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

	Low wages are an issue for Charlotte Smith, Cynthia Deans and Ella Montgomery (l. - r.), CUNY custodial workers. The members of Local 1597 haven't had a raise since July 2001. “We have to work overtime to make ends meet,” says Ms. Deans. “Rent goes up, property taxes go up, the cost of food goes up, the water rate goes up, electricity goes up — salaries stay the same.” Ella Montgomery, Local 1597 treasurer, says pay is a top priority for women. “Our salaries are way too low for the work that we do. Living from paycheck to paycheck places a lot of stress on you.”

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, ‘We’ve 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. You’re always robbing Peter to pay Paul,” she noted. “We’re underpaid for the job we do. If you didn’t live in a rent stabilized apartment or public housing, you couldn’t live in New York City.”

Health benefits are all-important, she said. “Without my union prescription card, I couldn’t 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. “It’s 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. “It’s hard,” she said. “At CUNY, we come to work early. You have to make sure someone’s there for the children. You can’t leave them alone.”

Over 60 percent of women with children under six work outside of the home and need child care. For parents who don’t 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 government’s own poverty calculations don’t 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 Children’s 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.”