Barbara J. Easterling (born 1933) is an American former labor unionist.
Easterling grew up in Akron, Ohio, becoming a telephone operator at Ohio Bell, and also joining the Communication Workers of America (CWA). She became a steward of her local, then its secretary and finally its vice-president. [1] [2]
In 1970, Easterling was appointed by John J. Gilligan as secretary of the Ohio Labor Division, in which role she drafted laws to protect women's rights at work, and restrict child labor. She stood down in 1973 to work full-time for the CWA, and in 1980 became assistant to its president, Glenn Watts. She was later elected as an executive vice-president of the union, and in 1992 as its secretary-treasurer. [1] [2]
In 1995, Easterling served as secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor, the first woman to hold the post. However, before the end of the year, she returned to her role at the CWA. She also became president of the World Women's Committee of the Union Network International, and as a member of the Democratic National Committee. [1] [2]
Easterling retired from her union posts in 2008. [2] In 2009, she was elected as president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. [3]
John Joseph Sweeney was an American labor leader who served as president of the AFL–CIO from 1995 to 2009.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in both the private and public sectors. The union has 27 locals in Canada via CWA-SCA Canada representing about 8,000 members. CWA has several affiliated subsidiary labor unions bringing total membership to over 700,000. CWA is headquartered in Washington, DC, and affiliated with the AFL–CIO, the Strategic Organizing Center, the Canadian Labour Congress, and UNI Global Union.
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Linda K. Foley is an American politician and labor organizer who previously served as president of the Newspaper Guild and vice-president of the Communications Workers of America from 1995 through 2008. In December 2021, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan appointed her to fill a vacancy in District 15 of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Thomas Reilly Donahue Jr. was an American trade union leader who served as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations from 1979 to 1995, interim president for several months in 1995, and was President Emeritus from 1996 until his death. He was considered one of the most influential leaders of the post-World War II American trade union movement.
The International Typographical Union (ITU) was a North American trade union for the printing trade for newspapers and other media. It was founded on May 3, 1852, in the United States as the National Typographical Union, and changed its name to the International Typographical Union at its Albany, New York, convention in 1869 after it began organizing members in Canada. The ITU was one of the first unions to admit female members, admitting women members such as Augusta Lewis, Mary Moore and Eva Howard in 1869.
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Betty L. Tianti was an American trade union leader, the first woman in the United States to head a state labor federation, and the first state labor commissioner in Connecticut.
Sara Nelson is an American union leader who serves as the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL–CIO. A United Airlines flight attendant since 1996, she previously served as AFA's international vice president for a term beginning January 1, 2011. AFA-CWA represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines.
The International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE) was a North American labor union representing workers in the electrical manufacturing industry. While consistently using the acronym IUE, it took on several full names during its history originally the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers and after 1987, the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Technical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers.
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