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December 2005Year in Review: Key issues for women in 2005The past year has been a tumultuous one for AFSCME women and their families. While women fought hard to protect our country's social safety net, they also spoke out against ultra-conservative Supreme Court nominees, disastrous budget cuts, and opened their hearts and home to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As 2005 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on the challenges and successes of the past year. Social Security Privatizing Social Security was Bush's top priority this year, and AFSCME women fought hard to protect this critical social support. Social Security provides benefits to 27 million women, who are 58 percent of all adults receiving these benefits. For many older women, Social Security is their only source of income. Social Security also provides survivor and disability benefits to women and their families. Women make up 94 percent of adults who receive benefits as the relative of a disabled, deceased, or retired worker. In addition, nearly 4 million children receive Social Security benefits as dependents. Privatization will cut or eliminate many important programs for women and children and endanger the only secure source of income for many women aged 65 and older. Because women make up the majority of Social Security recipients, they have the most to lose under a privatized plan. This year, AFSCME women activists were successful in fighting off Bush's attack on Social Security, but the fight is not over. Recently, President Bush announced that he will renew his plans for private accounts in the coming year. Budget Cuts Through the Emergency Campaign for Working Families, union women came together to fight the massive budget cuts that would severely impact women and families. The Bush Administration proposed massive cuts to this year's federal budget, and recently succeeded in passing a bill through both chambers that authorizes severe cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. There are currently over 53 million Americans relying on Medicaid, 50 percent of whom are children. Two-thirds of all Medicaid enrollees are in working families, and 70 percent of all adult beneficiaries are women. These cuts mean that millions of children will be without health insurance, many family planning services will be cut, and doctors, nurses and other healthcare service providers could their jobs. Other safety net programs on the financial chopping block included food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, subsidized housing, and home heating programs for low-income families. Because of changes made by the senate to the reconciliation bill, the House will need to revote on the bill early next year before it can go to the President. Supreme Court Union Women rallied together this year to block the appointment of ultra-conservative Supreme Court nominees. Despite the appointment of Judge Roberts, AFSCME sisters remained strong in the fight, and sent out a clear message to the Administration that Supreme Court judges must uphold the rights of hard-working women and families that are the backbone of this country. This fight will continue this coming year when nominee Judge Samuel Alito appears for his confirmation hearing on January 9th. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita In August, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast and caused the government to reevaluate disaster preparedness and response, as well as the impact of cutting the social safety net on the lives and futures of America's working families. The Congressional Budget Office predicts Katrina will cost the economy 400,000 jobs, and could cost the federal government over $100 billion. AFSCME has been helping our brothers and sisters in the region through a special Katrina relief fund and an on-the-ground Disaster Relief Response Team to coordinate AFSCME efforts. According to the AFSCME Public Employee, more than 500 locals, councils and retiree chapters, and 600 individual members have contributed to the relief fund. AFSCME has also been fighting for greater aid to the area and strengthening of our nation's social safety net to help all of those inflicted by the hurricanes' disastrous blows. While AFSCME has made great strides to help our family, it's time for the politicians to fully step up to the challenge. In order to rebuild these communities, Congress must address the needs of America's poor. Much more is needed to rebuild the Gulf Coast than infrastructure and building repair. Many of these families struggled financially even before the hurricanes hit, which means they don't have an economic cushion to help them get back on their feet. Democrats in Washington, DC are pushing to maintain social safety net programs like Medicaid, Food Stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). In addition, policy analysts highlight extended emergency assistance, living wages, and job training programs as some important ways in which legislators can address the poverty issues in the Gulf Coast. Women Growing the Union Working women know that by joining a union they are not only building economic security for themselves and their families, they are also building power to protect workers' rights and critical benefits, such as healthcare and retirement security. In the past year, AFSCME women increased their union ranks to 56 percent of total membership. The Berger-Marks Foundation released a new report, Women Organizing Women: How do we Rock the Boat Without Getting Thrown Overboard, which reaffirms the critical role that women play in expanding the labor movement. The report emphasizes that if unions are serious about growing, they need to target unorganized women workers and develop targeted models and methods for engaging and organizing women workers. We encourage you to share these challenges and successes with family members, friends, coworkers, and AFSCME brother and sisters. By speaking out on the key issues for women in 2005, we can build support and momentum for the new battles ahead. Weak labor market pushes women out of the workforceLast month the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) dispelled a common myth concerning women and their labor force participation. It is commonly assumed that any drop in labor force participation means that women are opting out of the labor force to care for their children. However, a new report by CEPR shows that this is clearly not the case, particularly when the participation rates of mothers with children at home are compared with the rates of women without children. The report highlights data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which shows that during the past four years, participation in the labor force for all women, not just women with children, decreased. In fact, there is only a small gap between the number of women without children who are working and the number of mothers who are working. The recession that hurt the economy over the past four years has caused many women to lose their jobs. Women occupy many of the low-wage, low-skill jobs that often experience the greatest loss during a recession. The report shows that during the most recent recession, women without children actually experienced a greater decline in their labor force participation than mothers. This research is an important reminder that all women, regardless of familial status, suffer during a downturn in the economy — not because of their role as mothers. Get a full copy of the Center for Economic and Policy Research report. Who's violating workers' rights in your neighborhood?The Working America Team at the AFL-CIO recently came out with a new way to uncover the companies in your area that are violating workers rights, outsourcing jobs, and compromising workers' health and safety. You can search by ZIP code or state, and the results are free and informative. Check it out today! More employers offer flexibility in the workplaceThe Families and Work Institute recently released their 2005 National Study of Employers, which highlights the practices, policies, programs and benefits that employers provide to meet the needs of today's workforce and its workers. This comprehensive study includes data from 1,092 employers and assesses employer trends from 1998 to 2005. The study finds that in the past seven years there has been a significant increase in flexible work schedules, including daily flextime and compressed workweeks. Research shows that workers in flexible workplaces are more likely to be engaged in their work, stay at their current job, have a higher level of job satisfaction, and experience less stress and "negative spillover" from work to home. Employers reported that offering work-life benefits such as flexible work schedules, family leave, and child care or elder care benefits helps them to recruit and retain employees as well as increase productivity and employees' commitment to their work. According to the study, 92 percent of employers surveyed offer some type of work-life benefit. Employers report that they are more inclined to offer flexible schedules because of their low cost, but tend to shy away from other more costly types of benefits such as onsite childcare. Work-life policies and benefits are especially important for women who are the primary caretakers for children and the elderly. Flexible work schedules and childcare benefits help working women balance their job and family responsibilities - which means less stress, more job security and greater financial stability in the future. Get a full copy of The Families and Work Institute report. Minimum wage workers need a raiseThe Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) recently published a report that measures the impact of increasing the minimum wage for low-income families. The government has not raised the minimum wage in nine years, and since that time inflation has reduced purchasing power for working men and women. In other words, working families today can buy a lot less with $5.15 than in 1994. The report shows that raising the wage to $7.25 would increase a full-time worker's yearly income by $1,520. This extra income could cover transportations costs for 7 months, groceries for 9 months, heating costs for 11 months, or clothing for 22 months. Families could also use this extra money to help pay for healthcare and critical medical services for their children. With the higher costs of home heating and gasoline this year, and the skyrocketing price of health insurance, working women and their families often find their finances stretched thin - especially around the holiday season. Working families deserve to be paid a wage that enables them to provide for the health and security of their children. The current minimum wage is not a livable wage, and that needs to be changed. Earlier this year, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative George Miller (D-CA) proposed the Fair Minimum Wage of Act of 2005, which would raise the current federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 by 2008. This bill was proposed in both chambers of Congress, but did not move to either floor for a vote. However, it is expected that a similar version of the bill will be proposed in the coming year. We encourage you to speak out and support raising the minimum wage in 2006! Get a full copy of the CEPR report. WomENews is produced by the Women's Rights Department and written by Amy Vance.
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Mary Goulding
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