[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO MOLLIE WEST

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 25, 2003

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, today, in celebration of Women's History 
Month, I rise to honor a woman from my district in Chicago, Mollie 
Lieber West, for her outstanding work and dedication to organizing 
women within the labor movement. Her leadership has opened the door to 
thousands of women to join unions and stand up for their rights in the 
workplace.
  Barely off the boat from Poland, Mollie West became an organizer and 
a person who stood her ground. She was arrested for passing out 
leaflets in protest of her high schools' decision to discharge all the 
music, art, and gym teachers because of budget constraints. Soon after, 
Mollie was demonstrating in support of the Republic Steel strikers in 
South Chicago. She found herself in them midst of the Memorial Day 
Massacre of 1937 where ten workers were killed by police bullets and 
were she, too, felt the pressure of a pistol at her back as she was 
ordered off the field.
  Later, after working for various unions, she became a professional 
proofreader, and joined the Chicago Typographical Union. An active 
member and a delegate to the Chicago Federation of Labor, Mollie became 
the voice for women laborers. She successfully lobbied for the 
establishment of an annual tribute to the Trade Union Women of Chicago, 
which continues to flourish today.
  Another of Mollie's great achievements was helping to found the 
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) in 1974. Today CLUW has a network 
of more than 75 chapters and a membership of 20,000 women and men. The 
goals of CLUW include promoting affirmative action in the workplace, 
strengthening the role of women in unions, organizing women workers, 
and increasing the involvement of women in the political and 
legislative process.
  For the last twenty years, Mollie has served as an officer and a 
volunteer of the Illinois Labor History Society. From that platform, 
Mollie has been able to pass on her memories of the struggle to 
audiences across the country. In addition, she has continued to stay 
involved in electoral politics at all levels. To this day, you can 
always count on Mollie's voice to be among those fighting for the 
rights of all women workers.
  Today, I ask you to join me in honoring Mollie for all she has 
contributed to working women everywhere!

                          ____________________