Who Will Fight for Us? Union Designated Women’s Advocates in Auto Manufacturing Workplaces

Abstract

Women’s employment in traditionally male manufacturing jobs is hindered by both formal and informal structures (Levine 2009). In light of recent recession-based changes in the Ontario economy, it is becoming more important for women to maintain well-paying manufacturing employment. Women face different challenges in the home and workplace than men. This paper investigates the Canadian Auto Workers’ (CAW) Union’s unique women’s advocacy program, as a promising mechanism to secure women’s safety at home and at work, while protecting their employment status. Drawing on ethnographic research with women auto workers and union women, our findings suggest that the CAW’s women’s advocacy program is innovative and beneficial in maintaining women’s employment as they attend to personal problems. This program can be extended throughout other locals and unions to assist women dealing with violence and other issues related to work-life experience.