Barbara J. Easterling (born 1943) is an American former labor unionist. Easterling grew up in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, becoming a telephone operator at

Ohio Bell The Ohio Bell Telephone Company, now doing business as AT&T Ohio, is the Bell Operating Company serving most of Ohio and parts of West Virginia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. Its headquarters is the Ohio Bell Building at 750 Huron Ro ...

, and also joining the

Communication Workers of America The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in both the private and public sectors (also in Canada and Puerto Rico). The union has 27 ...

(CWA). She became a steward of her local, then its secretary and finally its vice-president. In 1970, Easterling was appointed by

John J. Gilligan John Joyce “Jack” Gilligan (March 22, 1921 – August 26, 2013) was an American Democratic politician from the state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and as the 62nd governor of Ohio from 1971 to 1975. He was the father of Kathl ...

as secretary of the Ohio Labor Division, in which role she drafted laws to protect women's rights at work, and restrict child labor. She stood down in 1973 to work full-time for the CWA, and in 1980 became assistant to its president, Glenn Watts. She was later elected as an executive vice-president of the union, and in 1992 as its secretary-treasurer. In 1995, Easterling served as secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor, the first woman to hold the post. However, before the end of the year, she returned to her role at the CWA. She also became president of the World Women's Committee of the

Union Network International UNI Global Union, formerly Union Network International (UNI), is a global union federation for the skills and services sectors, gathering national and regional trade union. It has affiliated unions in 150 countries representing 20 million workers ...

, and as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Easterling retired from her union posts in 2008. In 2009, she was elected as president of the

Alliance for Retired Americans The Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization and nonpartisan organization of retired trade union members affiliated with the AFL-CIO, which founded it in 2001. The group's membership also includes non-union, co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Easterling, Barbara 1943 births Living people American trade union leaders People from Akron, Ohio