Union Membership Bridges Wealth Gap

Women of color face an enormous wealth gap when compared to the rest of society, says a new report by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. However, the wealth gap is far narrower for minority women belonging to a union, says one official.

 

The report released at the “Economic Security for Women” symposium in Washington, DC, defines “wealth” as a person’s assets minus their debt (which is different from income). Results show single African-American and Hispanic women have a median wealth of $100 and $120 respectively. The median for single white women is $41,500.

 

On Anniversary of Ledbetter Act, Call for More Improvements

One year ago today, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became law, correcting a deplorable Supreme Court decision that would have left women similar to Lilly Ledbetter with virtually no recourse to address pay discrimination. While this was a great victory, The IAM working with CLUW and other constituency groups calls on the Senate to take the next step and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Family Friendly Workplaces: Unions Make a Difference

The Labor Project for Working Families and UC Berkeley Labor Center recently released a report which analyzed the question, "Does union membership make workplaces more family friendly?"  In a nutshell, the answer is YES!!  The report found that in most areas unionized workers receive more generous family friendly benefits than their nonunionized counterparts and that companies with unionized workers are more apt to comply with established labor regulations.

Employee Free Choice Act -- Better for Women and Minorities

Women and Minorities will benefit with the passing of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).  EFCA is a beneficial tool that will allow working Americans to easily choose to join a union and experience the benefits of union membership sooner.  Passing the EFCA will help close the ever widening wage gap for working women and minorities and provide better benefits, security and opportunities to those who currently are without.