“RIGHT TO WORK” AND ITS IMPACT ON WOMEN

WHEREAS, the case of Janus v. AFSCME is an attempt to create "right-to-work" conditions in all 50 states for public sector unions by eroding the freedom to form unions and diminishing the ability of unions to improve the lives of workers and the communities in which they live; and

WHEREAS, it has been noted by many, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who stated that "right to work" was a "false slogan" saying that "whenever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights"; and

WHEREAS, women are paid on average 79 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the one factor that helps to correct this disparity is a union contract; and

WHEREAS, women make up a majority (55 percent) of workers represented by a public sector labor union; and

WHEREAS, two separate studies released by the Economic Policy Institute and the National Women's Law Center recognize that people of color, especially women of color, have directly benefited from the ability of their public sector union to reduce the compensation gap; and

WHEREAS, these studies recognize that women of color are the highest share of workers in the public sector; and

WHEREAS, women represented by a public sector union are paid 15 percent more than women who are not represented by a union; and

WHEREAS, women represented by a public sector union are more likely to have employer-based health insurance than women who work in the public sector, but are not represented by a labor union; and

WHEREAS, the decision of the Supreme Court in the Janus v. AFSCME case threatens to weaken public sector unions, threatening the freedom and opportunity for all workers, in particular the progress of women, especially women of color, that have been achieved through these unions:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will not allow the outcome of this case to weaken our resolve to continue to stand up and fight for equal opportunities for women in the workplace; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will place a renewed interest in organizing public sector workplaces where women, and especially women of color, comprise the majority of the workforce; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will inform the general public about the role it plays in working to eliminate the pay gap between men and women workers by giving these workers a more equitable say in their conditions of employment; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will redouble its efforts to empower unionized women workers, and especially women workers of color, by inviting them to take a more active role in the leadership and decision-making roles in their local unions.