Issues

February 2004

A Woman’s Place is in the Voting Booth

The presidential candidates know it. News media continually declares it. And, now the 2004 polls show it. Women are poised to be a pivotal voting group in the 2004 presidential election. In both the New Hampshire democratic primary and Iowa caucus more women than men turned out to cast their vote. According to the Women’s Vote Center at the Democratic National Committee, 56 percent of democratic voters in Iowa and 54 percent in New Hampshire were women. In the 2000 election, 61 percent of all women eligible to vote did so, while only 58 percent of men voted (www.census.org). In this year’s election, women have the potential to greatly impact the political agenda. But only if we vote!

Women from all walks of life have clear concerns about everyday, family issues such as healthcare, education, jobs and the economy. Healthcare costs are on the rise. Nationally, 16 million women are uninsured (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004). Four million children never get the medicine they need because their parents can’t afford it (AFL-CIO). The new Medicare bill will greatly impact older women who typically use more prescription medications and have less retirement income (National Organization of Women, 2004). Unemployment among women has increased 41 percent since 2001 (National Women’s Law Center, 2003). Women continue to be paid less than men with the same education and work experience, according to a 2003 study by the U.S. Government Accounting Office (report # GAO-04-35).

These issues are women’s issues. Across the board, women’s lives are affected by the policies made in Washington, DC and state capitals. You have a say in how these policies are made, and whether they will benefit, or hurt, your life.

Poised for Greatness

Two groups of women that have the potential to be powerful voting groups are Latinas and unmarried women.

Over 5.7 million Latinos — 30 percent of all voters — participated in the presidential election in 2000. The National Council of La Raza estimates that based on figures from the U.S. Census Bureau this number could increase by as many as 1.9 million voters in 2004. All candidates are courting the Latino vote, playing to issues of great importance to the Latino community, such as immigration, education and poverty.

A study conducted by Women’s Voices Women Vote (WVWV) uncovered the potential power of the unmarried group. According to WVWV, during the 2000 election there were 16 million unmarried women who were not registered to vote, and 21,725,000 unmarried women who were eligible but did not vote. The category of unmarried women includes never-married, separated, divorced and widowed women. Stan Greenburg, a Democratic pollster who conducted the research for WVWV remarked, if unmarried women voted at the same rate as married women, they would have a decisive impact on this election and could be the most important agents of change in modern politics.

Someone will decide on the quality of your child’s education, your rights and benefits you will receive in the workplace, the supports to help working families get out and stay out of poverty, and the availability and quality of your healthcare services. If you vote, that someone will be you.

Bush Administration Closer to Controversial Change in Overtime Rules

Congress’s battle against the Bush Administration over changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act recently faced a serious setback. The Department of Labor (DOL) is expected to finalize revisions to overtime rights before March 31, 2004.

These revisions would allow employers to easily reclassify workers as exempt from overtime pay including relatively low-earners with minimal supervisory responsibilities, workers with advanced education or specialized training, and workers earning $65,000 of more a year. As detailed in the December/January issue of AFSCME WomENews, both the House and Senate included a ban on the new rules in with the 2004 Labor Appropriations (financial) bill. This ban was dropped when the Republican leadership grouped all the non-defense spending bills into one large omnibus bill. On January 22, the Senate joined colleagues in the House by passing the omnibus bill without the ban on overtime rule changes. This action cleared the way for the Administration to move forward with its plans.

Changes to overtime rules would greatly disadvantage women, who often juggle work and family priorities. Overtime pay is not extra money. According to the National Organization of Women (NOW), workers who currently receive overtime pay depend on it for an average of 25% of their income. Many of the individuals affected by the proposed changes would be women workers, such as nurses, police officers, secretaries and mid-level managers. In fact, many workers earning between $22,101 and $65,000 who currently receive overtime benefits could be at risk of losing them. If these changes become law, working mothers, particularly single heads of households, would now have to put in extra hours, pay for a babysitter, and receive less pay while doing it.

You can still get your voice heard! Join the hundreds of thousands union activists who have already signed the Petition to Save Overtime Pay.

The Real State of the Union

While President Bush spoke to the nation on January 20 to applaud his Administration’s accomplishments, his real record of failure toward working Americans was shining through.

On January 29, the Bush Administration released estimates of the new Medicare prescription drug plan, increasing the price tag by $134 billion more than what was advertised back in November. Despite the new cost of $530 billion over 10 years, the plan’s coverage or benefits do not increase. It continues to require seniors to carry the burden of their drug costs and only provides coverage up to a certain dollar amount each year. To learn more about problems with the new Medicare bill, visit the TomPaine, AFSCME, and NOW websites. 

Single moms continue to be disproportionately living in poverty. In 2002, nearly half of the 1.7 million Americans living in poverty were single mothers and their families. However, the government is continually cutting or under-funding the support systems that help families get out of poverty. Changes in welfare laws require individuals to take any job they can find and reduce their opportunity to obtain the skills or education necessary to move out and stay out of poverty. For more information about the hardships faced by single moms and other women, visit the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

Federal childcare funding levels have remained stagnant since 2002, and fewer children are being served as a result. Families are left having to decide between paying for childcare or quitting their jobs. State budget crises have further exacerbated the situation, forcing many states to cut down their childcare services and leaving many families without any care options. Visit the National Women’s Law Center to learn more.

The economy has failed to fully recover under President Bush’s watch. In January, 375,000 workers exhausted their unemployment benefits, and an estimated two million more will follow over the next six months. Even after the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program expired in December, Republicans in the Senate have blocked proposals to extend the program claiming that the economy is getting better. Visit AFSCME’s Legislative Issues page for more updates.

The President’s FY 2005 Budget, released on February 2, calls for significant cuts to domestic programs in the coming years, yet requests that tax cuts to the wealthy are made permanent. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, many of the programs that families count on, such as childcare, low-income housing, job training and the low-income energy assistance program, would be cut in the coming years. For more information, visit the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Want Money Back at Tax Time?

Whether you owe income taxes or not, if you work and have children, you could qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. If you didn’t qualify last year, you may qualify now.

Workers who in 2003 were raising more than one child in their home and had a family income of less than $33,692 ($34,692 for married workers) may qualify for an EITC of up to $4,204. If you had to pay for child or elder care in order to work or look for work, you could also be eligible for the Dependent Care Tax Credit.

For more information on the ETIC and Dependent Care Tax Credit, or to find a free tax preparation site in your area, call the IRS toll free at 1-800-829-1040 or visit the IRS website.

Celebrate the Achievement of Women

March is Women’s History Month! Designated by Congress in 1987, Women’s History Month is an important time to celebrate the past successes and triumphs of women from all walks of life.

Did you know:

  • The first woman to run for President was Victoria Woodhull in 1872? In all, 22 women have sought the presidency, including the most recent female candidate, Carol Moseley Braun (who was also the first African American women to serve in the Senate).
  • The first national women’s labor organization was founded in 1869 by women shoe stitchers?
  • The first female police officer was Alice Stebbins Wells. She joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1910 and later went on to found the International Association of Women Police.

You can celebrate the achievements of women and bring awareness about women’s history in your office, home or school. Develop a quiz focusing on different women’s achievements, such as women in the labor movement, women inventors, or women in politics. Host a lunchtime event and invite a local historian or women’s studies teacher to discuss Women’s History Month. Create a timeline that highlights women’s achievements throughout history, including important women leaders in your organization.

For more ideas and resources, such as posters, balloons, and videos, visit The National Women’s History Project. Learn about outstanding women at the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

March for Women’s Lives

The march is on! On April 25, 2004 women from all over the country will come together in Washington, DC, to tell Bush that women have a right to self-determination and demand safe, legal abortion and contraception. The March to Save Women’s Lives will be the largest pro-choice event in history. AFSCME will be there!

The freedom to make personal and very private decisions about one’s own body, life and future is a fundamental right for women. AFSCME supports this right and believes it is important for all AFSCME women, men and their families become involved.

If you are planning to come to the march, please let us know! Drop us an email at womensrights@afscme.org.

For complete information on the march, including a ride-board, organizing materials, hotel information, travel information, delegation sign-up and guides to DC, please see the official website at www.marchforchoice.org.

Women’s Rights Department Email List

We are working to build a comprehensive contact email list and would like your help. Please forward this to other AFSCME members that might not have received it and let them know they should contact us via email so we can add them to our database. Write to womensrights@afscme.org and tell us you'd like to be added to the database. Please include your name, local/council/unit number, email address, and mailing address.

WomENews is produced by the Women's Rights Department and written by Karen Swift.

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