Posted under Photo Gallery

by Janet Watkins

The struggle for equal pay appears to be a torch our granddaughters will have to carry given the resistant snail’s pace to get legislation passed in support of it. Ensuring women and men get equal pay and benefits have been a long hard battle.  On average women earn 23% less than men, and their earnings don’t catch up on a yearly basis until April 12.  So for nearly, 16 months women have less money to spend on essentials like, food, child care, housing and other expenses.

But, I’m preaching to the choir.  You already know these facts, and support closing the wage gap.

However, many of our elected officials do not support eliminating this economic disparity that affects people across all classes and disproportionately women of color.

Over a woman’s lifetime, gender differences in earnings contribute to a huge disparity in Social Security benefits.  Women typically live 6 years longer than men, with a life expectancy approaching 80 years old.  The gift of longevity is often accompanied by many challenges including chronic disease and disability. Confronted with these issues, women after working during their earning years, have far less to rely on in their golden years.  Diana Pearce, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin coined it in a 1978 published paper “the feminization of poverty.”

So, what to do?  Join the conversation at the AAUW of Michigan Facebook and Twitter pages all month long. Learn more about pay equity by visiting the AAUW website. Contact your elected officials and demand that they support reducing the incidence of women living in poverty due to wage disparity. Tell them “women are not worth less.” Pass Pay Equity legislation now!

Talk about the issue with your daughters, granddaughters, aunts, nieces and girlfriends (include the guys, too). Share the pay equity message with your online network of friends and family.  Pay Equity benefits everyone.

Pay Equity – Raise your voices for our mothers, for our daughters, for our future.

Posted under Equal Pay, Women and Economic Security

Testimony of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Michigan

before the

Michigan Civil Rights Commission

Forum on Bullying

Cadillac Place, 3054 W. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202

January 25, 2011

Good afternoon. My name is Barbara Bonsignore and I am the Public Policy Director of AAUW of Michigan. I appreciate the opportunity to give testimony on the subject of bullying and harassment.

AAUW is a membership organization founded 130 years ago and has approximately 100,000 members and 1000 branches nationwide. We break through barriers for women and girls and believe all students deserve safe learning environments. AAUW of Michigan has approximately 3,000 members and 43 branches throughout the state.

Public schools face longstanding challenges in preventing and effectively responding to instances of bullying and harassment. Bullying and harassment interfere with a student’s ability to achieve. In addition, bullying and harassment can lead to even greater safety problems.

Sexual harassment is a type of harassment and AAUW has released several research reports on this topic including Hostile Hallways: The AAUW Survey on Sexual Harassment in America’s Schools, which revealed that four out of five students in grades eight to 11 had experienced some form of sexual harassment.

The following are some startling statistics about the prevalence of bullying and harassment in schools.

· Close to half of all children are bullied at some point while they are at primary or secondary school.[i]

· In Michigan, 24 percent of high school students reported being bullied on school property in the prior year.[ii]

· 7.4 percent of high school students reported missing school because they felt unsafe. In Detroit, 19.1 percent of students reported missing school because they felt unsafe.[iii]

The definition of harassment that is commonly used and is used in legislation pending in Congress is: conduct that adversely affects the ability of one or more students to participate in or benefit from the school’s educational programs or activities because the conduct, as reasonably perceived by the student (or students), is so severe, persistent, or pervasive; and includes conduct that is based on-

(i) a student’s actual or perceived race; color; national origin; sex; disability; sexual orientation; gender identity; or religion;

(ii) any other distinguishing characteristics that may be defined by a State or local educational agency; or

(iii) association with a person or group with one or more of the actual or perceived characteristics listed in clause (i) or (ii).

Bullying is a type of harassment that unfortunately places the student (or students) in reasonable fear of physical harm.

On October 26, 2010 the Department of Education in Washington, DC issued guidance in an effort to support educators in combating bullying and harassment in schools and clarified that a school’s response, or lack of response, when a student is bullied or harassed may violate federal education anti-discrimination laws, such as Title IX.

Title IX protects students from unlawful sexual harassment in all of a school’s programs or activities, whether they take place in the facilities of the school, on a school bus, at a class or training program sponsored by the school at another location, or elsewhere. Title IX protects both male and female students from sexual harassment, regardless of who the harasser might be.

In conclusion, all children must have a safe environment in which to learn. It is encouraging that attention is being paid to the problem of bullying and that both national and state departments of education are attempting to help educators better understand their obligations, while providing resources to allow prompt and effective action to be taken in an effort to end harassment and bullying in schools.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony.

Barbara Bonsignore

AAUW of Michigan Public Policy Director

(248) 375-0062

E-mail: bjbaauw1@aol.com

Posted under Education

This op-ed originally posted September 5, 2010 at the Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-hallman/want-to-pay-tribute-then-_b_706227.html

For the 128th time in our nation’s history, we celebrate Labor Day — with last visits to the neighborhood pool, picnics, and barbecues that signal the end of summer. Yet for women and their families, recognition of the American worker rings rather hollow in the face of pay inequity.

That’s because women across the country work just as hard their male counterparts do, yet they continue to receive less pay — just 77 cents on the dollar, on average. A day off is not the only compensation American women require or deserve; without equal pay, our Labor Day celebrations don’t ring true for many.

The 23-cent average difference between men’s and women’s pay isn’t simply about fairness. This long-standing pay disparity hurts our nation, too. With women increasingly assuming the role of sole breadwinner, equal pay is not just a matter of equity but the key to a family’s ability to make ends meet in a struggling economy and a critical factor in our nation’s efforts to work its way out of this recession. This serious problem needs immediate Senate action.

That Senate action is passing the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182), a bill that will provide a sorely needed update to the 1963 Equal Pay Act and help create a climate where pay discrimination isn’t tolerated. This critical bill, which passed the House in January 2009, will close loopholes and strengthen incentives to prevent pay discrimination, as well as bring the Equal Pay Act’s practices in line with other civil rights laws.

Fortunately, support for the Paycheck Fairness Act is growing. So are the number of co-sponsors of the bill. In a recent poll by the Paycheck Fairness Act Coalition, 84 percent of American voters expressed support for this new law to create more avenues for women to receive fair wages. President Barack Obama is also on board, having co-sponsored the bill as a senator. He has promised to sign the bill into law, calling the Paycheck Fairness Act a “common-sense bill.” In fact, passage of the bill is one of the key recommendations of his administration’s Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, which he announced in his State of the Union address earlier this year.

We are closer than we have ever been to seeing this critical legislation enacted, which is why for the past three weeks AAUW members and coalition partners around the nation have been pushing hard to raise awareness about the pressing need for the Paycheck Fairness Act. We have hosted “Get It Done” (un)happy hours, sent letters to our senators, encouraged the men in our lives and families to speak up for fair pay (this is not a woman’s issue–it’s a family issue!), and used social media tools to get the message out.

Pay discrimination starts early — “the minute college grads throw their caps in the air,” as one economist observed. Research shows that over a 35-year career, the pay inequity shortfall in women’s earnings is about $210,000. While September 2 headlines about young, educated, childless women making more than men show that we are making progress, such studies also underscore the ongoing reality of pay discrimination. While the average American woman still earns 23 percent less than her male counterpart does, the gap is biggest among older women and smallest among younger women. Further, much of the improvement in the gender pay gap has not been the result of women’s pay increases but rather is due to men’s decreasing or stagnating wages in traditional jobs that don’t require a college degree, such as construction and manufacturing. That situation helps no one, least of all American families.

Earlier this year, AAUW and the National Partnership for Women and Families released some startling facts. In California, the nation’s most populous state, we learned that without the pay gap, working women and their families in that state could afford

• 54 more weeks of food bills (one year’s worth!),
• Three more months of mortgage and utilities payments,
• Six more months of rent,
• Two more years of family health insurance premiums, and
• 2,000 additional gallons of gas.

It’s now up to the U.S. Senate to do the right thing for American families. It’s time for swift action on the Paycheck Fairness Act. If a vote on this bill is delayed until next year with a new Congress, we’re back to square one. The recovery of the American middle class begins and ends with well-paying jobs, but that can’t happen if women continue to earn less than they deserve for equal work.

As we honor our nation’s workers this Labor Day, what better way to laud them than to pay workers equally, regardless of gender? Help us convince the Senate to bring this bill up for a vote and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this month.

American families have waited long enough.

Posted under AAUW of Michigan, Equity in the News, Women and Economic Security

This year marks the 90^th anniversary of the 19^th amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote in the United States. In 1971 the Congress designated the date as “Women’s Equality Day.”

It is a significant milestone, but it evokes conflicting emotions. On the one hand, the hardships and sacrifices made by our foremothers in order to bring about passage of the 19^th amendment are inspirational, even guilt-inducing. One cannot help but admire the determination and physical courage it took to stand against the forces of polite society and law enforcement that were brought to bear against the suffragists. Who among us would be willing to be imprisoned, beaten, tortured and force-fed in support of a cause, no matter how worthwhile? Those brave women deserve our recognition and respect.

On the hand, it is discouraging to realize that 90 years have gone by since that historic event in 1920, and despite remarkable advances in the lives of women in the U.S., equal pay protection remains an increasingly elusive goal. Women make up over half the workforce in the country, yet, according to new data from the Bureau of labor statistics, the gap between men’s and women’s median earnings widened between 2007 and 2008.

To illustrate the impact of the gender wage discrepancy AAUW has published several pieces of research on the subject. The most recent works are Gains in Learning, Gaps in Earning and Behind the Pay Gap. Each year, AAUW and coalition partners across the country publicly recognize pay inequities on Equal Pay Day that will next occur on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

The good news is that AAUW members have the opportunity to act now to redress the gender pay disparity. The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) would provide women with more tools than they currently possess to obtain fair pay in the workplace. It is imperative that the U.S. Senate acts on this bill when Congress reconvenes in September, but certainly before the end of the Congressional session in December.

Even though Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow are supporters of the legislation, they need to know that it is important to the voters of Michigan. Further, if you have family, friends or acquaintances in states where Senators have not yet realized the need to pass this legislation, an informative phone call or e-mail message to constituents in those states might prove to be beneficial to the passage of the bill.

Yes, we have come a long way in the last 90 years, but there is still a great deal waiting to be accomplished. Let’s make passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act a priority for AAUW members in Michigan, and throughout the U.S. Future generations will thank us for our actions, just as we show appreciation for the fortitude of our suffragist foremothers by remembering Women’s Equality Day.

Barbara Bonsignore

AAUW of MI Public Policy Director

August 25, 2010

Posted under Equity in the News

Coming Soon!  Social Media training for any AAUW of Michigan member interested in moving our mission forward via social media venues such as facebook and twitter.  Please contact Kathy Shaw (ksbanf@aol.com) if you are interested in how social media can create visibility and help us recruit members within our communities.  Keep watching here for announcements of when and where the trainings will take place.  AAUW of Michigan received an Impact Grant from AAUW and we will be using that grant to fund trainings around the state between now and next spring.  Janet Watkins will be doing the face-to-face training and I’ll be there to ask lots of questions and take notes!  Please join us…we are excited.

Kathy Shaw

AAUW of Michigan

Posted under AAUW of Michigan

Posted under Photo Gallery

Posted under Photo Gallery

Photo highlights from AAUW of Michigan 2010 Leadership Conference held in Livonia, Michigan.  AAUW Government Relations & Public Policy Director, Lisa Maatz, talked about what’s new at National, membership recruitment and using social media to advance the mission.

A panel discussion of the experts discussed topics including the Wage Project, NCCWSL and College/University Partnerships.

Posted under Photo Gallery

July 2, 2010

This message is a call to action for supporters of public education who are being asked to contact Senator Carl Levin’s office to show opposition to vouchers.  See the contact information below.

AAUW has a long history of opposition to vouchers in public education. In the 2009-2011 AAUW Public Policy Program the Public Policy Principles for Action specify that, “AAUW believes that quality public education is the foundation of a democratic society.” In the Biennial Action Priorities the text reads, “To support a strong system of public education that promotes gender fairness, equity, and diversity, AAUW advocates opposition to the use of public funds for nonpublic elementary and secondary education.”

I was recently informed, by Kathleen Straus, President of the Michigan State Board of Education, who had been in consultation with Roberta Stanley, Director of Federal Affairs at the National School Boards Association (NSBA) in Washingto, D.C., that there is a provision in the Department of Defense budget bill that would provide VOUCHERS for special education students who are dependents of service personnel. The provision would put the Senate on record supporting vouchers, and could potentially set a dangerous precedent.

The strategy in dealing with the bill seems to be to let the provision pass in the Senate, then work to remove it in conference committee. However, there is no assurance that the proposed strategy will work.

I have been in communication with Lecia Imbery, AAUW Public Policy Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator, who assured me that her office is working with Roberta Stanley at NSBA and trying to get the voucher provision removed from the bill. She suggested that phone calls or personal contacts from Michigan constituents would be helpful to national AAUW efforts. Please contact Senator Levin’s office and request that the voucher provisions be removed from the bill.

Senator Car Levin

269 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C., 20510

Phone (202) 224-6221

Fax: (202) 224-1388

www.levin.senate.gov

Thank you for your participation on this important issue.

Barbara Bonsignore

AAUW of Michigan Public Policy Director

2665 Steamboat Springs Drive

Rochester Hills, MI 48309

E-mail: bjbaauw1@aol.com

Posted under Education