Equal Pay Day April 16, 2002

Transcription

1 CLUWnews March/April 2002, Volume 28, No. 2 Coalition of Labor Union Women Equal Pay Day April 16, 2002 On April 16, CLUW will join hundreds of organizations and the National Committee on Pay Equity for a day of action to promote fair pay, an issue of economic justice for women and minorities in America. Achieving fair pay remains a major concern for women in this country. According to a recent poll by Lifetime Television and the Center for Policy Alternatives, working women ranked equal pay as a top issue for Congress. In 2001, the median average income of women was only 73 percent of men s salaries. African-American women make 65 percent of white men s earnings, and Latinas make only 52 cents. To help end wage inequities, CLUW Chapters are once again organizing events for Equal Pay Day. This year the day falls on Tuesday and will symbolize the day when women s wages catch up to men s from the previous week. From Equal Pay Day rallies, workplace activities and community events, CLUW Chapters have been making an important point women want their 27 cents now! According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, with the help of women like CLUW members, legislators are listening. In Congress and in state legislatures, initiatives are underway to strengthen equal pay enforcement and protections against wage discrimination. Equal pay bills in Congress include: The Paycheck Fairness Act sponsored by Senator Tom Daschle and Representative Rosa DeLauro, would strengthen penalties for equal pay violations and prohibit retaliation against workers who disclose pay information. Among the other provisions in the Act are compensatory and punitive damages in addition to back pay for women denied equal pay for equal work. The Fair Pay Act sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, would prohibit wage discrimination based on sex, race and national origin, ban retaliation and require employers to file wage information with the EEOC. But legislative action isn t limited to Congress. More than half the states are expected to introduce equal pay legislation and women s, labor and civil rights groups helped enact legislation last year in Maine and Wyoming. The most important thing people can do this year, said NCPE coordinator Carolyn Jacobson who is helping organize local events, Is to contact your members of Congress and state representatives and ask them to sign on as cosponsors or vow their support for fair pay legislation. Don t Forget April Holocaust Remembrance Month Sexual Assault Awareness Month April 8-9 National Council of Women s Organizations Women s Equality Summit/Congressional Action Day Washington, DC. For more information, visit April 16 Equal Pay Day CLUW Activities Nationwide April 25 Take Our Daughters to Work Day April 28 Workers' Memorial Day May Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month May 1 May Day (International Workers' Day) May Working Women's Awareness Week May 15 CLUW Chapter Annual Reports Due

2 ISSN No Published bi-monthly (Jan.-Feb., Mar.-Apr., May-June, July-Aug., Sept.-Oct., Nov.-Dec.) by the Coalition of Labor Union Women 1925 K Street, NW, #402 P: F: USPS # Volume 28, No. 2, March/April 2002 Annual rates: $1.50 of membership dues for CLUW News. Dues are $30.00 for working members, $15.00 for retirees. Officers Directory President Gloria T. Johnson IUE/CWA Executive Vice President Marsha Zakowski USWA Treasurer Susan Phillips UFCW Recording Secretary Jean Hervey UNITE! Corresponding Secretary Jospehine LeBeau AFSCME Vice Presidents Judy Beard APWU Bennie Bridges AFGE Elizabeth Bunn UAW Larraine Darrington CWA Cheryl Eastburn IAM Dolores Gorczyca IFPTE Mary Frances Hills IBT Kathleen Kinnick OPEIU Kerry Newkirk SEIU Marti Rodriquez-Harris UWUA Royetta Sanford IBEW Barbara Van Blake AFT President Emerita Olga M. Madar UAW Executive Vice President Emerita Addie Wyatt UFCW General Counsel Mary K. O Melveny (CWA) Executive Director Carol Rosenblatt (AFSCME) CLUW News Editor Steve Hahn Design Jennifer Oliver Please send all CLUW News submissions to the national office. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C. Postmaster: Send change of address to: CLUW News 1925 K Street, NW, #402 CLUW Point Strategic Planning: Moving CLUW s Agenda At the March National Executive Board Meeting, union women turn their attention to strategic planning around CLUW s agenda. But perhaps most important to the future of labor is building a stronger CLUW and labor movement. As union members, we can take pride in the collective action that has raised workers pay and narrowed the income gap that disadvantages women and minorities. But to protect our prosperity, we must continue to grow. In spite of recent membership growth, (union membership increased by 269,000 in 1999), labor s numbers have been shrinking. We are not organizing enough new workers to make up for those retiring and leaving the workforce. To keep up with workforce attrition alone, we must organize 300,000 workers each year. To return to the prominent role labor once played in the American economy, we must organize 20,000,000 workers. Since our power is in our numbers, it s time to arm ourselves with the facts and tout the union advantage to our co-workers, friends, family and neighbors. For most, the union advantage is just common sense economics. According to a new study by the U.S. Department of Labor (Jan. 2002), union workers earn 25 percent more than their nonunion counterparts. The median weekly wage for full-time union workers was $718 in year 2000, compared with $575 for nonunion workers. The study also found that union women earn 30 percent more than nonunion women, African-American union members earn 30 percent more than their nonunion counterparts and for Latino workers, the union advantage totals 45 percent. Whether you are black or white, old or young, the union advantage is clear. Union pay is better in all occupational groups. Union workers have better benefits and greater job stability. Unions help bring low-wage workers out of poverty and are important for women and minorities. It s time to organize and CLUW Chapters remain an excellent resource for all unions. The women of CLUW are living proof of the union advantage and are out there making a difference. CLUW members are constantly engaged in organizing, collective bargaining and legislative advocacy to promote the issues that help women, minorities and working families. CLUW encourages the continued involvement of its members. Outside of programs offered by individual unions and CLUW, course offerings at Union Summer Schools (see list, p.4) and the George Meany Center (GMC) are perfect for those wanting to make a difference. From beginner to advanced skills training, GMC courses can help build or refresh organizing skills in both blue and white collar professions. CLUW Labor-Education scholarships provide some members with tuition assistance. (For more information on the Labor/Education Scholarship, contact the National CLUW Office). For those of you already on your way, get the latest facts by visiting Common Sense Economics for Working Families at It s up to us to protect our economic prosperity. Organizing is the key to our prosperity and the best way to progress our common goals. CLUWnews 2 MARCH/APRIL 2002

3 LEGAL NEWS by Mary K. O Melveny, CLUW General Counsel Turning Back the Clock on Civil Rights: Bush s Judicial Appointments President Bush s nominations for federal judgeships leave no doubt that he wants to undercut the nation s equal opportunity laws. Among the nominees currently proposed for key judicial positions: Charles W. Pickering, Jr., a Mississippian whose legislative and judicial record includes opposition to mixed race marriages and the Equal Rights Amendment, repeated attempts to dilute the voting rights of the African- American electorate, and voting for constitutional amendments to ban abortions and overturn Roe v. Wade. As a lower court judge, Pickering ruled for employers in all but 3 discrimination cases. Bush wants Pickering to sit on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, an already conservative jurisdiction, where 44% of the population is non-white but virtually all of its judges are white. D. Brook Smith is a member of the ultra-conservative Federalist Society. Among his disturbing rulings -- striking down a city s affirmative action plan that would have increased the number of female firefighters, in the face of clear evidence of past discrimination against women, and dismissal of a Justice Department lawsuit on behalf of mentally disabled inmates who were denied basic medical care and hygiene and left in filthy conditions for hours at a time. Many of his rulings have been reversed on appeal because they are so out of step with judicial precedents. Deborah Cook has ruled against whistleblowers, victims of sexual harassment and age discrimination and disabled employees and applicants. As a state court judge, Cook frequently dissented from rulings favoring plaintiffs in discrimination cases and overwhelmingly favored corporate interests. She has received high ratings from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce but very low marks from the area s civil rights and labor groups. Jeffrey Sutton, another Federalist Society member, is an attorney who successfully convinced the Supreme Court to restrict the ability of private citizens to sue State governments for civil rights violations. He also argued against providing remedies to victims of sexual violence. Sutton has spoken and written frequently in opposition to the rights of employees who experience job discrimination. He is 42 years old. Bush s extremely conservative nominees for federal judgeships are not the only sign that our civil rights laws are in trouble. The proposed budget for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is far below that needed to keep civil rights enforcement at its current level one that is already too low and is jammed with a backlog in investigating claims resulting in the filing of only a small handful of cases each year, despite growing numbers of discrimination charges. Bush s appointments for key civil rights positions in the Justice, Education and Labor Departments and other agencies are also extremely conservative and hostile to aggressive civil rights enforcement and affirmative action guarantees. A recent report by the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights, a non-partisan group that monitors federal civil rights policies, expressed grave concern about Bush s nominations and enforcement policies. It urges that no judge should be appointed to the bench unless he or she has a demonstrated commitment to equal justice. Virtually all of Bush s appointments, says the report, have a negative record of concern for civil rights and liberties. It is important to make sure that you make your opposition to these judicial nominees known, and that you urge your unions and your friends and co-workers to lobby against their confirmation. The damage that conservative judges have already done to the broad guarantees of Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act can be measured by the fact that employers win nearly 85% of these cases, often without even having to go to trial. We all know that discrimination still exists. We need federal judges who recognize that fact and are willing to enforce the laws that prohibit it. Editor s Note: As the CLUW News went to press we learned that the nomination of Charles Pickering was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee by New CLUW Carol Rosenblatt, Executive Director crosenblatt@cluw.org Yvonne Cohen, Office Manager ytcohen@cluw.org Renee Barnes, Membership Coordinator rmbarnes@cluw.org Dessadra Lomax, National Organizer dlomax@cluw.org Carolyn Jacobson, Project Director, Contraceptive Equity Project cjacobson@cluw.org Karen McMillan, Project Director, HIV/AIDS Project kmcmillan@cluw.org CLUWnews 3 MARCH/APRIL 2002

4 Countdown To Justice Above-Steelworkers rally for fair trade outside of the White House. On February 28, the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) held the Countdown to Justice rally and march in Washington DC where a crowd of nearly 30,000 from steel communities throughout America s industrial heartland rallied outside the White House loudly urging President Bush to implement the International Trade Commission s (ITC) recommendation of 40% tariffs on imported steel products. The tariff would help level the playing field and protect American companies and jobs from the ill effects of illegal dumping where foreign producers have been selling steel under cost to drive away its American competition. CLUW has long addressed this issue by passing policy to help end this unfair trade practice. Illegal dumping has led to the loss of tens of thousands of US jobs and has driven most American steel producers into bankruptcy. President Bush has a choice to make and he has the power to make it, CLUW Executive Vice President Marsha Zakowski said. He can face up to the facts and impose the 40% tariffs that the ITC has documented are necessary to stop the devastation being done to American steel or he can turn his back on the 200,000 steelworkers and 600,000 retirees by offering up half-baked tariffs that will be nothing short of a blueprint for other nations to continue violating our laws at the expense of American steelworkers, their families and their communities, Zakowski added. Follow Up Following their demonstration, President Bush enacted tariffs of 30% on imported steel a huge victory for the working women and men in the industry. This Equal Pay Day, Get Involved!! Here s How: No need to get too fancy to make a big point. Whether you hold a workplace event, encourage leaders to issue public proclamations, or participate in other community activities, there s many ways to get involved: Organize Rallies Political Events Organizing Campaigns And before you do, don t forget to contact your members of Congress and tell them if they support pay equity they should support the Paycheck Fairness Act. This proposal, which calls for strengthening the Equal Pay Act, has a chance to move this year and working women need your help. Election year politics, including governor s races in 22 states and scores of House races, make fair pay fair game in political debate. Ask your candidates where they stand on equal pay. Political events and round table discussions on this issue make great news and great sense. It gets warm in April and this spring union women must turn up the heat for equal pay. For more information on how to get involved, contact Dessadra Lomax at the National CLUW Office at and click on CLUWnews 4 MARCH/APRIL 2002

5 CLUW Joins Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign CLUW and AFL-CIO convention resolutions in support of Contraceptive Equity include Emergency Contraception. The so-called morning after pill is extremely effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy if a condom breaks, a diaphragm slips, or a woman forgets to take her pill. It can only work, however, if taken within hours after unprotected sex or birth control failure. The challenge is to make sure that women are aware of and have access to this preventive measure. To that end, CLUW has joined a new coalition of national and local medical organizations and women s health advocacy groups to kick off the Back Up Your Birth Control campaign on March 20. Simply put, emergency contraception or EC for short is a back-up method of birth control. u EC is a safe and effective way to help prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure. It is available in the U.S. by prescription. u EC is a higher dosage of the same hormones found in the Pill. u EC can be taken up to 72 hours that s 3 days after sex. It requires 2 doses, taken 12 hours apart. u EC is not the same thing as Mifeprex or RU-486. EC helps to prevent pregnancy, and doesn t work if a woman is already pregnant. Mifeprex/RU-486 terminates an early pregnancy. To find more information on EC and the campaign, check out: PA CLUW Fights For Contraceptive Equity With a new AFL-CIO resolution promoting contraceptive equity, CLUW and NARAL joined forces with the AFL-CIO in February to find ways to implement contraceptive coverage in union contracts and union administrated health plans. Organized by Philadelphia CLUW President Kathy Black (AFSCME), workers in Pennsylvania have a united front campaigning for contraceptive coverage in Harrisburg and at the bargaining table. In Pennsylvania, NARAL found women spend 68 percent more than men on out-of-pocket health costs. But all across the country, out-of pocket costs for reproductive health are a drain on family budgets and unwanted pregnancies have steep economic consequences for employers and employees. CLUW s Contraceptive Equity Project in coordination with CLUW chapters and other labor, women and health advocates can help your union work for contraceptive equity. For more information, contact the Contraceptive Equity Project at the National CLUW Office. HIV/AIDS Project Year One One year ago, CLUW was awarded a National Center for Disease Control (CDC) grant to establish the HIV/AIDS Project. As it reaches the end of its first year, the project can look back at great accomplishments and ahead to the hard work to come. Under the leadership of Project Director Karen McMillan, the HIV/AIDS Project established the Labor Leadership Forum (LLF), a network of national and international labor leaders who have committed themselves to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. Some LLF representative organizations in addition to CLUW include the AFL-CIO, AFA, AFSCME, AFT, APALA, APRI, RWDSU/UFCW, CWA, CBTU, the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, LCLAA, Pride at Work and the United American Nurses. The Project also established an Advisory Committee that provides technical assistance to LLF. This committee is comprised of CLUW staff and active members as well as other labor leaders. The Advisory Committee and LLF are conducting needs assessment surveys to effectively tailor programs to meet the needs of CLUW chapters and individual unions. The Project is also working closely with the AFL-CIO Human and Civil Rights Department and others to broaden its reach in the labor movement. This year, the Project will continue to lay firm roots within labor to help build a major public health campaign involving unions, large employers, departments of health, and others. Model programs will be developed for CLUW chapters in Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit which can be replicated to other CLUW chapters. A Tool Kit will be developed for chapter use for HIV/AIDS activities. For more information, contact Karen McMillan at CLUWnews 5 MARCH/APRIL 2002

6 Torres Wins the Bethune Award The self-proclaimed Worker for Workers Ida Torres (UFCW) is this year s winner of the prestigious Mary McCloud Bethune Award. Named after the great civil rights leader, the award is given to the person who most embodies the spirit of Bethune and other champions of civil rights. From telephone operator, union officer and union organizer, to committed civil rights leader, teacher and recognized New York City leader, Ida Torres continues to break barriers to advance people of color, women and other union members, said CLUW President Gloria Johnson. This year s choice was easy, Johnson explained and mentioned CLUW is just one of many organizations who paid tribute to Torres. As one of CLUW s founders, Torres has been a constant force fighting for worker and civil rights. In addition to CLUW, Torres has been active in the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, NAACP, the National Conference for Puerto Rican Civil Rights, the Hispanic Labor Committee, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and the New York City Central Labor Council AFL-CIO. Torres currently serves as Treasurer of the New York City Central Labor Council and on the National Executive Boards of CLUW and the UFCW s Women s Network. She is Above-Bethune Award winner Ida Torres(UFCW), center, with Dolores Huerta(UFWA) and Gloria Johnson (IUE/CWA) at the CLUW Convention last fall. also an instructor in labor studies at Cornell University. Coalition of Labor Union Women Membership Application I want to help empower women through the labor movement by becoming a member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Name Address City, State, ZIP Phone Enclosed are my CLUW dues for one year. $30 $15 (retiree) I am a member of a bona fide collective bargaining organization. Signature Date MAIL TO: Susan Phillips, CLUW Treasurer c/o CLUW 1925 K Street, NW, #402 Summer Schools for Union Women Midwest School July 7 13 Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana Memorial Union 900 East 7th Street Bloomington, IN Contact: Lynn Duggan and Sue Swartz, (812) (812) Fax lduggan@indiana.edu swartzs@earthlink.net Southern School July 7-11 Embassy Suites 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY Contact: Nancy Johnson University of Kentucky (859) (859) Fax nbj@uky.edu Northeast School July 7 12 George Meany Center New Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD Contact: Bonnie Ladin (301) (301) Fax bladin@georgemeany.org Western School July 9 14 University of California, Santa Cruz 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA Contact: Katie Quan and Robin Baker (510) (510) Fax kquan@uclink.berkeley.edu rbaker@uclink4.berkeley.edu Logistics: Anahita Forati, aforati@uclink.berkeley.edu. CLUWnews 6 MARCH/APRIL 2002

7 Congratulations! 2002 CLUW State Vice-Presidents and Alternate State Vice Presidents Alabama Anne Skelton(UAW) Vicki Williams(AFT) Alternate California Kelsa Smith(CWA) Connecticut Helene Shay(AFSCME) Sandy Dearborn(AFSCME) Alternate District of Columbia Susan Holleran(AFSCME) Bonnie Oakes(OPEIU) Alternate Florida Barbara Engle(AFM) Cynthia Hall(AFT) Alternate Illinois Delores Wasmund(AFSCME) Indiana Anita French(UAW) Waynetta Douglas(UAW) Alternate Kentucky Vera Newton(UAW) Joyce Woosley(UAW) Alternate Massachusetts Fannette Morrison(IUE/CWA) Maryland Veronica Turner(SEIU) Bonnita Spikes(IBT) Alternate Michigan Annie Graham(UAW) JoAnne Wright(UAW) Alternate Minnesota Janet Nelson(AFSCME) Bev Hall(UAN) Alternate Missouri Debbie Shoaf(CWA) Barbara Hackman(UFCW) Alternate New York Joanna Miller(UAW) Alternate Ohio JoAnn JohnTony(AFSCME) Dorothy Aron(UAW) Alternate Oregon Madolyn Frazier(AFSCME) Betty Hopkins(AFSCME) Alternate Pennsylvania Candi Kaplan(AFSCME) Cheryle Stone(OPEIU) Alternate Texas Hazel Stehlik(TWU) Tawn McDonald(CWA) Alternate Virginia Marjorie Brotherton(APWU) Jeion Ward(AFT) Alternate Washington Patricia Harrison-Stell(UBC) Myrna Mader(IAM) Alternate Wisconsin Nevada Davis(AFSCME) Zellastein Brooks(AFSCME) Alternate Thank You CLUW wishes to thank the following contributing, supporting and sustaining members. To become a contributing ($50), supporting($75) or sustaining ($150) member of CLUW, please make checks payable to CLUW Treasurer Susan Phillips at 1925 K Street, NW Suite 402,. Your contributions will help empower women through the labor movement. Contributing ($50) Jill McCullars(AFGE) James Leaman(CWA) Norma Gaines(USWA) Maureen S. Malone(AFSCME) Joyce Sandaw(SEIU) Steve Kelton(IAM) Lula B. Smith(UAW) Julie Frietchen(IAM) Nancy Bupp(IAM) Thomas J. Brandon(IAM) Wil Duncan(AFSCME) William Lucy(AFSCME) Cynthia McCaughan(OPEIU) Janet K. Pierce(UAW) Ted LaValley(UAW) Jane Tackett(IAM) Gary Allen(IAM) Ilene Ferrell(IBEW) Lou Brogna(IAM) Jann Gray(IAM) Maureen Holder(IAM) Robert Hamilton(IAM) Paula B. Voos(AAUP) Michael J. Walsh(IAM) Michelle Kaminski(OPEIU) Joyce D. Miller(UNITE!) Mike McBroom(UAW) Donna S. Dewitt(CWA) Pierrette M. Talley(AFSCME) Brigid O Farrell(UAW) Shirley Prater(UAW) Rebekah Friend(IBEW) Kim Nowakowski(TCU) Myrtle Schweitzer(UAW) Justin Ostro(IAM) Linda Canan Stephens(AFSCME) Lee Pearson(IAM) Rita Rogers(IAM) Steve Nickel(IAM) Raymond Moffat(IAM) Frank Larkin(IAM) Charles J. Harrington(IAM) Freddie L. Clay(IAM) William E. Brown(IAM) Douglas E. Sizemore(IAM) Richard L. Schneider(IAM) John Richards(IAM) George H. Mays(IAM) Bill Heffernan(IAM) June McMahon(IAM) Karen Bruce(SEIU) Cathy Wittenbrook(OPEIU) Mary Rouleau(UAW) Bernard Kleiman(USWA) Rebecca Jones(ATU) Susan Dunlop(CWA) Wayne A. Wallace(IAM) A. B. Wallace(IAM) Jim Conley(IAM) Billy Blackman(IAM) Jay A. Bormann(IAM) Michele Borkoski(UA) Scott Stackle(IAM) Marvin Gray(IAM) Mark A. Rippeto(IAM) Dennis Pearson(IAM) Ellen Arbogast(IAM) Mark W. Conner(IAM) Larry Smith(IAM) Dennis Williams(IAM) Al Mieger(IAM) Mike Louis(IAM) Robert Soutier(IAM) Roger E. Poole(IAM) David Meinell(IAM) Phil Gruber(IAM) James E. Brown(IAM) Nancy McCormick(UAW) Bill Klepper(UAW) Rosemary Trump(SEIU) Supporting($75) Vivian Whitsel(BCTGM) Laurel Brennan(UNITE!) Maria Armesto(AFT) Nancy Wohlforth(OPEIU) Steve Sleigh(IAM) Clarice St. Luce(PACE) Marjorie L. Chambers(UAW) Heather Kelley(IAM) Shirley Jean Taylor(APWU) Rebecca Jones(ATU) Sustaining ($150) Bobbie Betonti(IAM) Juliette Zuchowski(IAM) Odessa Komer(UAW) Susan Palmer(IAM) Richard W. Long(UAW) Barbara Walden(BCTGM) IAM Air Trans Port District 143 CLUWnews 7 MARCH/APRIL 2002

8 Help Women Control Asthma Health Tip Brought to You by the CLUW Women s Health Task Force Asthma, one of the most common chronic health disorders faced by adults and children, is one of the leading causes of absence from work and school. Although advances have been made in the care and management of asthma, the incidence of the disease is on the rise. Working women want to work. That s why we should educate others on how to manage this disease. Symptoms of an asthma attack include difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, coughing, increase in pulse and respiratory rate, and usually wheezing. Good medical treatment and avoiding triggers help those suffering from asthma become less likely to suffer an attack. Asthma attacks are usually triggered by irritation to the respiratory airway. Respiratory infections such as colds or flu are common triggers of attacks. But so are many other things. When air passages are inflamed and hypersensitive, irritants such as cigarette smoke, strenuous exercise, cold or rainy weather, pollen, molds, and dust may also trigger attacks. Be sensitive to others in the workplace who display asthma symptoms. Help them avoid triggers to keep them feeling healthy and productive. Union contracts provide health care benefits so women can get the latest treatments so make sure your benefits include steroid inhalers and other treatments which have made asthma control possible for millions of people. Severe cases, which are often signaled by daily attacks, are a clear signal to see an allergy/asthma specialist. Moving? Please, Let us know your change of address. Send this coupon to: CLUW 1925 K Street, NW, #402 Name Address City, State, ZIP Union Affiliation Coalition of Labor Union Women 1925 K Street, NW, Suite 402 Periodical Postage Paid