Pat Bird comments on retirement

When I arrived at Times Change in 1983, I was excited about working with women, learning more about the world of work and contributing my research as well as my counseling skills.

Over the course of 25 years, those hopes were realized beyond my imagination.
I have had the privilege of helping hundreds of unemployed women find work and training. I have constantly been amazed by their resiliency in the face of unemployment.

For several years, I had been researching and writing about working women's history and clerical work. In 1986 Times Change received Labour Canada funding to look at changes in entry-level clerical work as microcomputers were being introduced into offices. Jo Lee and I worked for 18 months to interview employers and laid off clerical workers. Our research led to several training programs being established to help clerical women and to a deeper understanding of the pros and cons of microcomputer technology for clerical workers.

In the early 1990s close to a third of clerical jobs disappeared. In response,
a number of organizations, including Times Change, pressed the federal government to take action to help laid off clerical workers. Times Change again received funding to document the needs of clerical workers and the requirements of employers. Alice de Wolff and I prepared a report that convinced the federal government to fund a specific service for laid off clerical workers, first known as the Clerical Workers Centre and now known as the Office Workers Career Centre. Times Change, from the beginning, has been a proud partner of the Office Workers Career Centre.

Representing Times Change on the Equal Pay Coalition is another highlight of my years at Times Change. The Coalition was able first to educate Ontarians about the right of women to gain equal pay for work of equal value and then push for actual legislation to provide for equal pay. The Coalition continues to press for full access to pay equity for all Ontario working women.

Securing ongoing funding for an agency likes Times Change is never easy. That work, like much of women's work, is never done. It was satisfying to secure United Way funding for our educational counseling and computer services. These services would not exist without the support of the United Way.

Coming to a workplace every day where my efforts, knowledge and energy counted: what a great gift to have enjoyed for so many years. Getting to know colleagues as close friends, sharing jokes and laughter on a daily basis. Times Change has been a marvelous place to work and grow.

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Tel: (416) 927-1900 x234 (direct)
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Times Change Women's Employment Service
365 Bloor St. East, Suite 1003, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4
Telephone:(416) 927-1900, ext. 0

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