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Report of the CWA National Women’s Committee to the 62nd Annual Convention The CWA National Women’s Committee met in Chicago on March 9, 2000 in conjunction with the AFL-CIO’s Working Women’s Conference and again prior to the 62nd CWA convention to discuss a range of issues affecting CWA women, their families and the union. This report deals with some of the issues of major concern as we look toward the 2000 elections as well as future rounds of bargaining and the union’s legislative program. Balancing Work and Family We’ve heard so much about the new millennium and how it’s time for us to get a fresh start, begin anew, and dream dreams. However, we believe that first, it’s time to end some of the nightmares left over from the last millennium, such as the growing pressures on working families driven by corporate America’s focus on profits over people. As the AFL-CIO’s “Ask a Working Woman” survey this year found, one of the greatest problems facing working families today remains a lack of flexibility for both women and men in balancing the needs of family life with the demands of their jobs. We must continue to fight at the bargaining table to relieve the pressures of mandatory overtime, a practice that employers often use as an alternative to hiring enough workers, but one which robs working parents of precious time with their children – and that also is a cause of stress-related health problems. We must press for bargaining agreements that allow workers the option to take vacation weeks in day-at-a-time increments, as well as for more paid personal days off and flexible hours to deal with family issues. We think a goal should be at least 24 hours of paid time each year, in addition to vacation and paid days off, to be used to attend special school events, to take a family member to medical appointments, etc. Families need dependable child and elder care. We must bargain provisions whereby employers start funding child/elder care programs, perhaps beginning with contributions of as little as 5 cents per scheduled hour per employee. Our employers need to start realizing that providing family care programs will only make for more stable and productive work forces. Not only do our members need to be equipped with education and training to do their jobs and have career security, but our children do too. We must bargain for our families’ future by seeking negotiated programs such as summer technology camps that teach our children the skills they will need to obtain good jobs. Expansion of the FMLA President Clinton wants to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to provide paid leave and extend coverage to include all work places with at least 25 employees, along with other improvements. If passed, the new law would allow eligible workers to take up to 24 hours of leave annually above the 12 weeks to which they are now entitled to participate in school activities and handle family medical appointments. Providing $20 million in Department of Labor competitive grants to the states or other entities “to help develop and evaluate creative new approaches for providing paid family leave to workers, whether through Unemployment Insurance, temporary disability programs or any other source,” is another option the law would address. In December 1999, the Clinton administration authorized a pilot test program allowing states to utilize unemployment compensation funds to pay parents who take time off after the birth or adoption of a child. Such measures, which are opposed by most major business organizations, are likely to be blocked by the Republican-controlled Congress. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called the Clinton proposal, “modest but positive and a significant step in the right direction of winning paid leave protection for all working families . . . The fact that the U.S. stands alone among industrialized nations in failing to provide job-protected paid parental leave is a national disgrace.” We agree. About 26 million people have used the FMLA since its inception seven years ago. It should be expanded as President Clinton has proposed and be broadened to include parents-in-law, grandchildren, grandparents, siblings and significant others. We must work to have union leave count as hours worked toward the 1250-hour annual minimum required for FMLA coverage. We urge bargaining units to bring these issues to the negotiating table, and call on CWA to make FMLA expansion a top legislative priority. Other Legislative Goals Legislative participation is one of the greatest avenues we have for changing our lives for the better, especially for women. In addition to bolstering the FMLA, we have other important legislative goals in the area of equal pay, health care and retirement security. Social Security reform is a vital issue for women because so many more women end their lives dependent upon Social Security with very little additional income from private pensions – frequently none at all. Vice President Al Gore believes in maintaining Social Security as the bedrock of our retirement security, and has a plan to use budget surpluses to strengthen the system. However, the GOP and Texas Governor George W. Bush propose a privatization scheme that would take more than a trillion dollars out of Social Security, diverting these funds into the stock market and putting benefits at risk. We must fight to keep the system from being privatized. There are important bills concerning equal pay now pending in Congress. The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 74 in the Senate and H.R. 54 in the House) increases penalties for employers who violate equal pay laws and gives workers more rights to pursue legal action. The Fair Pay Act (S. 702 and H.R. 1271) requires employers to provide equal pay for work of equal value even if the jobs are not the same. We also need to urge our members of Congress to secure some form of national health care. Eight-four percent of those surveyed in the AFL-CIO’s “Ask a Working Woman Survey” said access to health care remains an urgent priority for them. Women’s Health Issues Some 44 million Americans have no health insurance today, a number that is growing every day. Eight out of 10 of the uninsured are full-time workers and their dependents. Of the total number of working women, one-quarter receive no health coverage from their employer according to the AFL-CIO. Cancer Concerns: Each year more than 180,000 women in this country learn they have breast cancer. This equates to one in nine women. The disease claims 46,000 lives a year. The key is early detection, but because of lack of medical insurance, thousands of women are not able to afford the mammogram that could save them. Stress: The stress of high pressure jobs can lead to serious health problems, from chronic headaches, sleeplessness and ulcers to heart problems. And CWA studies show that stress exacerbates musculoskeletal conditions such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Forced overtime and impossible work expectations while trying to maintain a home and family creates an environment for chronic stress and illness, and these conditions are especially prevalent in female-dominated customer service jobs. Osteoporosis: The Women’s Committee encourages women to have a bone density test to establish a baseline for osteoporosis testing. This serious condition is a major health concern for women, especially after menopause. Here again, lack of medical coverage keeps many women from having important screening and treatment of bone loss. The Women’s Committee urges that in this round of bargaining emphasis be placed on improved scheduling and relief from forced overtime. Pay Equity Since 1963 when the Equal Pay Act was signed, the wage gap has been closing at a very slow rate. That year, women made 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. In 1999, women earned 77 percent of male workers’ wages. Most recently, the gap has narrowed because men’s real wages have fallen, not because Women’s have risen, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Equal pay is not just a working Women’s issue, it’s a family issue. If we ended pay discrimination against women, family incomes would rise. Working parents would have more to spend on household needs and more to save for their children’s education or their own retirement security. Working parents might be able to spend less time at work and more time with their families. There are three clear routes to ensuring pay equity for women that CWA must continue to pursue: passage of stronger equal pay laws, vigorous enforcement of current laws, and fighting for workers’ rights to organize into unions and to bargain fair wage rates. Women in Non-Traditional Occupations By encouraging broader opportunities for women in non-traditional occupations (NTOs), we should be careful not to denigrate those occupations, such as clerical or medical support jobs, that are heavily populated by women. So-called Women’s jobs often are as demanding and important — or more so — as those dominated by men. But we need to continue to negotiate training and lifelong learning programs that help women break down job barriers and increase their career mobility. And we must encourage women to take advantage of tuition assistance opportunities. Median weekly earnings for female college graduates age 25 and over are 2 &#frac12; times greater than for those without a college education. There are government programs available to help women move into NTOs, such as the WANTO (Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations) grants. In a partnership between the Labor Department and the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, more than $4.7 million has been granted to community union-employer organizations for training women workers. (For more information, visit: www.w-o-w.org.) The 2000 Elections This November’s national elections will have a profound impact on our success or failure in dealing with every single issue in this report. If we elect Al Gore as president and make substantial gains in electing members of the U.S. House and Senate who are pro-working family, then expansion of theFamily and Medical Leave Act is a very real possibility. We could expect to see legislation expanding the availability of health care coverage, and we would have a government committed to equal pay and equal rights in the workplace. The worst case scenario would be both houses of Congress controlled by the present anti-worker GOP leadership of Dick Armey, Tom DeLay and Trent Lott together with a Republican president. We would see Social Security put in jeopardy by privatization. We could forget about reforms in the area of family leave, pay equity and health care. And we would face a corporate, anti-worker assault on unions and workers’ rights in the form of the TEAM Act, elimination of overtime pay, the dismantling of OSHA, the undermining of ERISA pension protections, and much more. We cannot be bystanders this year; we must all do our part in working to elect Al Gore and a progressive Congress. The future of our families truly is at stake. Thanks to Lela Foreman The Women’s Committee would like to take this opportunity to extend our deep thanks and best wishes to Lela Foreman, who retired this year after 50 years of distinguished service to the members of CWA. Lela came to Washington, D.C. in 1975 to accept the newly created staff position in charge of Women’s Activities and Community Services. She brought with her a clear vision of Women’s equality – equality in our Union, in our workplaces, and in our communities. Throughout her career, Lela Foreman encouraged, supported and mentored CWA women. Our growing numbers in leadership positions and as delegates at CWA conventions is the legacy of her work. We also see Lela’s involvement in our many contracts that contain child and elder care services and other provisions that address the needs of our families. Lela also was instrumental in the founding of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), and she has served as its Treasurer since 1993. Wherever she went, a CLUW application was close at hand. Through these activities and others, Lela has been able to help women of all backgrounds from all parts of the world. If each one of us could take an example from Lela’s dedication, we would soar above all expectations of Women’s rights. Coalition of Labor Union Women CWA continues to support and actively participate in the work of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. CLUW, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, gives rank-and-file union women an opportunity to get directly involved in lobbying and coalition efforts to promote issues of concern to women and working families. The Women’s Committee urges delegates, both women and men, who are not members of CLUW to join the organization, which has chapters around the country. For more information, contact CLUW’s national office at 202-466-4610. The next biennial CLUW convention will be held in September of 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CWA National Women’s Conference – Save the Date Start planning now to attend the next CWA National Women’s Conference, which will include many useful and important workshops and an opportunity to voice concerns and set our action agenda for advancing the interests of working women. The conference will be held May 10-13, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The CWA Women’s Committee urges that CWA make this report a part of the union’s collective bargaining agenda and legislative program. We thank the delegates for your time and consideration of the Women’s Committee report. Respectfully submitted, Ann Holland CWA District 1 Jennifer M. Case CWA District 6 Nancy L. Brady CWA District 2 Sherri Steen CWA District 7 Nancy Morgan CWA District 3 Connie Belisle CWA District 9 Elizabeth R. Van Der Woude    CWA District 4 Victoria Kintzer CWA District 13