Julie Su’s record speaks for itself. As a young attorney representing trafficked Thai garment workers outside of Los Angeles, she won $4 million in stolen wages. Her case set a huge precedent, and that was just the beginning of a storied career.

On Tuesday, Starbucks founder and former CEO Howard Shultz testified in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. 

Picture a manufacturing worker. Are you imagining a woman wielding a torch or assembling an SUV? 

The manufacturing sector provides good jobs with family-supporting wages and benefits, which do not require four-year degrees. More women should hold these jobs.

Women are now nearly 50% of the workforce—yet inequality in the workplace continues. Unequal pay, harassment and discrimination are just some of the abuses women face daily.

But when women stand together, they can demand equality. And a union contract delivers.

History has long been portrayed as a series of "great men" taking great action to shape the world we live in. In recent decades, however, social historians have focused more on looking at history "from the bottom up," studying the vital role that working people played in our heritage.