They began during the rise of the women's movement, meeting in airports after flying in from different parts of the country.

Clustered together in molded plastic lounge chairs, they talked about how they wanted a voice as both laborers and feminists; they felt a women's group was needed for working women.

"Don't forget, when we started CLUW, all (business) letters were signed 'fraternally,'" said Joyce Miller, CLUW past president and member of UNITE HERE, the union representing textile, hotel and restaurant workers.

By 1974 they were ready: They held their first convention as the Coalition of Labor Union Women in Chicago.

Organizers "tried to get extended credit with the hotels because we had no money," recalled Gloria Johnson, CLUW past president and member of the Communications Workers of America.

Today, they are still the only national women's organization within the labor movement, now representing 56 national and international labor unions.

Staking a claim for women in the workplace remains Job One. Carol Rosenblatt, CLUW executive director, said in the last census women earned 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. She invites a comparison of a social worker to a construction worker, saying the pay gap shows how the former "is not valued in the way it should be."

The benefits to being unionized include better wages, health benefits, a stronger voice and pensions.

Problems that too often end up in working women's corners - leave time pay, day care - are really family issues and should be a part of collective bargaining, Rosenblatt said.

Today, CLUW President Marsha Zakowski of United Steelworkers is busy advocating for the organization's full agenda, including promoting passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

"It will help more women come into the union movement," Zakowski said. Other priorities include pay equity, leadership training, cervical cancer education, and developing the Center for Educational Research.

CLUW has created health and wellness committees and regularly sponsors conferences on health issues. The organization's Web site, www.cluw.org, shows its ongoing charge for a health campaign. Calls are frequently sent out on the site for legislative action. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., CLUW is at the ready to move on issues.

"CLUW helps women form a bond," said Zakowski. With chapters in most states, "We develop programs at grassroots levels that give women personal contact."

Women now realize "they don't have to fight alone," said Johnson. "Their unions have been sensitized to these issues."

CLUW has helped create recognition for women within the labor movement, Miller said, but more is needed. "You have women at higher levels, but there are still few women presidents."

CLUW provides training for women, filling their toolboxes with ways to become more involved in their unions and aspire to office.

"CLUW interpreted the goals of the labor movement to the feminist movement, and the goals of the feminist movement to the labor movement," Miller said.

The coalition, she said, was responsible for persuading labor to take a stand and support the Equal Rights Amendment.

NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira, a member of CLUW's executive board, says the coalition is "a strong voice for women."

"CLUW provides a national forum for the issues our members care about," she said, noting 65 percent of NYSUT members are women.

Contact Liza Frenette at lfrenett@nysutmail.org