EEOC to Hold Commission Meeting Sept. 22 on Future Enforcement Priorities
9/16/2022
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced today that it will hold a Commission meeting on Sept. 22, “Shaping the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Priorities,” the final listening session in a series to obtain public input on future enforcement priorities. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Eastern, and the public can attend the meeting virtually or in person. Witnesses will include representatives from civil rights and workers’ rights organizations; employer and human resource representatives; and attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants in EEO matters. The meeting with consist of three panels of witnesses, concluding at approximately 3 p.m., with an extended lunch break around 12:30 p.m.
The meeting will be the third and last in a series of listening sessions inviting public input into the agency’s Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) for fiscal years 2022-2026. After the agency completes the listening session series, it will consider the feedback from these sessions and any written input to develop a proposed SEP that will be approved by a vote of the full Commission. The SEP will set forth long term priorities for the federal civil rights agency. The first listening session was held in Buffalo, New York on Aug. 22 and focused on racial and economic justice. The second session focusing on vulnerable workers was held virtually on Sept. 12.
To watch the third session virtually, members of the public are encouraged to register in advance using the following link: https://eeoc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_BXpvXw0yS6ylpEIDdN2vTw Virtual attendees can also access a livestream of the listening session via the EEOC’s YouTube channel after the meeting begins without registering in advance. The in-person meeting will be held at EEOC headquarters at 131 M Street NE, Washington, DC 20507. Individuals who wish to attend must show a government-issued photo ID and will be subject to security screening.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
This Women’s Equality Day, Celebrating Those Advancing Gender Equity
8/26/2022
“August 26 is Women’s Equality Day. One hundred and two years ago, millions of American women officially obtained the constitutional right to vote—it would be decades before women of color secured the same right. Attaining that right to vote was no easy feat: It took over 40 years from the first time the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was introduced to become the law of the land. And even before that, women organizers had been demanding their right to vote since at least the 1840s. Many of the women who organized the movement for suffrage, including women of color, whose stories are too often ignored, faced violence, abuse, jail time, racism, and even torture. Women’s Equality Day is therefore a day of commemoration and celebration, recognizing the extraordinary work of those who advocated for change despite the grave risks to themselves and their families. ”
Read the full blog from the Department of Labor HERE.
EEOC to Hold Commission Meeting in Buffalo Aug. 22 to Focus on Racial and Economic Justice
8/18/2022
Federal Agency Will Examine How to Combat Systemic Racism in First Listening Session to Develop Its Future Strategic Enforcement Plan
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced details about a listening session to take place in Buffalo, NY on Aug. 22, 2022. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. EDT and run until about 3 p.m. EDT. It will be held at the City of Buffalo Common Council Chambers, Buffalo City Hall (65 Niagara Square, 13th Floor, Buffalo, NY 14202). The public may attend in person, and do not need to register in advance, although room capacity is limited. To watch virtually, members of the public are encouraged to register in advance using the following link: https://eeoc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_YQhvsv0QT-qPlfx3y7S6Ig.
The listening session will focus on racial and economic justice and is the first in the agency’s three-part listening series to receive public input regarding priorities and activities that should be included in its Strategic Enforcement Plan for the next five years.
Titled “Advancing Racial and Economic Justice in the Workplace,” the EEOC’s Buffalo listening session will be the first Commission meeting held outside of Washington, D.C. since 2015. The Commission will hear from witnesses on suggestions for addressing racial and economic justice in the agency’s Strategic Enforcement Plan for fiscal years 2022-2026. The Strategic Enforcement Plan outlines the EEOC’s priorities and activities to advance equal opportunity in the workplace.
Witnesses will include:
- Thomas Beauford, Jr., President and CEO, Buffalo Urban League
- Mark Blue, President, NAACP-Buffalo
- Trina Burruss, Chief Operating Officer, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County
- Kelly Hernandez, Member of the Board of Directors, Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York
- Maureen Kielt, Director, EEOC Buffalo Local Office
- Cindi McEachon, CEO, Peaceprints of WNY
- Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, President and CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
- Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., Director, Center for Urban Studies, University at Buffalo
- Rolanda Ward, Associate Professor and Endowed Faculty Director of the Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center for Race, Equity, and Mission, Niagara University
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
EEOC Announces Independent Study Confirming Pay Data Collection is a Key Tool to Fight Discrimination
8/15 2022
“The study confirmed what we at the EEOC have long known – collecting and analyzing pay data can be a useful tool in preventing and combating pay discrimination in American workplaces,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “The National Academies’ rigorous examination of the Commission’s historic first pay data collection validates our efforts to collect and use compensation data to achieve pay equity in our nation.” Click HERE for the full press release.
Seeking Information Online Can Be Fraught with Issues
8/1/2022
It is critical that we be fully informed on the items on the BPW/FL Public Policy Platform. The platform endorses reproductive rights but it can be difficult to find accurate information. Abortion rights supporters are trying to reduce barriers to access through search keywords. Anti-abortion activists have long dominated the online search strategy game, driving traffic to crisis pregnancy centers. Post-Roe, that’s starting to change. Click HERE to find out more.
A New Bill Aims To Protect Same-sex Marriage
7/22/2022
BPW/FL supports legislation that calls for equality for all (Item 1 of the Public Policy Platform). This week all Democrats and 47 Republicans in the House joined forces to protect marriage equality at the federal level as legal experts and LGBTQ+ advocates grow increasingly worried those protections are in danger following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The bill, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, has support from some Senate Republicans, but is not guaranteed to pass the chamber. Read the full article from The 19th HERE.
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act
7/15/2022
Item 3, Safe Workplace, of the BPW/FL Public Policy Platform states “BPW supports legislation that creates a safe workplace; a workplace free from violence, harassment and assault. We support legislative funding and education that will ensure workplaces are free from all forms of violence, harassment and assault.” On July 14, a group of organizations representing millions of women across the country urged the U.S. Senate to pass the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) that would protect health care and social service workers from violence on the job. Read the press release HERE and then contact your two US Senators and urge them to support this bill.
Title IX 50 Years Later
7/1/2022
BPW/FL’s Public Policy Platform begins with “Equality for All.” 50 years ago, it took just 37 words to change the course of education for millions of women and girls in the United States. “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Read this very informative article that looks at Title IX, the Equal Rights Amendment and Roe v Wade (all passed/issued within a 12 month period) and why only one of the three is still standing today.
News Release
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:
“The right to reproductive freedom – which includes the right to access legal abortion services – is fundamental to women’s autonomy, health outcomes and economic security. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau is the only federal agency authorized by Congress to represent the needs and interests of working women. As such, the Women’s Bureau is uniquely positioned to safeguard the needs of working women and advocate for their equality, which includes access to safe reproductive health options such as abortion, contraception and comprehensive maternity care.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will allow states to ban or significantly restrict access to abortion immediately, often without any exceptions. This means women will lose access to safe, reliable and accessible reproductive medical care. It is an outcome that will have a catastrophic impact on women’s employment and economic security.
“Research has shown – repeatedly and consistently – that reproductive autonomy is linked directly to a woman’s ability to get an education, participate in the labor force and increase their earning potential. It has also helped to narrow the gender wage gap.
“For more than 100 years, the Women’s Bureau has been committed to advancing the status of working women. Today that means an explicit acknowledgement that access to abortion and all other personal reproductive choices is an issue of health and personal liberty as well as an economic issue that determines the welfare of working women.”
Learn more about the Women’s Bureau.
Roe v. Wade Overturned
June 24, 2022
In a decision that will impact millions of women and child-bearing people, the Supreme Court of the US today ruled 6 – 3 to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Today’s ruling fails to even say the word “women.” When women and other childbearing people can no longer control their own bodies, they are no longer equal in our democracy. Further, this decision threatens the status of other constitutional rights, such as those protecting marriage equality, intimate conduct, and the right to contraception.
This ruling runs counter to Item 4 of the BPW/FL Public Policy Platform, which begins “BPW/FL supports legislation that ensures reproductive choice and full access to all reproductive health education and services, including prescriptions.” BPW/FL will continue to advocate for reproductive choice, education and services in Florida in spite of today’s ruling.
Abortion in Florida is legal. However, there are certain restrictions on abortion procedures. As of July 1, 2022, abortions in Florida are banned after 15 weeks. Abortions are completely banned after that time unless two physicians certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgment, terminating the pregnancy is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life. A provider can also perform an abortion to avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the woman “other than psychological,” or if the fetus has not achieved viability. Before an abortion, if you are a minor living in Florida, it is a state law that parents or guardians are notified first.
“Tales of Roe”
6/6/2022
Item 4, Health Care, on our Public Policy Platform begins: “BPW/FL supports legislation that ensures reproductive choice and full access to all reproductive health education and services, including prescriptions.“ The lead article on the front page of the 6/5/2022 Tampa Bay Times gave a very good analysis on how the issue of reproductive choice affects working women.
https://www.bpwfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tales-of-Roes-TBT-2022-06-05.pdf
Legislative Action on Climate Change Needed
4/1/2022
The numbers are stark: Based on an analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP), 109 representatives and 30 senators in the 117th U.S. Congress—more than 25 percent of the entire Congress—refuse to acknowledge the scientific evidence that human-caused climate change is real. And these same 139 climate-denying members have received more than $61 million in lifetime contributions from the coal, oil, and gas industries.
Sign CAP’s open letter to climate deniers, demanding they face the facts.
Climate change is no longer a distant threat looming in the future. In 2020, 22 extreme weather events caused more than more than $20 billion in damage in the United States alone. That’s a new record. Last year, with the backdrop of a deadly pandemic, Americans had to flee their homes, seeking shelter in the face of out-of-control wildfires, an unprecedented number of hurricanes, and even sweltering heat waves—events that exacerbate already unacceptable racial and economic inequalities.
Yet, 25 percent of our elected officials in Congress still deny human-caused climate change. We can’t let this stand, and we urgently need your voice.
We know how to solve climate change, and the public does, too. With deep and immediate cuts to U.S. carbon dioxide emissions; investments that create jobs in the clean economies of the future; and meaningful work to right decades of environmental injustices, we can get to the clean future that humans need to survive. Climate change featured prominently in the 2020 presidential election, with younger voters ranking climate action as their top priority.
Today is Equal Pay Day!
03/15/2022
As most of us know, BPW is one of many women’s organizations around the country that recognizes Equal Pay Day each year. Today represents the day in the current year that all women, on average, must work until to have finally earned the same amount that a man in a similar job would have earned in just the prior calendar year, and the gap is wider than the average for women of color. We recognize Equal Pay Day to continue to raise awareness of the wage gap, and the need to close it.
Today, the White House is unveiling a series of actions that are intended to help narrow the gender and racial wage gaps. The first action is a proposal by the Office of Personnel Management that will address the usage of prior salary histories when hiring and setting wages for federal employees.
Secondly, President Biden will sign an executive order that will limit how federal contractors can solicit and use information about workers’ salary histories when making employment decisions, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs will issue a directive that clarifies contractors’ obligations to analyze their compensation.
And the third action will be the issuance of a report by the DOL on the concentration of female employees in many low-wage sectors and the resulting impact on their economic well-being.
Also today, Vice-President Kamala Harris will host a White House virtual summit recognizing Equal Pay Day, which will be attended by members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, who recently settled a landmark equal pay lawsuit.
