“It can readily be seen that women workers either must become organized and receive not only equal pay for equal work, but also equal opportunities for working, or they will, by degrees, naturally form an inferior class in every trading which they enter.”

 

-Ida Van Etten, 1891

 

Across the country, families will be celebrating Mother's Day on Sunday May 11th, recognizing the invaluable role of mothers in our families and our communities. As we pause to honor our mothers, it is also an opportunity to reflect upon the ongoing struggle for fairness, dignity, and respect in the workplace. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO honors the hard work and commitment of women in the past who fought for the Civil Rights amendment, fought against gender discrimination, and organized for equal pay for equal work. But as every woman, and every man who stands in solidarity with her, knows, the fight goes on. Looking at each of the leading presidential candidates, it is clear that there is one who in no way stands with women in the struggle for respect and fairness at work and in society. Presumptive Republican nominee for President, Senator McCain, has made it clear that the needs of women are not on his list of priorities.

Click here to read about Senator McCain’s active opposition to the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which would have restored basic protection against pay discrimination. The chance to pass this act could not have come at a more important time. The country is now in a recession, one that has especially hit women and minorities hard. Among women, the unemployment rate has risen sharply in the past year from 4.3% to 5%.

Women continue to earn 23% less than men, and their wages are falling faster than that of men. Despite a widely held conception that the pay gap closes when women pursue higher education, a study by the AFL-CIO Department of Professional Employees found that women were continuously earning less than men no matter what level of education they attained. Read more about the study here.

 

In the face of all this, Senator McCain, presumptive Republican nominee for President, recently campaigned in some of the poorest parts of the country, where the rate of unemployment among women is strikingly high and actually campaigned against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He claimed the legislation would do nothing for women and would only benefit the lawyers who would capitalize on the opportunity to sue. Call on Senator McCain and others in Washington D.C. to pass Equal Pay now by clicking here. Click here to read more about Senator McCain's weak record on workers' rights.

Women are organizing at a higher rate than men, and that comes as no surprise because women with a union-card earn far more than their non-unionized counterparts. Read more about those numbers here. Furthermore, the union movement is fighting to expand benefits for women. The AFL-CIO and Working America just launched an on-line survey, Ask a Working Woman, enabling women to share concerns on issues such as equal pay, stronger family and medical leave laws, and child care. The survey results will be communicated to members of Congress, state and local officials, and presidential candidates, as the Labor Movement pushes for change.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, it’s a time to reflect on the issue of maternity leave. The United States actually falls two weeks short of the International Labor Organization’s basic minimum standard of at least 14 weeks general maternity leave. In fact, the World Health Organization recommends that mothers refrain from working 4-6 weeks before the birth, and don't return to work for another 16 weeks after the birth. Here in the United States , employers are only required (except in cases where unions have negotiated different standards through collective bargaining) to provide mothers with 12 weeks of unpaid leave, and that’s only in cases where employers have 50 or more employees. For too many women in the United States , taking unpaid leave is simply unfeasible.

With the lack of paid family leave and maternity leave, the discrepancy in pay between men and women, and the costs of child care in the United States , is it any wonder that, as the Community of Labor Union Women say, "A woman’s place is in her union?"

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will be mobilizing with the National AFL-CIO to educate union members on the real John McCain. A man who had the audacity to say to women, that the answer to employment discrimination is for women to get more education and more training. Women are now and always have pursued education and training. For Senator McCain to say that women must pursue more education and training reveals his beliefs that women must have to work harder to get ahead in the same jobs as male counterparts. The Labor Movement and any objective observer who has paid attention knows that education and training is not enough to achieve parity. Senator McCain is committed to standing in the way of equality for women, but the Labor Movement is even more committed to achieving justice and fairness for all. Union members will be working throughout the summer and fall to let other members know John McCain is More of the Same.