Public Employee Press

Women at Work-Part 3
The fight for equal pay

“Looking back, women were considered the ‘weaker vessels’ and men were considered the breadwinners. It’s not that way today. Women are equal to men. We take care of our homes; our families. We deserve equal pay.”
— Vivian Ferguson, SPCT, Local 1549

By Jane LaTour

Join the union, girls, and together say, ‘Equal pay for equal work.’ ” Famed women’s rights crusader Susan B. Anthony coined those words in 1869. But in 2003, women are still struggling for equal pay.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women working full-time earn 76 cents for every dollar earned by men. African American women earn 67 cents and Latinas earn 54 cents for every dollar paid to white male workers.

Unions and women’s groups won the federal Equal Pay (for equal work) Act in 1963. But today, 40 years later, women are still paid less than men — even when they have similar education, skills, and experience. As women have fought for equality, three major strategies have yielded steady and sometimes dramatic gains:

1) Nontraditional work: While she was studying electrical engineering at Bronx Community College, Maria Duran-Waller heard about an opening at the Dept. of Environmental Protection. She started work four months before she graduated, 18 years ago. Now a Senior Sewage Treatment Worker, Maria has built a satisfying career. “I like the versatility and the action. I like to solve problems,” she said.

She’s received several promotions and is now the Safety Officer for the Wards Island Water Pollution Control Plant. She works hard to earn her salary — $1,075 a week. She’s one of only six women in a workforce of about 1,500. “I expected to have a hard time with the men when I started, but they helped me out a lot,” she explained. Maria was the first female hired, but she said, “A lot of women are coming in now. The DEP is doing a terrific job of recruiting.”

“Women looking for a nontraditional job with plenty of room for promotion, great benefits and a reasonable salary should consider it,” said James Tucciarelli, president of Local 1320, Sewage Treatment Workers and Senior STWs. “All the women who have come into our union are exceptional. They fit right in and we have had a great relationship with them.” He noted that DEP is accepting applications and will be hiring provisionals until a new civil service list comes out.

2) Pay equity: Venus Bowens, a member of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549, put her finger on the heart of the argument for pay equity: “Employers have to stop looking at certain jobs as ‘women’s work.’ Look at what’s required and the level of responsibility — not the fact that it’s done by a woman. Look at the job and not at the gender.”

Ms. Bowens, a Principal Police Communications Technician, has worked for the Police Dept. for 17 years. She benefited from the pay equity lawsuit that overturned the system that paid Fire Alarm Dispatchers, mainly white males, much more than the 911 operators, who do similar work. The litigation won back pay and upgrading for the 911 operators.

Local 1549 member Rosalind Jenkins, a Supervising PCT, has been on the job for 19 years. “I was there in the early 1980s when the lawsuit started,” she said. “We were doing the same job and we were seeking the same pay. I can remember workers selling cakes and doing fundraisers to pay for the case.”

Assistant Clerical Division Director Ron Arnero was one of the original steering committee members on the anti-discrimination suit. “I am proud to say that the settlement increased salaries to the point where affected members can finally afford better housing and a better living standard for their families,” he observed.

3) New Professional Careers: Patrick Bahnken, president of Local 2507, Uniformed Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics, explained the emergence of women and minorities in the field. “The Emergency Medical Service is only 40 years old. It evolved alongside the women’s movement and the civil rights movement.”

Paramedic Renae O’Carroll joined EMS in 1994. “I love doing the job,” she said. “It’s rewarding and you’re helping people at the same time.” Of course, the work can be extremely stressful. “One minute you’re delivering a baby and the next hour you might be pronouncing someone dead.”

As a single mother, Ms. O’Carroll has made her share of sacrifices. Going to school and working full time was “very tough,” said the young mother. “Sometimes we work 16 hours. For one year, I didn’t get to spend any time with my daughter. Without my large family support unit, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Ms. O’Carroll is one of only three female shop stewards in Local 2507. “The local is very welcoming to women,” she observed. “But a lot of the women don’t have time to get involved.” Child care presents a big problem for the women she represents at Battalion 39 in Brooklyn. “On the job, we offer a starting Paramedic training program. The majority of Paramedics are men, because they don’t have the extra responsibility of raising a child,” she noted.

“Single mothers have the toughest time going to school and advancing their careers,” she said. “The child care situation definitely holds us back. But the opportunities are there, and we’ve already come a long way.”

Part 4 will look at the battles of the future.