First woman on Kerr-McGee union negotiating team

By November 13, 1974, the day of her death, Karen Silkwood had become the first woman elected to the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union’s negotiating team at the Kerr-McGee plant. This achievement placed her in a leadership role traditionally dominated by men in the nuclear and chemical industries.

As a member of the negotiating team, Silkwood represented workers in discussions with management on wages, working conditions, and—most crucially in her case—health and safety issues, including radiation exposure and contamination protocols. Her election reflected both her credibility among coworkers and the growing recognition that women were integral to the industrial workforce and union movement.

Historically, this barrier-breaking position is significant for labor and gender history. It demonstrated that women could not only work in high-risk nuclear facilities but also help lead collective bargaining and safety advocacy. Silkwood used this role to investigate alleged irregularities at Kerr-McGee, compile documentation, and press for reforms. Her status as the first woman in that role at the plant has been repeatedly noted by whistleblower organizations and commemorative accounts.

In the broader context of the 1970s, when second-wave feminism was challenging workplace discrimination, Silkwood’s achievement shows how gender breakthroughs occurred inside unions as well as in professional and political arenas. Her presence on the negotiating team helped pave the way for later generations of women labor leaders and reinforced the idea that worker-safety campaigns needed women’s voices and leadership.