How women organizers used Berger-Marks grants
Groups & research funded by Berger-Marks
Women organizing women:
special report
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Providing Health Information:It’s good for you, good for the union
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| CLUW organized a walk to promote cervical cancer prevention in May, 2007 |
Union women, like most U.S. women, don’t know that cervical cancer is 100% preventable and how to prevent it. As a result, 11,150 U.S. women will get cervical cancer this year and 3,670 will die from it. Union women (there are 6.5 million of them in the U.S.), unlike most other American women, have access to regular communications from a trusted source, that is, their union More unions should be using their communications channels to reach their members with health information.
I write this article to encourage readers to urge their unions to communicate health information to their members.
There is lots of good (often free) health information (like how to prevent cervical cancer, see sidebar) available at no charge – information that union members need and will not get anywhere else -- to help them be pro-active about their health. Having and following this information can increase the length, as well as the quality, of their lives. It can also help them and their unions hold on to the good health benefits the union has negotiated for them.
Women especially have much to gain by getting health information, as women are not only the health gatekeepers of the family, but they are also the primary consumers of health care generally.
A key to encouraging women to be pro-active about their health is getting them to take responsibility for their own health – which is a two-step process involving education and action.
Let’s use cervical cancer as an example. Unions can easily provide information to empower union women with the knowledge they need about the disease, as well as the information and motivation to take specific actions to prevent it.
It is also important to remind women that it isn’t selfish to put their own health first. One way to do this is by using the metaphor of the oxygen mask on the airplane: we are told to put our own on first, because if we don’t, we might not be able to help the child sitting next to us. If women don’t take care of themselves, they won’t be around or able to take care of those they love.
My experience is that when women get this information, they are extremely grateful to the organization that is getting it to them. If it’s coming from their union, it is a plus for the union... and it can also provide value added in organizing, especially since the research shows that women will unionize around "quality of life" issues more readily than around wages.
Delegates to CLUW’s recent convention adopted a resolution on this subject entitled, SUPPORT CLUW'S HEALTH CARE INVOLVEMENT. The resolution commits CLUW “to continue its involvement in health care issues.” Specifically, it says that:
It’s time for unions to follow CLUW’s lead and it’s union women who must demand that their unions take action!
Back to the latest news
What is preventive heath?The most important part of preventive health care is keeping up good health habits, which include:
Professional servicesIn addition to these habits, there are some professional services that may prove worthwhile in preventing or at least minimizing disease: 1. Periodic screening of adults for specific problems 2. Many diseases can be effectively treated when detected early 3. Keep immunizations up-to-date What you need to know to prevent cervical cancer
Free Resources on Women’s HealthHere are a few examples of excellent -- and free -- sources for information on women’s health: U.S. Health & Human Services:
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By Carolyn Jacobson Director, Cervical Cancer Prevention Works, CLUW