ASEA/AFSCME LOCAL 52 Women's Issues Committee
Quarterly Report to the Statewide Executive Board MAY 2011

Madame President, members of the ASEA Executive Board, ASEA staff, members and guests;

The Women's Issues Committee (WIC) reports for this quarter that our committee has continued to focus on soliciting members to fill all vacant seats and focusing on matters relevant to our members and revitalizing and educating our committee to engage our union women in various areas.

Since our last report our committee continues to keep informed on AFSCME news, ASEA local news and Alaska politics as we share these matters with our members and at our Chapter meetings. A new Senate Bill 53 (SB53), Reestablishment of the Alaska Commission on Women was introduced by Senator Bettye Davis this bill will reestablish the Alaska Commission on the Status of Women. We continue to inform and encourage our members to contact their respective legislators in support of HB 51 -Child Care for state workers, especially since child care is continually rising and that is one of the many factors that force our working women to return to nurturing their child(ren) at home and leaving the workforce.

Our last few teleconferences have had speakers informing us on the Choose Respect March and Rally that took place across our state. Our membership as well as other union activist supported the Day of Solidarity gathering and other local unions in which we spread the news about statewide union support. Our committee continues to hear about issues that are effecting their workplace and they are given the necessary tools to garner support or resolve. Our committee members have taken part in all of these events sharing our knowledge as women union leaders and mentoring younger women to become involved in our union.

Lastly our committee will be having our annual face-to-face meeting May 25-26, 2011 in Anchorage at our Union headquarters. We are pleased to have the National President of the Coalition of Union Women (CLUW) be our main speaker and woman's activist advisor. She will also have a Meet and Greet function to solicit individuals in helping establish an Anchorage CLUW Chapter. This event will take place at IBEW Local 1547, 3333 Denali Street, in Anchorage on May 25, 2011 from 6:00p.m.-7:30p.m. Also at our face-to-face there will be other notable guests in attendance. Our committee continues to strive toward informing our members about women's issues that effect them in their families and at their workplace.

We look forward to getting to work and discussing matters on how to engage our younger women in our union and mentor others to do the same. As we go forth and continue to learn from one another and focus on our committee business we will be stronger in accomplishing our missions and goals of this committee.

Thank you for your time and support of our efforts on behalf of the women, families, and all ASEA/AFSCME members in Alaska.

Respectfully, In solidarity
Dawn Bundick, Chair
AFSCME Statewide Women's Issues Committee