The Ladies of Labor (LOL) is a group within the AFL-CIO Southwest Alabama Labor Council (SWALC) created in 2017. LOL was created to engage fellow female union members as well as the families of male union members who support unions and the Labor Movement in Mobile, Alabama. The LOL takes the opportunity to raise awareness for social justice and social service issues; help support United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA) and its partner agencies; raise money to improve our community, and have some fun.
HOW WE CAME TO BE
LOL was inspired by another unrelated event that celebrated women. Some of SWALC delegates began to wonder who the union women in the area were. They realized they didn’t really know many of them outside of the annual Christmas Party. Despite most AFL-CIO international affiliate unions having women’s initiatives, none of those groups seemed active in Southwest Alabama. From those discussions, the SWALC Ladies of Labor was born.
OUR PLATFORM
The LOL decided since the group was designed to connect women, as well as engage with each other and the community; the philanthropic efforts should benefit women and the issues they face each day. To gage interest and develop the group LOL is currently primarily project based. As LOL develops the ladies plan to evolve its community outreach to be impact based which will help lead to long-term sustainable change.
EVENTS
In the first year LOL hosted three events. It began with the Ladies of Labor Champagne Brunch. The brunch was followed by two Happy Hour Networking with a Cause Events; LOL Happy Hour Dignity Drive and LOL Autumn Happy Hour. Plans to add volunteer opportunities for the group, such as the UWSWA’s Annual Day of Caring, are in the works. We also plan to schedule some Agency Partner Tours. We open LOL events to all women who support organized labor and other women in our community. Please feel free to use any of the posted materials for inspiration or as a building block to create your own Ladies of Labor group or event.