What AFSCME Is Doing

AFSCME's Women's Rights Department staff is available to provide training programs on union responses to domestic violence. They have also published two booklets and a brochure providing tips unions can use to help members deal with domestic violence: Domestic Violence: An AFSCME Guide for Union Action,  Domestic Violence: What Unions Can Do and Domestic Violence: An AFSCME Guide.

Copies are available on the AFSCME Web site. You can also write to Women's Rights for them at 1625 L St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-5687, or call (202) 429-5090.

On Capitol Hill ...

AFSCME is strongly supporting the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.). The bill would help workers who are experiencing domestic violence by providing the following:

Up to 30 days of unpaid leave to address violence-related issues;
The right to unemployment compensation when violence leads to job loss;
A prohibition against employment and insurance discrimination based on one's status as a domestic violence victim;
Tax credits for employers who offer workplace safety and education programs to combat violence against women;
Establishment of a national clearinghouse on domestic and sexual violence in the workplace.

At a recent AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting, AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee introduced a resolution supporting the legislation and urging unions to develop programs to educate members about the issue and help those who are struggling with domestic violence. — S.E.H.