I am a woman of many skills and trades — I have been a school teacher, and served on the board of my school district’s union. I am a board member of 9to5 Atlanta. I am a Reverend, and like the Apostle Paul, who was a tentmaker to supplement his ministry income, nine years ago the Lord placed me in a job as a home caregiver. I was in total shock when I found out that, in such an important role as caregiver, I would only be making minimum wage, and receive no benefits.

August marked the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); a groundbreaking law that has been used more than 100 million times, helping workers keep their jobs while they care for a family health crisis or a new baby. Unfortunately, because FMLA leave is generally unpaid and has eligibility restrictions, millions who qualify for it can’t afford to take it, and millions who’d like to benefit from it are excluded. Teresa Benns, from Del Norte, Colorado, is one of the fortunate ones who qualified for FMLA. As the primary caregiver for her husband, who is a...

This blog post originally appeared in 9to5.org . Much like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the falsely cloaked Working Families Flexibility Act (HR 1406) would hurt, not help, families. The Working Families Flexibility Act, a true misnomer, would in reality ensure workers have less time, less flexibility and less money. This anti-family proposal would force workers to spend more time away from their families in exchange for possibly getting to spend time later with their families. Under this proposal, the employer, not the employee, determines when earned comp time can be used. In other words, a...

Photo by Cindia Cameron, 9to5 Immigrants come to the U. S. today for the same reason immigrants have always come here – for the promise of freedom and a better life that is America. We have built our country on the belief that we achieve greatness as a nation when all of us have a fair chance at the American dream. Immigrant issues are women’s issues because we need the same things to achieve that dream – decent jobs, the ability to care for our families, security, opportunity, and justice. But our nation’s immigration system is broken. Immigrants often live in the shadows of our economy and...

What a lot of attention the book Lean In by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has generated. The self-help book, mostly geared towards college-educated women who are or want to be on the executive track, promotes believing in oneself, taking risks and pursing ambitious goals as tactics for personal and professional success. Whether or not you agree with Sandberg’s focus, there’s no doubt that she’s part of an ongoing national debate on the struggles of working women which highlights the challenges facing women in low-wage jobs, even if that wasn’t her intent. Sandberg has shattered the glass...

The woman serving you your meal tonight may not be earning enough to feed herself. The recently released Restaurant Opportunities Centers United report “Tipped Over,” found that seven of the ten lowest-paid occupations are in the restaurant industry which employs 10 million workers, the majority of them women. In addition to earning low and poverty-level wages, women restaurant workers experience discrimination, sexual harassment, occupational segregation, and lack of paid sick days and career mobility. Documenting the exploitation and sanctioned discriminatory practices leveled by the...

Linda Meric, Director, 9to5, National Association of Working Women This past year women were paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men in the U.S. For women of color, the gap is even wider, with African American women earning 67 cents and Latinas 58 cents on the dollar. 9to5 member LaTerrell Bradford calls equal pay a “non-negotiable.” While working as part of an all-female support team, a man was hired in the same job classification. Her female supervisor discovered that he was to earn much more than any of the women and advocated for every team member to be paid at the higher rate. Human...

On April 12, 2011, the nation observes Equal Pay Day to symbolize that women have to work a year plus more than three months to equal what men make in just one year, on average. This past year women were paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men in the U.S. For women of color, the gap is even wider, with African American women earning 67 cents and Latinas 58 cents on the dollar. 9to5 member LaTerrell Bradford calls equal pay a “non-negotiable.” While working as part of an all-female support team, a man was hired in the same job classification. Her female supervisor discovered that he was to...

There are many areas of life in this country where it appears that we live in two worlds. And that’s no different when we consider paid sick days. In the first world, if you’re sick, you stay home from work, take care of yourself, and have the time to get better. In the second world, if you’re sick, you go to work anyway. In the second world, you go to work, even when your child is sick. You know that if you stay home, you’ll lose pay -- or maybe even your job. As we approach Women’s Equality Day on Aug. 26, the day that marks the 90th anniversary of women’s right to vote, it’s troubling that...