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September 2006WORKING WOMEN SPEAK OUTWorking women in America are concerned about their economic security and are demanding that their elected leaders make changes, according to the AFL-CIO 2006 Ask a Working Woman Survey Report. More than 26,000 women completed the survey and spoke out about the status of their economic lives. Topping women's concerns are the ever-increasing cost of health care and cost of living. Regardless of the woman's race/ethnicity or age, women are worried about being able to afford health care for themselves and their families. This concern is not surprising as one in five working-age women is uninsured and faces considerable obstacles to getting care. Even union women, such as child care providers and home health workers, are among the ranks of the uninsured. To make matters worse, since taking office, the Bush Administration has consistently sought to dismantle the health care safety net by forcing more cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, both of which overwhelmingly benefit women. And the cost of living continues to increase while working women pay's remains stagnant. As one survey respondent noted, "My pay only increases 1-3 percent since I am a state worker, yet the utilities, gas costs, day care, health care all rise by 2-10 percent each year!" Working women are putting Congress on notice. The report, which was released this month and delivered to all members of Congress, highlighted the types of legislation working women say they want and need. At the top of the list were laws to improve health care and retirement security. Women from every race and ethnicity listed these as their top priorities. In this election year, legislators better take note – 96 percent of those who completed the survey are registered to vote and will be at the polls on Election Day. For a copy of the full report, visit the AFSCME women's web page at www.afscme.org/women. YOU HAVE TO EAT ... SO WHY NOT STIR THE POT, AS WELL?Working women are frustrated about the lack of economic security in this country - including personal finances, family needs and the misplaced priorities of the current Administration. We know this because you said so in the "Ask a Working Woman" survey (see story above). Instead of letting these concerns eat us up, it's time we stir the pot by voicing our outrage and motivating our sisters to act. One way to do this is by hosting a "Stirring the Pot" event on Tuesday, October 10th. You have to eat at some point that day, right? So why not invite the women in your life to join you and take some time to talk about the frustrations we all share? The AFL-CIO and Working America will give you the tools you need to stir the pot: sample invites, conversation starters, even menu ideas. All you need to do is gather your family and friends around a table, add some food, and listen to each other. Stirring the Pot gatherings are designed to give voice to women's concerns and to get women motivated about the upcoming elections. It's time we stop stewing and start Stirring the Pot. When we talk to each other, we grow stronger - and together we can voice our opinions on Election Day and make sure our concerns are addressed! Find Stirring the Pot tools online at http://www.stirringthepot.org. WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, SET A PLACE FOR WORKING MOMSOnce the women in your life are "stirring the pot," continue the conversation with a viewing of the forthcoming documentary, The Motherhood Manifesto. Following their book, The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want - And What To Do About It, MoveOn.org co-founder Joan Blades and author Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner founded MomsRising.org. The goal of MomsRising is to bring motherhood and family issues into the national social and political dialogue. The Motherhood Manifesto film helps address these issues by highlighting the specific economic challenges facing moms in America. From the M in maternity leave to the R in realistic wages, The Motherhood Manifesto documentary spells out issues confronting every working M.O.T.H.E.R. Funded with help from AFSCME, this film is certain to inform as well as entertain. To get your copy of The Motherhood Manifesto on DVD, visit http://www.momsrising.org. Watch for more details about The Motherhood Manifesto documentary to be included in upcoming issues of WomENews! ANOTHER BLOW TO WORKING WOMENThe Bush Administration recently delivered yet another blow to America's working women: after years of failing to fully implement the Equal Opportunity Survey, the Labor Department has eliminated the program altogether. Originally set up by the Clinton Administration, the Equal Opportunity Survey was designed to detect discrimination against women and people of color by federal contractors. According to the National Women's Law Center, the termination of this program means the Labor Department now "lacks adequate means to ensure compliance with the nation's anti-discrimination laws, and in particular, the laws prohibiting wage discrimination against women." Check out the AFL-CIO BushWatch site at http://www.aflcio.org/issues/bushwatch to see how this is just another in a long line of attacks on working families from the Bush Administration. Need more agitation? Read the National Women's Law Center's study, Slip-Sliding Away: The Erosion of Hard-Won Gains for Women Under the Bush Administration and an Agenda for Moving Forward, available online at http://www.nwlc.org. HOW WELL DO WOMEN FARE IN YOUR STATE?The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) recently announced that it will turn its biennial Status of Women in the States series into an annual release. This series is an important tool for AFSCME women looking to see how well their state has (or has not) achieved gender equality for women. IWPR will also make all of the series data available on its new Women's Data Center website, femstats.net. This data includes state-by-state rankings on women's political participation, women's employment and earnings, and women's social and economic autonomy. Find out where your state ranks in the status of women on IWPR's website at http://www.iwpr.org/States2004. For state-by-state data, visit IWPR's Women's Data Center at femstats.net. BECOME A UNION LEADER!The Jerry Wurf Memorial Fund has three scholarships available for the 2007 Harvard Trade Union Program. This program is designed for full-time AFSCME staff at the local or council level who plan to devote their careers to the trade union movement. There is also a slot reserved for an AFSCME member holding an elected position (but must be willing to take leave). This year's Harvard Trade Union Program theme is "Preparing Leadership for the Challenges of the Future" and will take place on the Harvard campus from January 8 through February 16, 2007. Find out more: Details about the Harvard Trade Union Program, including curriculum and faculty information, is available at http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/lwp/. |
Mary Goulding
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