This Monday, April 2nd at 10:00 a.m., the Maine Women’s Lobby and our partners are sponsoring a Day of Action in Augusta.

It’s time to tell our legislators to stand with Maine citizens to stop the disastrous hidden deals taking place that will make sweeping changes at the 11th hour of the legislative session.

It’s time for Maine people to stop the out-of-state campaigns against workers, the middle class and the poor, the environment, and stop the war on women.

Instead of letting Maine focus on sustainable jobs, out of state corporate interests and extremists are pushing an agenda that has nothing to do with our common interests as a state.

As the Maine Legislature winds-down it’s work for the year, an unprecedented slew of dangerous and irresponsible bills are being rammed-through in a desperate attempt to beat the clock.

Here’s just a few of the bills under consideration that have been introduced at the last minute, not given a chance for normal public scrutiny, or are being rushed to votes:

• Siphoning funding from public education to fund private schools;
• Opening Maine up to large-scale, toxic, open-pit mining;
• Weakening the state’s ability to meet the needs of seniors and people with mental illness by rushing a major departmental restructuring;
• Crippling the ability of Maine towns and cities to keep their poorest citizens housed and fed;
• Stripping the ability of certain workers to collectively bargain;
• Undermining systems that protect the unemployed and injured workers;
• Giving away millions of dollars to Maine’s wealthiest while creating a permanent state budget crisis;
• Failing to prepare Maine for the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare); and
• Keeping government documents secret from Maine citizens.

Please stand with Maine people and with the Maine lawmakers working together against this dangerous agenda and flawed process. 

Please join us!

This Monday, April 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Cross Cafe, Cross State Office Building (adjacent to the State House), Augusta

Sponsoring organizations:
Consumers for Affordable Health Care
Engage Maine
EqualityMaine
Homeless Voices for Justice
Maine AFL-CIO
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Maine Education Association
Maine Equal Justice Partners
Maine People’s Alliance
Maine State Employees Association – SEIU Local 1989
Maine Women’s Lobby
National Association of Social Workers – Maine Chapter
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Preble Street

If you have questions, please reply to this email or call me at 207.622.0851, ext. 24.

Let’s take a stand together!

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director
Maine Women’s Lobby

Yesterday, these five guys were invited to testify at a hearing about who should have access to birth control.

No women were invited to testify. No kidding.

Also yesterday, this guy said “Back in my day, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.”

He’s telling women to “keep their knees together” as a way to prevent pregnancy.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

These three examples illustrate why it is so important that we keep on fighting. Please take a minute right now to support our work.

Thank you,

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director

PS: Have you joined our action list yet?

It is tough work – and often a moving target. Numbers change as you move through the process of building the budget. There are unexpected expenses – and revenues. Modification is often necessary.

Numbers change. But, where we begin doesn’t.

In order to make good decisions, we’ve all got to start from the same place.

In the last few weeks, getting your hands (let alone your head) around the Governor’s proposed budget cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services has been akin to grabbing onto smoke. It’s not possible.

Today, Mark Sullivan, from the Maine Center on Economic Policy did a great job of articulating the budget process we’ve seen so far. You can read Mark’s piece here.

Mark ends his piece with this quote: “Unfortunately, the effects of this budget proposal are more than callous.  They are real, harmful, and irresponsible.”

I would say the same about the process.

Thanks for reading,

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director

PS: Have you subscribed yet? Click here to “stay in the know”.

Throughout this past year, we fought against roll-backs to child labor laws, chemical reform protections, reproductive freedom, same-day voter registration, and the Maine Human Rights Act.

We sent you action alerts, and you sent thousands of messages to law-makers. Click on the title to read the original alert.

And the winner is (now, I know that most people start with number five, and count down to number one … and there’s a bunch of fan-fare and hoopla and suspense … but, I’m not going to do it that way).

ahem.

And the winner is…

1. beards?

February 23, 2011 – This alert was about this (now famous) quote by Governor LePage, “The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards.”

The Governor’s quote referred to a proposal to roll-back the chemical policy reform that Maine has been leading the nation with. Well, you said “not so fast, Governor.” You sent over 900 messages.

You helped to stop the roll-back.

2. Governor LePage Just signed the bill…

During the session, we fought hard to protect voting rights.  You sent almost 400 messages to legislators. The bill passed, and on June 21, 2011, Governor LePage signed a bill that would eliminate same-day voting rights in Maine. A group of Maine voters immediately gathered at the offices of the Maine Women’s Lobby to file an application to veto the bill. Throughout the summer, we all fought hard to protect voting rights in Maine.  And, on election day 2011, you stood proud with the rest of the Protect Maine Voting Rights Coalition to celebrate the successful people’s veto. The law that allows voters to register and vote on Election Day stands in Maine. Burn.

3. bathroom politics

The Maine Women’s Lobby has fought for civil rights for more than three decades. The victories – and critical protections – were hard won. During this past session, legislation was proposed that would undermine the Maine Human Rights Act and invalidate critical protections for transgender, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. You sent almost 350 messages to the legislature asking them to defeat a proposal that would scale back the Maine Human Rights Act. The proposal was defeated. Oh Yeah.

4. don’t script me

We saw four bad anti-choice bills this past session. I mean big bad scary bills – the kind they pass in Texas (sorry about that to all my Texan friends). This particular piece was in response to a bill that would have required a woman to listen to a (biased) script before she could make choices about her own body. You sent over 320 messages to law-makers asking them to protect a woman’s choice of whether – and when – to have children. All four bills were defeated. We do things a little differently up here in Maine than they do in Texas (again, apologies).

5. What’s Next – Running with Scissors?

Now this one. wow. This was about the proposed roll-back to child labor laws. I know, huh?

The 1800′s called and they want their regulations back.

YOU sent 920 messages. You protected Maine laws that had existed for over one-hundred years. Mainers believe that for our youth, school is their job.

For more in the Child Labor law realm, you can read: the boss ate my homework, Is exploitation the new business friendly?, Jobz v. skool, and lots of others by visiting our online archive.

All said and done, this year alone YOU’VE sent over 3,000 messages to law-makers. GOOD JOB – and thank you. Subscribe right now.

Please contribute right now to help us continue this important work.

Please share this post, using the tools to the left. And, help us build our influence by suggesting that your friends subscribe.

Happy New Year,

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director

Testimony in opposition:

Senator Rosen, Representative Flood, Senator McCormick, Representative Strang Burgess and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs and the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, my name is Laura Harper, and I represent the Maine Women’s Lobby, an organization that has been working for 33 years to improve the well-being of Maine women and girls through public policy.

Over the past week it has been difficult to analyze this proposed budget and the impact it will have on most Mainers and not feel like women are wearing the bullseye. From cuts to MaineCare for working families, to cuts to medical assistance for the elderly and disabled, to cuts to HeadStart, childcare subsidies, crisis services, the Family Reunification Program, and family planning services, nearly this entire proposal disproportionately affects women and the families they care for.

Because of a myriad of factors, women are more often than men caring for children on their own. They are more often making less money , requiring more health care for themselves and their children, and needing child care in order to maintain employment. The cuts proposed will devastate these families. 21,000 working parents, equal to the entire population of the City of Biddeford, will lose their health care. Furthermore, childless adults, over 40% of whom are women, and young adults aged 19 and 20 will lose their healthcare coverage – that’s 25,000 people. The lucky parents who do maintain coverage will lose vital services that likely affect their chances at economic prosperity including occupational therapy, dental, and vision care.

Very few families are impervious to these proposed cuts. Many Maine families include seniors and are referred to as the “sandwich” generation, with adults often caring for young children and aging parents simultaneously. A family that may have access to health insurance through an adult in the workforce may still rely on the Drugs for the Elderly and the Medicare Savings Programs for their aging parents.

Finally, many of the proposed cuts will result in a significant loss of jobs in the healthcare industry – one of the only sectors that is projected to continue to grow during our depressed economy.  Women workers continue to dominate the healthcare industry.

In truth, every single family in Maine will feel the effects of this budget; all of our insurance premiums will rise as costs are shifted to cover the increase in emergency room charity care. A rise in insurance premiums doesn’t only affect individual families; it impacts the business community as well. As we know from the joint report published last year by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Development Foundation, the cost of health insurance was the number one priority indicated by Maine’s business community for the Governor and legislature to address.  I don’t think they had this proposed budget with its targeted cuts to women, children, seniors, and our most needy, in mind.

My point is that during the worst of economic times we are all looking for solutions –ways to increase job creation, encourage growth in our existing industries, and attract new employers who offer benefits and decent wages. This proposed budget can’t even be labeled short-sighted for it lacks any vision at all. It does nothing to create jobs; in fact it will facilitate job loss in the healthcare sector. It does nothing to encourage growth; in fact it stunts growth by shifting costs in insurance premiums to small businesses and middle and working class families. Furthermore, it does nothing to increase the skill-level of our workforce; indeed cutting services to working families, children, and seniors puts aspirations of technical training and higher education further out of reach for too many of our workers.

In times of crisis, our culture has often saved the women and children first. They are the backbone of our families and our future as a society. This proposal before you instead puts them last.

I urge you to oppose these cuts. Thank you for your time today.

I’d like to introduce you to our MSW Intern for the 2011-2012 academic year:
Meet Diane Scalia see (photo to the right). She is a Social Work student at the University of Maine. And, she has joined the ranks of the prestigious Maine Women’s Lobby bloggers!
See her post below, and look for more to come!
————

Dear Governor LePage,

I am writing to you, first as a citizen of the Great State of Maine and second, as a graduate student in the Social Work program at the University of Maine.

Anywhere I go, I am proud to say that I hail from a state known for its industriousness and ingenuity. Mainers—like the weather—are capable of exuding unparalleled beauty and warmth in caring for their neighbors. Conversely, our stubbornness is sometimes mistaken as indifference to those ‘from away’.

I went to high school in Lewiston. Similar to other Maine communities, Lewiston, although hard-working and culturally rich, was beginning to show signs of decay. I worked in two industries now long gone, Libby Textile Mill, and later at Stride-Rite Shoe. These industries produced some of the finest products in the world, but their workers were poorly treated, under paid, and the working conditions unhealthy and filled with chemicals.

Foreign incentives of greater profit lured these businesses away. Maine, a state known for its dedicated workforce, became the perfect target for low-wage service industries.

My point, Governor, is that we have serious social problems that require fixing.

I currently attend graduate school. I love the state of Maine and I want to be part of a solution. Here’s what I know: punishing the poor, the jobless, and the elderly does not solve the problem. Denying social services does not remove the need for them. Eradicating the programs merely shuffles the burden elsewhere.

Fixing a problem always requires examining the cause. The legislature could devote its time to attracting industries offering worker benefits and living wages. Our young people need an incentive to stay in Maine—and we need to build our tax base.

As a Mainer and a student, I am proud to be pursuing a social work degree. Through my internship with the Maine Women’s Lobby, I am energized to have the opportunity to join the conversation. I have great passion for the well-being and strength of our community.

The people of Maine are my people – are they yours?

Diane Scalia
Orono

Hold up, not so fast!

Moves are afoot in Washington, DC, with huge implications for women. The discussions surrounding the the impasse over the federal budget include considering cuts to Social Security as one way to bring down the deficit.

Social Security is so important to women, it’s urgent that we all step up and make sure that doesn’t happen.

Let’s review the facts:

Social Security does not contribute to the deficit. It’s fully funded by the employer and employee payroll tax (FICA), and the program currently has a $2.6 trillion surplus.

Social Security is critical for older Americans. For all but the wealthiest retirees, Social Security accounts for more than half their income.

Social Security currently keeps 53% of older Mainers from living in poverty.

Maine members of Congress need to hear from you today. Call now and demand no cuts to Medicaid or Social Security. 1-877-264-4226.

Women are a special concern for several reasons: On average, we live six years longer than men, so our financial resources have to last longer.

And, the majority of women enter retirement with fewer assets than men.

Typically, women earn less in midlife, we’re less likely to have private pensions, and we have shorter work careers with more interruptions, thanks to the family responsibilities we juggle throughout adulthood.

What can you do? Contact your Senators and Representative, and let them know: Social Security must never be used as a bargaining chip to balance the federal budget. Call 1-877-264-4226.

Frances Perkins, who had deep Maine roots and who was one of the architects of Social Security, would be proud!

And, speaking of Frances Perkins

You’re invited to the Frances Perkins Center’s 3rd Annual Garden Party!

Thursday, August 4, 2011 from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

It’s a once-a-year event!

This year, they’re celebrating the reissue of The Roosevelt I Knew, Frances Perkins’s biography of FDR, which has been reprinted by Penguin Classics., with a new introduction by Adam Cohen. Adam will speak at the Garden Party about Frances Perkins, FDR, and how their vision of American society fares today.

Ellen directs Family Values @ Work, a network of state coalitions organizing to win paid sick days and paid family leave, of which the Maine Women’s Policy Center is a member.

Ellen is the former director of 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, and is a frequent national commentator.

Those who know Ellen or who have read her book (Taking on the Big Boys, Why Feminism is Good for Families, Business and the Nation) know that she is a witty communicator who combines deeply held values about how American policy must change to foster the success of families and the economy, with insightful perspective and storytelling.

Tickets for the Garden Party are $35 per person. To learn more and buy tickets, click here!

Philadelphia just passed paid sick days! Hooray!  Last week Connecticut became the first state to pass paid sick days, and yesterday Philadelphia became the fourth city. What a month for workers! Read below for a blog post from family values at work about the vote and the future victories!

Anyone who’s been to Philly knows about Philly cheesesteaks. When you buy one, you’ll be asked whether you want it with or without onions.

In the past several years, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, a member group of Family Values @ Work, has asked a more important question:  whether the person serving you is working with or without paid sick days.

Thanks to a massive grassroots effort in that city by the Coalition — now 106 organizations led by PathwaysPA — the answer for most workers will soon be “with!” Through an impressive combination of grassroots support, public rallies, op eds and personal appeals to Council members by constituents, the Coalition helped make the case. Today the Council voted by one vote to turn the modest paid sick days bill into law.

Workers in firms of more than 10 employees will be able to earn 7 paid sick days a year to recover from illness, access preventive care or look after a sick child or family member.  Those in firms with 5 to 10 workers will earn up to 4 days.

The news from Philadelphia comes less than two weeks after the Connecticut state legislature voted for the first-ever statewide paid sick days law. Several other cities and states across the country are actively considering similar legislation.

Next week, Seattle City Council plans to introduce a paid sick days bill which could come to a vote in August..  A broad coalition in Denver is collecting signatures for a ballot initiative in November, and in New York City, 35 City Council members are sponsoring a paid sick days law.  A hearing is scheduled in Massachusetts in July. In Georgia, a bi-partisan group of state legislators led by five Republicans is supporting a bill that would ensure workers could use sick time to care for their children and loved ones.

“We applaud Phildelphia’s City Council members for standing on the side of workers, families and the economy,” said Ellen Bravo, Executive Director of Family Values @ Work. “Coalitions of working families are fighting for such legislation across the country so that taking care of yourself or a loved one will not cost anyone a paycheck or a job. The wave of votes this year demonstrates the strong public support for paid sick days – a small step with enormous impact on public health and on job preservation.”

“Philadelphians from all walks of life came together to fight for paid sick days for everyone in our city,” said Marianne Bellesorte, director of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces in Philadelphia and Senior Director of Policy at PathWays PA. “This is a common sense measure to preserve public health and promote economic security.”

Polling in cities and states across the country shows overwhelming support for paid sick days.  Polling in Connecticut released this week shows that 72 percent of voters, including 50 percent of Republican voters, support the newly passed measure.  The strong showing of bipartisan support among voters for paid sick days is not unusual – survey after survey across the country has shown voters of both parties want this modest reform that promotes a healthier workforce and strengthens the economy.

Coalitions from other states in the Family Values @ Work consortium working for paid sick days legislation are celebrating the win for working families in Philadelphia.

“The passage of paid sick days in Philadelphia is a great success for the city and for the entire nation. Denver is excited to follow in Philadelphia and Connecticut’s footsteps and provide paid sick days for all workers so that no one has to lose pay or risk losing a job because they have to care for themselves or their family,” said Erin Bennett, Executive Director of Denver 9to5 and director of the Colorado Paid Sick Days Coalition.

“The Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce includes more than 70 community, labor and faith organizations and local businesses. Together, we’ve developed a proposal that offers a responsible and flexible way to ensure everyone has paid sick days — helping to keep people healthy, prevent the spread of disease, and promote more productive workplaces. We’re excited with this win and to see so much enthusiasm about paid sick days, both here in Seattle and across the country!” said Marilyn Watkins, director of the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce and Policy Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute.

“Across the country, working people and elected officials understand that paid sick days is a policy that’s good for the public health, good for families and good for the economy.  It’s time for New York City to join the movement to ensure working families do not have to choose between their financial security and their health or the health of their families,” said Donna Dolan, Chair of the New York State Paid Leave Coalition, a growing coalition of more than 400 community organizations, labor unions and businesses including school nurses, public health groups, restaurant workers and HIV-AIDS service providers.

For more stories from workers and business leaders, visit: http://familyvaluesatwork.org/blog/2011/06/03/workers-and-business-owners-speak-out-for-paid-sick-days/ .

This week, Maine lawmakers stood firm against efforts to roll back access to reproductive health care and civil rights protections for transgendered Mainers.

The bills were defeated by wide margins—and for good reason.

In upholding Maine law, legislators put the health of Maine women and teens first and did not erect  unecessary barriers to comprehensive health care services.

In defending the Maine Human Rights Act, they refused to put the rights and safety of transgendered Mainers at risk. Click here to thank the Maine lawmakers who voted to protect the equality of all Mainers.

They took a stand for putting focus where it’s needed—jobs and the economy—rather than policing the personal, private decisions between women and their doctors.

Click here to find out how your legislators voted on these bills (the bill text is at the top of each page): L.D. 116, L.D. 924, L.D. 1457, and L.D. 1046.

The Bad (really, really bad).

Also this week, a majority of Maine lawmakers voted to eliminate Maine’s 38-year-old, same-day voter registration.

L.D. 1376 creates unnecessary barriers for prospective voters, and turns back the clock on our democracy.

Click here to see how your legislators voted on this bill.

The tabled.

The legislature is almost finished for the session, though there are critical decisions yet to make. But some bills were tabled and we’ll see them back on the table in January – including the attacks on collective bargaining.

One thing you can count on for sure – we’ll be right there fighting for you.

This bill creates unnecessary barriers for prospective voters, and turns back the clock on our democracy.

Please contact your Senator right now and ask them to oppose L.D. 1376.