spring.
“Everyday I pinch myself,” she said. “This is such an incredible opportunity. My hope is somebody else can feel this way someday.”
Though women now make up the majority of the U.S. workforce and close to half of all union members, they are not proportionately represented in the leadership positions of unions.
The panel urged all women to get involved in their unions and offered some advice to individuals and organizations.
“Recognize other people’s talents” and ask them to participate, McClenty said.
“If you want people there, you have to think about the barriers that are keeping people from being there,” said Specht. Unions need to consider alternative strategies to recruit and retain women leaders, she said.
Sommers offered some personal advice: “Find a stress reliever. I have a pinball machine at home and I burn it up all the time.”
Knutson urged women not to get discouraged. “It’s not going to be a straight path,” she said. “If it were easy, it would be done by now.”
The program was part of the Labor Education Service’s ongoing series of educational programs for working women. Learn more at the LES website
Related article
MAPE forms women\’s caucus