With collective power, unions uplift and empower women in the workplace
Cheyenne Dean, a Staff Research Associate 4, UPTE Chapter co-chair at UCSF, and unit representative, recently shared her experiences as a woman working in a scientific discipline at a panel discussion organized by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at UCSF's Institute for Global Health Sciences. The panel took place after a screening of the 2017 documentary film "Dolores," which celebrates the legacy of Dolores Huerta's fight for labor and women's rights.
Her recounting of a job interview focused more on her appearance than her qualifications, illustrating the skewed perceptions women often contend with. "Men are not asked, 'Is your beard going to be a problem in the lab?' Typically, men aren't asked about their appearances in the same way women are," Chey pointed out, shedding light on the subtle yet pervasive biases that can hinder women's professional progress.
"A core element to my personal story is the fact that fifty to seventy-five percent of women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] don't even get diagnosed," Chey revealed, highlighting a specific challenge that intersects with gender in the workplace. "Worse, girls with ADHD are diagnosed on average five years later than boys—boys at age seven, girls at age twelve."
Yet, Chey finds a counterbalance to these challenges within the collective power of her union. "Progressing through my career was extremely difficult until I became active in my union," she shared, revealing the pivotal moment when collective action began to shift her professional trajectory.
Chey's account of leveraging union support to advocate for herself underscores the broader role of unions in championing gender equity. "We tried to use the non-union methods first. Then it was like, 'Okay, we've exhausted all these avenues. Let's bring the union in, let's organize together,'" she recounted. Chey and her colleagues could confront and overcome the institutional barriers that stood in their way through collective bargaining, strategic action, and solidarity.
Unionized women earn approximately $203 more per week—a 21 percent increase—compared to their non-union counterparts, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research. That advantage extends to health insurance and pension plans, leave time, discrimination protections, and safer working conditions offered by union contracts. The importance of union membership is underscored among women of color, with increases observed in unionized Black and Latina women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Partnership for Women and Families. Unionized Latina workers, for example, earned almost $14,000 more annually than non-union peers in 2023.
Despite these advances, the race and gender wage gap persists, especially for women of color. Nonetheless, the labor movement continues to make progress towards closing this gap through enhanced wages, healthcare, and job protections, reinforcing the critical role of unions in advocating for women's economic and health justice.
Chey's story underscores the indispensable role of unions in providing a platform for advocacy, support, and empowerment. Her story highlights the transformative potential of being in a union, offering both a reflection on the current state of labor and gender equity and a hopeful vision for the future.
