Women United

Stories of Women’s Struggles for Equality in the Canadian Auto Workers Union

By Peggy Nash and Julie White

Based on the firsthand stories of dozens of women leaders in the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), Women United examines what workplaces were like for women, how they became involved in the union, and the challenges women faced, sometimes at great personal cost. From struggles for representation in their union to their fight for affirmative action and childcare, and work against gender-based violence and harassment, Peggy Nash and Julie White show how these feminist activists were joined in struggle not only by their union sisters, but also by their sisters from the broader women’s movement, who learned from them about the importance of women’s workplace rights. Nash and White document the decades-long struggles of generations of women activists in the CAW, who, despite their few numbers, managed to build a better, more inclusive union. A testament to the union’s motto that "fighting back makes a difference," Women United makes an important contribution to feminist, labour, and social history.