Addie Wyatt
A Pioneer for Union Women
Women have always been an important force in the labor movement. Many times have they stood at the front line on the side of the union in tense and violent labor-management conflicts. Since the 1970's a growing number of union women have become union activists, serving in every position from stewards to organizers to officers at the highest level of union leadership. Today, with 53% of UFCW members being women, the voices of union women are stronger than ever. Addie Wyatt, who was the first woman to be elected an International Vice President of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union, served as a pioneer for union women, and helped break down the barriers for women in a previously male-dominated field.
Addie Wyatt began her career with the union in the early 1950's while working at a packing plant. She worked for several years at Armour and Company, and then at the Illinois Meat Packing Company. The union became her cause, and she quickly became an organizer, negotiator, and program coordinator in the former United Packinghouse Workers Association, District 1. She served the union in those capacities for twenty years before becoming director of the Amalgamated’s Women’s Affairs Department, and an International Vice President.
The Women’s Affairs Department was initiated at the Amalgamated’s 1972 general convention. It began with a report submitted by the Amalgamated’s women’s auxiliary groups which were instrumental in successfully helping local union causes. The report called for the creation and implementation of programs designed to bring about full equality and participation of the union’s female members. Addie Wyatt was chosen to head the new department not only because of her vast experience in union activity, but also because of her ability to empathize with all workers, especially working women.
At the first Women’s Affairs conference, held in 1974, Wyatt declared, "Amalgamated women know that they have made progress because of the union. They know too that banding together in true trade union solidarity will attain for them improved benefits. They know that the men in the union cannot and should not be asked to do the job alone. Women are ready to become full partners in the struggle for a decent way of life. Their skills and talent are needed and they are willing to contribute to the union cause."
The words spoken by Addie Wyatt at the founding convention for the Women’s Affairs Department inspired many, and put into motion a series of local unions that began the creation of their own women’s departments. Wyatt’s cause to promote equality in the workplace, as well as her personal accomplishments within the labor movement helped the fight of women within the labor movement. Wyatt’s contributions not only helped the Amalgamated to become a more modern, forward-thinking union, but also set a standard for a woman’s role within the general labor movement.
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