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Public Employee Press
Part 4, Last of a series
Women at work:
Still a long way to go
Top priorities in the push for equality: higher
pay, child care, safe homes and workplaces
By JANE LaTOUR
PEP photos by George Cohen
In 1966, classified ads listed male and female jobs separately. There
were no females fighting fires or broadcasting the nightly news. As the
slogan says, Weve come a long way, baby. But to achieve
equality, women still have a long way to go.
Three of the hurdles they face are low wage jobs, domestic and workplace
violence and the lack of affordable child care. For working women and
their unions, these are the battles of the future.
In April, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts pointed out why budget
cuts hit the union particularly hard: DC 37 is a union made up of
about 60 percent women of whom at least 30 percent are single moms. Most
of our members make from $18,000 to $29,000 per year, she said.
Women's work is undervalued
The members of Custodial Assistant Employees Local 1597 feel the pinch
of low wages. Local Treasurer Ella Montgomery works as a Custodial Assistant
at City College. The low pay puts a lot of stress on you. Youre
always robbing Peter to pay Paul, she noted. Were underpaid
for the job we do. If you didnt live in a rent stabilized apartment
or public housing, you couldnt live in New York City.
Health benefits are all-important, she said. Without my union prescription
card, I couldnt afford the expensive medication I take.
Custodial Aide Cynthia Deans raised seven children and is now working
to support her four grandchildren. She stretches her paycheck by working
as much overtime as she can. I have another job to make ends meet.
I also sell baked goods at my church every Sunday, she said. Its
a very stressful life, she observed. I have high blood pressure
and high cholesterol. I leave home at 4 a.m. to get to work at 6 a.m.
Charlotte Smith, a Custodial Aide
and mother of two, is now raising her two grandnieces. Its
hard, she said. At CUNY, we come to work early. You have to
make sure someones there for the children. You cant leave
them alone.
Over 60 percent of women with children
under six work outside of the home and need child care. For parents who
dont work the usual 9-to-5 shift, arrangements can be complicated.
When child care is available, it often comes at a high price a
price that hits the poor hardest.
In September, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the number of Americans
living below the poverty line in 2002 increased by over 1.3 million. Yet
the governments own poverty calculations dont include the
money women in the workforce spend on child care. On every level, the
public commitment to child care is decreasing.
Sarah Maldonado, director of the Educare Early Childhood Center and the
forthcoming Bellevue Hospital Daycare Center (PEP, July-Aug.), explained
the impact of budget cuts on day-care centers that contract with the city:
Last year, Educare lost $20,000 in city money. The loss of funding
means that parents pay more. Staff cuts at the Administration for
Childrens Services hurt families as they overburden workers. While
the centers are under-enrolled, parents wait months for an appointment
to be certified for child care subsidies, said Ms. Maldonado. City
Comptroller William Thompson issued a report in April that showed over
46,000 on the ACS waiting list, while thousands of slots in child-care
centers remain empty.
Reliable child care is a critical
issue
Despite the rigors of juggling travel time, the working mothers who bring
their children to the Educare Center are the lucky ones. Rosalyn Washington,
a member of Local 384, travels from the Bronx to her job at Baruch College
in Manhattan.
For the past year, the mother of
three has dropped her two older children at school and then brought her
son Deondre, 3, to the center.
I used to use a center in the Bronx, she said. This
one is much better. The kids learn more and have more activities. I like
the library. The kids get a lot of love here. She added: I
see my kids an hour before bedtime. You really want them to be getting
that love.
Safe homes and workplaces are essential for women and children. One-third
of all American women have been subjected to physical or sexual abuse
by a partner at some point in their lives. Domestic violence undermines
physical and emotional health and job security. It often leads to workplace
violence.
Beginning in 1981, DC 37 set out to provide services for women at risk.
Through its Municipal Employees Legal Services and Personal Service Unit,
the union makes legal and social work services available for victims.
Sheila Menashe, director of Social Work for MELS, explained: Domestic
violence affects not only the individual person. The abuser will often
come to the workplace, and co-workers may be affected as well. It is a
major issue.
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