Posted: February 7, 2015
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is saddened to announce the death of longtime member and union activist Clara Day.
Clara Day’s contributions to Teamster history are truly memorable. She battled both race and gender stereotypes on her way to attaining a leadership positions with Local 743 in Chicago and in the community.
She was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in 1924 and was the middle child of George and Belle Taylor. Day came from a large family with 11 children, including three sets of twins. Coming from a large family would be a benefit for Day years later as it gave her important skills as a coalition builder during her time as a Teamster.
She married young and moved to Chicago with her new husband. Taking a job as information clerk at Montgomery Wards in 1947, she began noticing a variety of injustices to workers—including the strict segregation of white and black employees.
She decided to change the workplace. She became active in an organizing campaign with the Teamsters. She and another co-worker, Robi Jubiter, became a force to reckon with in that campaign.
She joined Teamsters Local 743 in 1955 after successfully helping to organizing more than 3,000 employees. Shortly thereafter, she was brought onto the staff of Local 743 to represent the same workers she had helped bring to the union.
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