Not for Women Only
Sisters tackle welfare reform at AFSCME Women’s Conference.
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Lena Ackerman is worried about welfare reform.
"I work at child support and they’re trying to break us up, throwing welfare people into work," says Ackerman, a member of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)/AFSCME Local 1000.
Ackerman was one of over 1,000 AFSCME members from the eastern United States who came to Cincinnati in June to learn about welfare reform and other issues affecting union members. Held under the banner "AFSCME Women: Our Jobs, Our Future," this first of two biennial Women’s Conferences attracted members from 24 eastern states — as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico — to train and network with other union activists.
Some 150 activists like Ackerman attended one of two conference workshops reviewing the results of the August 1996 law that enacted welfare reform. The workshops examined how the legislation — officially intended to put people on welfare back to work — affects AFSCME members in two significant ways.
UNFAIR WORK. First, the law can lead to worker displacement: regular employees being kicked out of jobs so welfare workers can be brought in to do those jobs for nothing or close to nothing.
In his keynote speech, AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee told an enthusiastic crowd: "We’re in a battle over welfare reform. We don’t want an employer using workfare people to take our jobs."
The law’s second danger is the erosion of workplace standards. McEntee asserted that if workfare workers are paid less than minimum wage, or are allowed to work without basic protections, it hurts all workers.
Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) agreed. She told the conference that workfare workers should enjoy the same rights and protections as other workers. "An employee is an employee is an employee," she told the applauding crowd.
Other conference speakers included AFSCME Sec.-Treas. William Lucy, AFSCME National Women’s Advisory Committee Chair Carol Dimmock, and Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls (D).
The reaction of participants was enthusiastic, whether they came to attend workshops, to hear speakers, or just to connect with their AFSCME sisters.
"The conference was excellent," said Local 322 (Council 62) member Carla Bullock of Indiana. "The workshops were wonderful."
"It was great," said Local 112 (Council 92) member Ruth Washington of Maryland, who says her favorite part of the conference was "com[ing] together with an AFSCME family."
The AFSCME Women’s Conference for the western region will be held Nov. 21-23 in Las Vegas. For further information, contact your local, council or retiree chapter.
By Alison S. Lebwohl
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