Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
The Coalition of Labor Union Women recently teamed up with the Sister Study to help open the door to the broad diversity of unions and jobs represented in their membership.
Breast cancer affects women from every walk of life, so the Sister Study is seeking women of all backgrounds, occupations, ages, and ethnic groups to insure that study results will benefit all women.
For many, participation is a way to honor their sisters. “My sister, Susan, died from breast cancer just 16 days before her 40th birthday,” says CLUW Pennsylvania State Vice President Barbara Barnes, a member of the plumbers and sprinkler fitters union. “I was with her when she died, and I had accepted that the only way for her to escape her pain was to leave her painful body.” The loss of her little sister devastated Barbara, who joined the study in Susan’s memory and has devoted endless time and energy into recruiting other women.
Left to right: CLUW Pennsylvania State Vice President Barbara Barnes and
her sister, Susan.
The Coalition of Labor Union Women is America's only national organization for union women. Formed in 1974, CLUW is a nonpartisan organization within the union movement. With members from 60 international and national unions across the U.S. and Canada, CLUW has a strong network of more than 75 chapters. CLUW is endorsed by the AFL-CIO and its international and national unions.
CLUW continues to run a feature story on the Sister Study on their website, as well as through their “e-activist” network and the CLUW newsletter. All their community outreach efforts, health fair events, and local breast health gatherings prominently feature Sister Study materials. We are grateful that often women enrolled in the study are invited guest speakers in an effort to continue to encourage women with diverse occupations to join the Sister Study.
“With all the myths and misperceptions circulating about women’s health, CLUW is pleased to lend our organizational clout to provide accurate information and inform our women about the Sister Study,” says CLUW President Marsha Zakowski.