On Women’s Equality Day, Greenbrier recognizes the efforts and movements spearheaded by women to gain equal footing in both professional and political arenas. Among those movements was securing American women’s right to vote.
Supporters first submitted the Women’s Suffrage Act on January 10, 1878, but it was not ratified until August 18, 1920. During that time, generations of women marched, lobbied and engaged in civil disobedience to pass the Act, which would become the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. With its passage, this Amendment legally guaranteed women the right to vote. Sadly, few of the Amendment’s first supporters lived to see it enshrined into law, 42 years after it was first submitted to Congress.
With the new Amendment ratified, women began to strive for equality in employment and education. Fifty years later, on August 26, 1970, thousands of women participated in the Women’s Strike for Equality led by Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women. The following year, August 26 would be officially recognized as Women’s Equality Day.
Nearly 150 years after the fight for women’s suffrage began, companies like Greenbrier have incorporated programs to ensure equality is at the forefront of its operations. Greenbrier is committed to ensuring our operations are inclusive, diverse, equitable, and provide opportunities for access and leadership. Respect for people is one of Greenbrier’s core values, and it applies to the company and each of its team members.
This Women’s Equality Day, we recognize a Greenbrier employee for her contributions to our success. Caitlynn Haggenmacher works at the Marmaduke, Arkansas facility. She is currently a Welder 2 and aspires to move into a leadership role. She has made herself a highly valuable team member by learning multiple positions on her line. She recently competed against 24 of her male co-workers in a welding competition and was selected as one of six winners.
Caitlyn is now taking the opportunity to become more familiar with Greenbrier’s safety procedures to expand her knowledge base. Greenbrier is proud of Caitlyn and the leadership that she has demonstrated on safety. We appreciate her contributions to the Marmaduke team and are excited to support her leadership aspirations.