ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 Women Issues Committee
Quarterly Report to Statewide Executive Board September 6, 2006

Mr. President and all members of the Statewide Executive Board,

The Women's Issues Committee has continued its efforts in service to Local 52 since our last quarterly report. We have networked in Alaska and with our AFSCME sisters of the Pacific Northwest by attending a one-day workshop hosted by Council 75.

We have a new committee appointee to the Northern Seat Diana Smith) HSS.

We have a Central Region Seat vacancy. We also have an activist who is interested in that appointment who is planning to participate in the next teleconference.

Thank you to Jim Duncan and Reber Stein for the PINK LINK updates. The WIC has made progress on future awareness and fund raising opportunities with an ASEA Women's Issues Committee pin. The artwork: represents all of our members, has no copy write anywhere, is simple to reproduce, will be union made, and profits could help to fund future WIC efforts. We are moving forward towards production.

AFSCME Council 75 hosted a workshop for women and political action. Local 52 participants were Millie Twitchell of Bethel and Nadine Lefebvre of Juneau. We learned a lot of political organizing skins that could be used in any community.

In addition to the agenda, I was able to network with AFSCME VP Ken Allen again on child care issues in Alaska and an AFSCME organizer specializing in child care providers. They are ready to come to Alaska to train more child care providers teach them how to be profitable providing child care, and organizing those providers into Local 52.

I shared some of what I learned with Representative Beth Kertulla. Rep Kertulla graciously accepted the small changes that they suggested to her pending legislation, HB 162. Beth has bipartisan support for this child care bill and is encouraged by the interest for it.

We realize that this can not come to fruition at once, but we are all available to expedite this process soon.

The ASEA Local 52 Women's Issues Committee has been asked to participate more often with the AFSCME activities in the Northwest to strengthen our presence in the region and with AFSCME International. We also have an opportunity to host union women's summer school in Anchorage next summer.

We want to thank you for your continued support for the Women's Issues Committee.

In Solidarity,
Nadine Lefebvre, Chair