Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id fBIM0Q011544; Tue, 18 Dec 2001 17:00:26 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 17:00:26 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <sc1f759a.026@langate.gsu.edu> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Daphne Greenberg" <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:1835] alert X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="=_0A5724FA.F495F978" X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.5.5 Status: O Content-Length: 9388 Lines: 159 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline Someone who wishes to remain anonymous passed this on to me as information that she received regarding the alert: U. S. DOL WOMEN'S BUREAU UNDER ATTACK The Bush administration is proposing to eliminate the 10 regional offices of the U.S.Department of Labor Women's Bureau and maintain only the national office in Washington, D. C., currently under the supervision of Presidential Appointee, Director Shinae Chun. The decision to close these offices is not a budget issue.Each of the offices is staffed with three people with geographical responsibility for five to eight states. The decision to close the regional offices follows the recommendations of the Heritage Foundation (a conservative think tank) as outlined in "A Budget for America" wherein it states, "Phase out the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, The Women's Bureau, and the Civil Rights Office." Eliminating the regional offices of the Women's Bureau, which serves as the only vital link to local constituents, will make the next step easier - the elimination of the Bureau itself as has been done with the White House Office on Women's Initiatives in January 2001. The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, established by Congress in 1920, is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women in the public policy process. For 81 years, the Bureau has been meeting that mandate - identifying the issues working women care about most and vigorously pioneering research and remedies to address them: - Pressing for establishment of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938; - Easing women's transition into the war industry during World War II; - Playing an instrumental role in the establishment of the President's Commission on the Status of Women and the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963; - Advocating for opportunities in non-traditional occupations; - Encouraging family friendly employer policies such as the Family and Medical Leave law in 1993 >From its position in the Office of the Secretary, the Bureau participates in departmental policymaking and program planning, and serves as a coordinating body in the Department of Labor for programs affecting women. To establish vital links at a local level, the WB has offices in ten regions across the country. These regional offices implement national programs and policies, develop local initiatives to address local needs and provide direct information and assistance to the public concerning working women's rights, employment laws, and where to go for needed services. Both national and regional offices work cooperatively with women's organizations, commissions for women, the private sector, unions, program operators, educational and training personnel social service agencies, and government at all levels. Recently, this has been: - Assisting employers with establishing child care and family friendly policies - Establishing pilot programs to assist women in entering nontraditional occupations - Providing information on how to achieve financial security - Working to advance women in high tech careers - Educating women on their rights in the workplace - freedom from sexual harassment and discrimination and the right to equal pay. The Equal Pay Act passed in 1963 was successful in increasing women's pay from 59 cents to 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. We don't want to turn back the clock when women were paid significantly less than men. In fact, from 1965 to 1978, nearly $16 million in underpayments to 18,378 employees had been found by the Department of Labor under the Equal Pay Act. Now, almost 40 years since the passage these issues are still not resolved. However, the Women's Bureau can no longer advocate for pay equity and their Equal Pay publications have recently been removed from their website. When the Women's Bureau started in 1920, there were almost 8 million women workers. In 1999, 65 million women were in the labor force or looking for work and the number is expected to increase. The Women's Bureau through its policies and programs impacts the lives of all these working women. These women deserve a local voice in their communities and not just a D.C. office. 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