Pledges to Support Decent Work, Decent Life for Women Campaign

One hundred years after the first International Women’s Day, the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO has resolved to support a sweeping effort to end discrimination against women worldwide. The AFL-CIO pledged to support the Global Campaign for Decent Work, Decent Life for Women, a two-year campaign launched by the 168-million worker International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Global Union Federations, which advocates for decent work for women and gender equality in labor policies and agreements. It also seeks gender equality in trade union structures, policies and activities and significant increases in the number of women organized into unions and in elected positions.

“I can think of no better way to honor those 15,000 women marched down the streets of New York 100 years ago than to ensure their legacy lives on,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said. “This campaign is an opportunity to build a better union movement, and ultimately, a better, more inclusive world that makes the most of the talents of all its citizens.”

 “I am extremely proud to stand with my sisters and brothers around the globe to join hands and join forces in the fight for a more equitable world for our daughters and sons,” AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker said. “There is much work still to be done.”

While 40 percent of world employment is made up of women, they still:

-   Earn 12 to -60 percent less than men, even in occupations such as 
    nursing and teaching; in the United States, women are paid 77.6
    percent of men’s hourly earnings 
-   Make up 60 percent of the 550 million working poor; 
-   Are concentrated in low-paid, unprotected, temporary or casual work; 
-   Lack maternity protection rights and face violence and sexual
    harassment at or near the workplace.

 “This campaign is an important opportunity to strengthen gender equality both at work and in the labor movement,” the resolution states. “ It advocates decent work for women and gender equality in labor policies and agreements. It seeks gender equality in trade union structures, policies and activities and significant increases in the number of women organized into unions and in elected positions.”

One of the key pieces defining decent work is the opportunity to have a voice on the job through labor unions. But U.S. labor law is so broken that in reality most workers in America do not truly have the right to form unions and bargain for better pay and working conditions. On Oct. 7, 2008-the World Day for Decent Work- the AFL-CIO will highlight the necessity of passing the Employee Free Choice Act as critical to ensuring decent work in the United States.

The ITUC released a report today revealing that, on average, women are paid 16 percent less than their male counterparts. The report includes detailed statistics from official sources in 63 countries around the world and can be accessed at http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/gap-1.pdf .

Contact: Caren Benjamin (202) 637-5018