Big pay disparities at the Washington Post between men and women with the same jobs, and between white employees and employees of color were exposed this week by a report released by The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Local 32035.
According to the report, which examined the pay of every union-represented employee of the paper, male Post reporters earned an average of $7,000 more than women, while male columnists made an eye-popping $23,000 more than women doing the same jobs. Male editorial aides made $7,000 more than their female counterparts. In nine of 12 job titles reviewed, white employees earned significantly more than their non-white colleagues. Assistant editors of color made about 15 percent less than white assistant editors. "We believe the problem is widespread at the Post," said Fredrick Kunkle, a NewsGuild co-chair who works at the Washington Post. Despite complaints that go back decades, the Guild says the Post has not done enough to track or correct the disparities. "We're hoping the company will take a fresh look at the data and engage with us in ways to address the issue," Kunkle said. "We recognize that this is a longstanding and complex problem not just at the Post, but society in general, and we're eager to collaborate on ways to address it." "Labor should not be about creating monuments on hills or statues in parks. Labor's monuments and statues are when a young person can find a job, when a person with disability can get access to the ordinary life that others take for granted."
"Bill" Shorten is the current Leader of the Opposition for the Australian Labor Party. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi led an early morning delegation of Congressional representatives on the F Street Verizon picket-line Wednesday morning, joining in on the chanting and demands for a fair contract. “We want to stop the outsourcing,” Pelosi said, “It’s not just important to CWA and the IBEW, it’s important to our entire middle class, it’s important to our democracy. You are making a fight for America; thank you for your patriotism.” Click here for the May 19 Joint Statement on Verizon Labor Negotiations by Nearly 90 Members of Congress. - photo from CWA 2108’s Facebook page, where there’s also a video posted. Demonstrating the power of direct action, H Street Walmart manager Jack Hulme agreed to meet with a fired worker after unions and community groups turned out to support her. Arleja Stevens was fired last March for being absent five times because of pregnancy-related medical issues, including a trip to the emergency room. Stevens was denied excused absences despite providing a doctor’s notice, in violation of the DC Pregnancy Fairness Act. Yesterday, members of UFCW Making Change at Walmart, Jobs With Justice, and the OPEIU Local 2 Social Justice Committee accompanied Stevens to deliver a copy of the Act to store manager Jack Hulme, who agreed on the spot to meet with Stevens and representatives from UFCW and DC JWJ this morning. Maryland and DC both have laws granting rights to women for doctor visits and other workplace accommodations necessitated by pregnancy, and Walmart and other employers regularly discriminate against pregnant employees, the organizations charge. “I don’t like what they did to you,” one Walmart shopper told Stevens. “I just want my job back,” Arleja told her supporters. - Bruce Wolf/OPEIU 2; photo of Arleja Stevens and her son by Virginia Rodino/OPEIU 2 |