Black and Latina women increase share of U.S. union leadership roles

Women make up roughly half of U.S. labor union membership. Representation in top leadership positions has remained lower, especially for women of color. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor show Black women's union membership rate rose from 10.3 percent to 10.5 percent in 2023. Latinas' rate increased from 8.5 percent to 8.8 percent during the same period.

Leadership gains Gwen Mills became the first woman elected president of hospitality union UNITE HERE in June. The union represents more than 12,000 workers across six states who struck last month over wages, workloads, and health care costs. Becky Pringle leads the National Education Association.

Bonnie Castillo serves as the first Latina executive director of National Nurses United. April Verrett became the first Black woman to head the Service Employees International Union in May. Liz Shuler became the first woman to lead the AFL-CIO in June 2022.

She credited earlier organizers and the #MeToo movement with increasing women's willingness to seek leadership posts.

Contract outcomes Keturah Johnson, international vice president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, is leading efforts to revise uniform standards for gender identity and natural hairstyles. United Airlines adopted gender-neutral uniform options in 2021; Alaska Airlines followed in 2022.

María Mata, a UNITE HERE Local 2 leader at the W San Francisco, helped secure panic buttons for housekeepers in 2018 after experiencing sexual harassment. Several major hotel chains have since implemented the devices. Chicago Teachers Union included citywide affordable-housing demands in its 2019 contract talks.

United Teachers Los Angeles sought limits on random metal-detector screenings of students.