Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Rose Schneiderman, Harriet Tubman, Dolores Huerta, Malala Yousafzai – all women who have left a lasting impression in our society through powerful movements. Now coined as the “Year of the Woman”, 2018 has given women a platform and a voice that will forever change America’s social and political landscape. Today, more than ever, women are demanding a seat at the table, not only because it is just, but because it is common sense.
Per the Brookings Institute’s The 51%: Driving Growth through Women’s Economic Participation, the growth of women in the workplace has stagnated and even reversed considerably since 2000. Thus, large gaps still remain between men and women, particularly in employment rates, positions held, wages earned, and overall economic security.
But most recently, the efforts to hinder women and their viability look more like blatant assaults on their labor rights than just mere archaic policies in action. In Florida and across the country, legislators have taken a direct aim at teachers (80 percent women), looking to dismantle their unions and strip them of their voice. This reality, coupled with the glaring inequalities in pay and access, are leading to intolerable working environments for women across the nation.
This is nothing new. In 2011, Act 10 in Wisconsin had a devastating effect on labor unions, particularly that of teachers, who saw their work force leave by the droves due to regressing salaries and loss of benefits. But now, with the passage of Florida HB 7055, it has arrived in our own doorstep.
It is impossible to succinctly talk about all the reasons why HB 7055 is catastrophic for public education, but more importantly, it is a huge blow to teachers across the state. Why? Because nestled in-between all the other terrible allowances presented in this bill, lawmakers have included a provision to eliminate teachers’ unions that fall under the arbitrary number of 50 percent paid membership.
By this measure, every legislator currently sitting in Tallahassee is illegitimate and should be removed. That is because none of them were elected to office by more than 50 percent of the eligible voters in their districts, thereby disqualifying them from representing the people they have sworn to serve.
But we all know this isn’t about minority/majority representation or freedom of speech, as they like to tout. It is not even about public education needs or the public benefit. It is a play to undermine women’s voices and silence those of us who speak out on behalf of public education and children. These elected officials are purely motivated (and influenced) by those who wish to remove the last barrier that stands between them and the public tax dollars they need to privatize education and enrich themselves.
It is no coincidence that the only unions that were originally exempt from these policies are male-dominated professions – police, fire fighters, and correction officers. And it also shouldn’t be lost on us that these labor groups are cited as exceptions to the rule because they are deemed as being critical to public safety, yet at the same time teachers are being asked to serve as armed guards on school campuses. Imagine, the same year that legislators strip away our rights, is the year they pass a law to put weapons in our hands.
Much like public education, women’s rights are critical to human rights and to achieving a real democratic society. It is disastrous to see that instead our state lawmakers are attempting to move our country backwards instead of forward by taking the teaching profession back to pre-19thcentury times. As we close out International Women’s Month, women, especially educators, should remember that this not a time to rest on our laurels. There is still much to do when it comes to equal access, equal participation, and equal pay. The fight must continue beyond March 31.
