The retirement pay gap: A case study of the Communications Workers of America Local 13000

The purpose of this research was to seek the “how” and “why” pension equity was established over a sixty-year period of history within the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 13000 (formerly the Federation of Telephone Workers of Pennsylvania). It is the story of the struggle to obtain working wages and to have equal access to all jobs for women and subsequently realize a “livable pension”.; A thorough review of relevant literature was done delving into areas of women and pensions, human rights, industrialism, the wage gap, gender stereotyping, legislation, affirmative action, the telephone industry and unionism. Data for the study was collected from CWA (FTWP) archival records, documentation and interviews with elected CWA officials.; Presented as a one-shot case study, this research provided findings in relation to female members from 1939 to present. The results clearly show evidence on several key topics. For one, the struggle to equalize the workplace in the areas of wages, benefits and pensions took years to accomplish equality. Equal access to job opportunities was another area of key discussion. In addition, the CWA and the Telephone Company had an adversarial relationship as evidenced by the bargaining sessions, grievances, court cases and arbitrations. Today, men and women employed by Verizon and represented by the CWA retire with the same pension monies within the same job title and there are no gender discrepancies.; The conclusion of this study revolves around the question as to why more women aren't involved with unions as members and leaders. An external issue, capitalism, raises questions about the relationship of labor versus capital. One particularly interesting area for study would be researching female clerical workers who comprise over 80% of all clerical employees and who are mostly non-union. Topics for research within union organizations include women's perceptions of union organizations, women's leadership skills, union organizing tactics and childcare/family barriers to joining a union. All of the topics would be contributory to the scholarly body of research in the area of women, employment and unionism.