Support Our Sisters. Fight Workplace Violence.
A High Honor: Speaking in Memphis, Tenn., after receiving the I Am A Man award from the April 4 Foundation - an organization committed to preserving the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photo Credit:
John Focht
Message from the Secretary-Treasurer
By William Lucy
AFSCME has a history of strong women leaders whose activism has helped build our union. The women of AFSCME are a microcosm of all the women who, as the Chinese proverb says, “hold up half the sky.”
Today, women are presidents of 40 of the largest companies in our country. They are the heads of state and government in some 30 nations. But even as we celebrate women’s achievements, we must acknowledge that women are still too often harassed and victimized at home and on the job.
Three years ago in a suburb of Washington, DC, Yvette Cade’s estranged husband came to her job at a mobile phone store, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. She suffered third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body and has undergone numerous surgeries and other painful treatments in the years since.
Ms. Cade’s story commanded the headlines because it was so brutal. But many other incidents happen under the radar. And because workplace violence tends to be under-reported due to pressure the victims face to be silent or to hide their feelings of embarrassment, we have only a glimpse of the problem’s true scope.
The Physical and Emotional Toll
One study estimated that 2 million workers—both women and men—are victims of workplace violence, but nearly half of the crimes are never reported to the police. Homicide is the second-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries for women. Fifteen percent of all violent crimes against women, including rape, sexual assault and robbery, are committed at work.
We can see the physical toll violence takes on the women who come to work with bruised faces, black eyes and broken bones. We cannot see the emotional toll of violence among women who struggle to concentrate on the task at hand while dealing with the persistent fear that violence may strike again.
Fearing for Loved Ones
Family members also pay a high price when they fear for their loved one’s safety, but realize she must return to a dangerous situation. After all, anything that affects a woman’s livelihood affects the people who depend on her.
As important as it is to eliminate physical violence against women on the job, we cannot overlook the economic violence women face when they are paid less than men for the same jobs. The first bill President Obama signed, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, will make it easier for workers to challenge this kind of discrimination in court.
The President has also created the Council on Women and Girls to ensure fair treatment in all areas of public policy. One of the council’s priorities will be finding new ways to prevent violence against women.
Making it Clear in Contracts
As President Obama said when he created the council, his administration wants “to ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements.” That should include using contract language and resolutions to address violence against women and negotiating policies that explicitly prohibit all forms of intimidation and violence.
Each of us must also take the time to truly see the faces of the women we work with every day. And we must support our sisters by standing with them against violence, whether it occurs at home or in the workplace.
