ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 Women's Issues Committee
11^th Biennial Convention Report

My name is Nadine Lefebvre and I currently Chair your Women's Issues Committee and I am appointed to serve on AFSCME International's Women's Advisory Council. The current committee members are: Laura Ghormley, Secretary,  Anchorage, Toya Winton Anchorage, Millie Twitchell Bethel, Dee Stelmach Bethel, Zuzanna Bobinski Fairbanks, Teresa Anderson Fairbanks, Lin Davis Juneau

Our Mission Statement reads The ASEA Women's Issues Committee is an appointed group of members, seeking to:

• Identify, resolve and promote all issues affecting gender equality in the ASEA union
• Progress equality and diversity issues in the workplace
• Actively promote and support an ASEA policy of eradicating harassment in the workplace
• Create and promote a supportive network for ASEA members
• Provide and promote education opportunities for members in ASEA
• Through effective involvement in the Union movement equalize opportunities and improve conditions for all workers
• Assist and advise other organizations with common goals and aims
• Advance and pursue local, state, and federal equality issues

In the 2 years and 3 months since our first teleconference we have worked to fulfill this mission statement. We began by putting out a survey to ask our entire ASEA membership to prioritize their issues so we could address them. The overwhelming majority of the participants said their #1 issue is women's health care, #2 is child care, and #3 is training. Because your priorities are in our mission statement, we did proceed to take action.

• We contacted the Health Benefits Trust with our concerns and issues
• We promoted and initiated the PINK LINK, the ASEA web page with internet links to information web sites on your top issues, and presents documents we generate.
• We brought a training team from AFSCME International to provide a training session on public speaking as part of their leadership training program. We plan to do this again.
• We make written contributions to the Solidarity Update to communicate with our sisters and brothers across Alaska.
• We encourage ASEA members to be involved and become stewards
• We have put forth Resolutions to support Alaska families.
• We gather member concerns each month and discuss them in our monthly teleconferences
• We are working towards family friendly work environments through discussions with our union membership, our union leadership and our elected officials.
• The Women's Issues Committee has put forth 2 resolutions to be heard at this 11^th Biennial Convention, the first address our membership's #1 concern regarding women's health care and preventive procedures and diagnosis.
• The second resolution speaks directly and clearly to ASEA's position on pending legislation SJR 20 and HJR 32.  We are looking forward to your support on both resolutions.
• The Women's Issues Committee is sponsoring their first fund raising silent auction at this convention. Members have graciously made donations to us to use. The funds will be appropriated to help our union sisters and brothers with travel expenses to attend union sponsored training when available.
• We have worked diligently to let our membership know that we are a family issues committee and we are not gender specific in our issues or in our training opportunities. We will continue to be available to any ASEA member who wants our assistance. And, we will continue to share all good information timely.

I have been asked, so where are we going? I can tell you.

We are going to empower our membership we are going to let them know how valuable and important each person is to themselves, their family and their union. We need for our membership to know that individually they have a voice and power, and together we have greater strength to affect positive changes.

We are going to inform our membership on all sides of each crucial issue facing our union benefits during this critical election year. We are encouraging our membership to contact their union Political Action Committee with their questions and to directly contact their legislators and encourage action on legislation directly affecting their issues such as HB 162 regarding child care.

And then, we are going to vote.

ASEA membership is 7,500 strong and we are over 60% female.  Me and you, us, united in this union are a tremendously powerful voting block. Any candidate, who wants to be the next governor of the good people of the great state of Alaska, needs us. We must speak in a single voice to protect union rights and benefits and repeal SB141.

Please imagine a large brick wall as the barricade between Alaska state employees and equitable pay, family friendly workplaces and benefits. Every elected official has their name on brick in that wall. We need to encourage each of them to take that brick with their name on it from that wall, and put it at their feet to create a path to a better future for us and for future Alaska state employees.

In the words of Sun Tzu, "To win without fighting is best."  I hope that we are blessed with the wisdom and the fortitude to go forth and unselfishly serve the greater good of our membership.  Thank you and good day.