Politics Archives - NFBPWC-NYC

DPI Briefing, April 19, 2018: Migration’s Contributions to Prosperity, Development and International Unity

April 22, 2018 by empoweredwomen 1 Comment

Today’s briefing highlighted the positive aspects of migration both for the host countries as well as for the countries from which the migrants come. The panel was composed of United Nations experts, and partners from NGOs working with migrants, as well as some living the migrant reality.

Ashraf El Nour, Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s office to the United Nations in NY, moderated the session. In addition, he leads IOM New York policy development work in the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. I found “Regular” to be an odd word choice, but now realize that it differentiates those migrants that arrive in a host country illegally or overstay tourist visas, etc., and thus are “Irregular” migrants. Regular migrants are registered in a host country and have access to legal employment, better wages, legal protections, more social services, and are less vulnerable to the abuses that migrant workers may suffer.

In 2017 the number of international migrants worldwide was nearly 258 million. About 3.4% of the world population are international migrants (this compares to 2.8% in 2000). Given global trends that can necessitate people movement: war and family safety, climate change, natural disasters, economic factors, the trend will continue to increase …and this is a good thing. Migrant workers contribute over $6 trillion to global GDP. They contribute to economic growth, development and innovation, combat the negative economic effects of aging populations in some host countries, enrich society with new foods, music and cultural aspects. And the remittances sent home by migrant workers, over $413 billion in 2016, can enable families and villages to survive and improve living standards.

As John Kenneth Galbraith has said:

“Migration is the oldest action against poverty. It is good for the country to which they go; it helps break the equilibrium of poverty in the country from which they come…What is the perversity in the human soul that causes people to resist so obvious a good?”

Maria del Carmen Dominguez, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Chile to the UN spoke about Chile’s experience and policies. The birth rate in Chile is 1.9 children per woman – thus the population is now aging and Chile needs migrant workers. Most migrants in Chile are from other Latin American countries and the Caribbean. The unskilled migrants can fill jobs in agriculture, logging, and other industries that are important exports for Chile. Many unskilled migrants are quick to become more skilled workers when given the training and education. Chile has both “Regular” and “Irregular” migrants and it has a process to make the “Irregulars” “Regular”.

Chile also has a program to give visas to migrant families so that the family can be united. Migrant families tend to be entrepreneurial and a stabilizing force in society. It was clear that Chile is a strong supporter of the United Nation’s Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration and believes that Human Rights are for all Humans – irregardless of their immigration status. The steps that Chile is taking seem very enlightened when compared to walls, border patrols, breaking up productive families and deporting Dreamers…

Bela Hovy, Chief of the Migration Section at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, overseas the estimation of global migration trends and supports migration data collection and analysis in developing countries. From 1993 to 2005, Mr. Hovy was responsible for statistics at the Office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. And statistics he did provide – on levels and trends in international migration, demographic characteristics, migrant remittances and more. In many parts of the world, migration occurs primarily between countries within the same region: most international migrants in Asia (80%), Africa (79%), Latin America and the Caribbean (64%), and Europe (53%) originate from another country in the same region. By contrast most international migrants living in Northern America (98%) and Oceania (87%) were born in a region other than the one they are residing in. The ratification of legal instruments related to international migration is uneven. The 1951 Refuge Convention and its 1967 Protocol have been ratified by 145 and 146 UN Member states, respectively. But only a quarter of countries have ratified the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

Kevin Appleby is Senior Director for International Migration Policy for the Center for Migration Studies of New York and the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN). SIMN is a network of 270 schools, shelters, educational institutes and training and community centers for migrants operated globally by the Missionaries of St. Charles, Scalabrini, Catholic religious order. He focused on the importance of a regularization program to legal status. He also mentioned studies that show if 11 million undocumented workers were regularized, it would increase the real GDP in the USA by 3.3% over 10 years.

Manal Kahi is the founder and CEO of Eat Offbeat, a social enterprise that delivers authentic meals made by refugees to clients (mainly corporate). Manal came to the USA to pursue a career in international affairs, but found the hummus available in NYC led her to launch Eat Offbeat. The enterprise both helps New Yorkers to discover authentic dishes from around the world and also creates quality jobs for immigrants.

Manyang Reath Keer spent almost 14 years of his childhood as a Lost Boy of Sudan before he was brought to the USA by a faith based NGO. For the past 10 years, in addition to getting an education, he has dedicated his life to raising awareness and money for the refugee crisis through his non-profit, Humanity Helping Sudan and most recently he launched a coffee Brand, 734, named for the geographical coordinates for Gambela, a region in Ethiopia where over 200,000 South Sudanese citizens take refuge. Precedes support farming enterprises in the region and allow refugees to live a more meaningful and aid-free life.

Article written by UN Representative Mary Brophy.

Governor Cuomo Announces Legislation to Institute a Salary History Ban to Close the Gender Wage Gap

April 11, 2018 by empoweredwomen Leave a Comment

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-legislation-institute-salary-history-ban-close-gender-wage-gap

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today advanced legislation to prohibit all employers, public and private, who do business in New York State, from asking prospective employees about their salary history and compensation. This legislation, advanced on Equal Pay Day, puts New York on track to close the gender wage gap. The Governor also released the Department of Labor’s report and recommendations to close the gender pay gap in New York State. These actions build on the Governor’s record of working to close the gender wage gap and advancing women’s rights and opportunities. New York currently has the narrowest wage gap in the nation, with women earning the equivalent of 89 cents to a man’s dollar. This uniquely positions New York to more quickly close the gender wage gap.

“New York is the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, from Seneca Falls to suffrage, and that fight continues today as we take aggressive steps to close the gender wage gap,” Governor Cuomo said. “The gender pay gap exists across the economic spectrum, across all industries, and can follow women throughout their entire careers. By banning salary history, we can break the weight of this unfair, unequal cycle and work to achieve fair pay for all women in this state.”

“As co-chairs of the NYS Pay Equity Study, Commissioner Reardon and I heard the voices of countless women who get up every day, put their heart and soul into their jobs, and at the end of the day still earn less than men,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “The fact that the wage gap for women of color and Latinas is even wider, makes this reality even more shameful. Although New York leads the nation in terms of equal pay, the gap still exists. This is unacceptable and New York will not rest until women achieve full equality. That’s why I’m proud we are taking this step to ensure that women are not hostage to their prior wages when applying for their next jobs.”

“I thank the Governor for the opportunity to study this critical issue,” said Commissioner Reardon. “It’s been a gratifying and illuminating experience and I hope the work we’ve done will contribute to a fairer and brighter future for women and girls everywhere. There’s a long road ahead, but we’ve taken the first step towards eliminating the wage gap for good.”

This new legislation builds on two executive orders signed by the Governor last year to eliminate the wage gap by prohibiting state entities from evaluating candidates based on wage history and requiring state contractors to disclose data on the gender, race and ethnicity of employees – leveraging taxpayer dollars to drive transparency and advance pay equity statewide. Today’s legislation builds on legislative efforts to address the issue and broadens the scope of Executive Order #161 to encompass all employers, not just state entities, in order to break the cycle of unfair, unequal compensation.

In 2017, Governor Cuomo directed the Department of Labor to study the causes, scope and economic impact of the gender pay gap in New York State and issue policy recommendations to help close it. The study is co-chaired by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. As part of the study, the Department of Labor conducted pay equity hearings in New York City, Syracuse, Long Island and Buffalo to solicit testimony identifying specific causes of the gender wage gap and suggestions on ways in which the wage gap can be closed, either in its entirety, or in particular industries.

The report, available here, outlines the state of the gender pay gap in New York, including its scope across the economic spectrum and throughout each regions of the state. In New York, women earn the equivalent of 89 cents to each dollar earned by men, the narrowest wage gap of any state in the nation and higher than the national average of 80 cents. However, the gap is substantially wider for women of color in New York as compared to White, non-Hispanic men. Black or African American women are paid the equivalent of 64 cents on the dollar and Hispanic and Latina women are paid 55 cents on the dollar. Among other findings, the study determined the largest difference between female and male median earnings in the finance, insurance and real estate industries.

The report also outlines some of the causes of the wage gap, including the “sticky floor,” a term that refers to a wide range of roadblocks that prevent women from rising beyond the lowest rungs of the career ladder.

The report proposes a series of policy recommendations to close the wage gap, including launching statewide public education campaigns on the breadth of career opportunities, salary negotiation and financial literacy, expanding access to child care and family leave, increasing career mentoring for young women and improving data and transparency on job titles, pay and benefits. In addition, the report recommends instituting employee scheduling regulations and eliminating the subminimum wage for tipped workers, two initiatives the Governor has already directed the Department of Labor to explore.

Chief among the report’s policy recommendations is to institute a salary history ban that prohibits all employers, public and private, who do business in New York from asking prospective employees about their salary history and compensation. If women are already being paid less for working the same jobs and being just as productive as men, this will halt the compounding nature of the gender wage gap. Today’s legislation accepts and advances that recommendation.

Dina Bakst, Co-Founder & Co-President, A Better Balance, said, “ABB applauds the Governor for continuing to lead and expand on his commitment to women’s equality. By advancing salary history ban legislation and issuing other key policy recommendations, informed by pay equity hearings held across New York State, the Cuomo Administration is building on its promise to ensure that women, especially those with the fewest resources, earn the fair and equal wages they deserve.”

Beverly Neufeld, President, PowHer New York, said, “Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s ongoing leadership, New York has made great strides in strengthening equal pay protections for women in New York. While our state has the smallest wage gap in the nation, there is still a lot of work to be done. PowHer New York applauds the Governor for taking this next major step toward eliminating the wage and opportunity gap and is committed to advancing these recommendations to create economic equality for all women.”

Merble Reagon, Executive Director, Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement, said, “On this Equal Pay Day 2018, we applaud the Governor’s progressive actions on behalf of all women across the State of New York. This is a unique opportunity for New York State to lead the country in addressing the multiple barriers that stand in the way of all women earning the self-sufficiency wages that will support them and their families. In particular, it is women who are single mothers, maintaining households alone and/or women of color who know that it is largely inadequate and unequal wages, not inadequate work effort that characterizes their economic poverty.”

Cynthia Herriott, Vice President of Public Policy, American Association of University Women of New York State, said, “The American Association of University Women of New York State, continues to play a critical leadership role in promoting equity and education for women and girls. The new bill introduced by Governor Cuomo regarding the salary history ban is an essential start in the fight for Pay Equity. We call on the NYS Legislature to pass it this session.”

Michele Johnson, Vice President, YWCAs of New York State, Inc., said, “YWCAs of NYS commend Governor Cuomo for maintaining attention to the critical issue of pay equity. It is one of many factors that contribute to unacceptably high rates of poverty of female-headed households and an issue at the core of YWCA work throughout the state, particularly in Upstate NY where gender pay inequity is greatest. For women of color, a primary constituency of YWCAs, the issue is most severe and therefore even more important for them that we have the facts and testimony provided in the Governor’s report. Such data is invaluable in fighting poverty and working to close the ongoing gender inequities that continue to stunt women’s achievements.”

Scott Stringer’s Statement on Equal Pay Day 2018

April 11, 2018 by empoweredwomen Leave a Comment

Dear Friend —

From pioneering entrepreneurs, to powering half the city’s workforce…in every way, women contribute to the health and vitality of our city.

Yet even in 2018 – women are consistently underpaid and undervalued for their work.

So for Equal Pay Day, we wanted to run the numbers. We released a first-of-its-kind analysis on the gender wage gap in some of the most common New York City occupations.

And the wage gaps this report reveals – particularly for women of color – are downright despicable.

We found that even in the same lines of work, the gender wage gap can stretch to nearly $140,000 a year.

And for women of color – the results are the starkest.

Among financial managers, Black women are paid 39 cents to every dollar earned by a White male financial manager.

And while the wage gap by gender is narrower in some professions where women have historically been overrepresented, racial wage gaps persist, exceeding the gender pay gap in some instances.

What does this mean? It shows the need for a racial lens to be applied to all efforts to achieve gender equity. Because women – and especially women of color – are collectively being robbed of hundreds of thousands in potential earnings, every year.

At the Comptroller’s Office, we’ve used our platform to shake up corporate America and increase gender and racial diversity in corporate boardrooms. And we’ve fought for women- and minority-owned businesses, right here in the City, to get a fair shot.

And today – on Equal Pay Day – we’re redoubling our efforts in the fight for equal pay for equal work. We need to unstack the deck for women across our city.

It’s the right and the smart thing to do.

I’ll keep you posted,

Scott

Our mailing address is:
1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007

The Legend Of Shirley Chisholm Screening And Conversation

January 10, 2018 by empoweredwomen Leave a Comment

“The Legacy of Shirley Chisholm: Screening and Conversation“

Wednesday, January 24^th at 6:30 pm at the Museum of the City of New York

In a whirlwind of historic firsts, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968 and, in 1972, the first black candidate for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States. Join us for a screening of the Peabody Award winning documentary, Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed (2004, 75 min), which tells the extraordinary story of a woman claiming her place in American politics. Following the film, director Shola Lynch will discuss Chisholm’s lasting legacy with Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, the current representative of Chisholm’s former Ninth Congressional District.

Doors open to Ronay Menschel Hall at 6:00 pm and wine and light snacks will be served leading up to the program, which begins at 6:30 pm.

Includes Museum admission.

National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs is a proud sponsor of this event.

Governor Andrew Cuomo Announces New Policies For Equal Pay

January 11, 2017 by empoweredwomen Leave a Comment

Governor Andrew Cuomo Announces:

At the State of the State in NYC, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo announced many important policies, but of special importance to us are two Executive Orders addressing equal pay. The first bans the use of salary history in hiring practices for state employees, and the second requires NYS contractors to report equal pay data. Since both policies are part of NFBPWFC-NYC’s Equal Pay Campaign priority list, we are thrilled to announce this important news and thank everyone who helped to make this happen!

Executive Order 161
Executive Order No. 161 prohibits state entities from asking the salary history of prospective employees. As companies tend to base salary offers on a candidate’s prior salary history, this measure will break the cycle of unfair compensation so that individuals, primarily women and minorities, are not disadvantaged throughout the course of their entire career.

A candidate for employment at any state entity does not have to provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until he or she is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. Once a conditional offer has been extended, a state entity may then request and verify compensation information. If a state entity is already in possession of an applicant’s prior compensation, the information may not be relied upon in determining the prospective employees salary, unless required by law or collective bargaining agreement. The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations will monitor and oversee this process and train relevant human resources staff from state entities on the requirements of the new measure.

Executive Order 162
Executive Order No. 162 requires all state contractors to disclose data on the gender, race, ethnicity, job title, and salary of all its employees in all state contracts, agreements, and procurements issued and executed on or after June 1, 2017. Contracts and procurements issued on or after that date must include a provision identifying this additional requirement. Additionally, subcontractors must also provide the same information for their employees. This information will be reported to state agencies and authorities on a quarterly basis for prime contracts having a value in excess of $25,000, except for prime construction contracts having a value in excess of $100,000, which shall be reported on a monthly basis. This will leverage taxpayer dollars to drive transparency and progress toward wage equity.

Women’s March On Washington Information

January 2, 2017 by empoweredwomen Leave a Comment

We are encouraging women all over the country, especially our members, Bring Family and Friends, to attend the Women’s March on Washington on January 21 or one of the many marches in cities near you. You need to sign up if you are going so that you have a ticket. It’s free to sign up:

1. Here’s the sign up for the Women’s March on Washington

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-march-on-washington-official-tickets-29428287801

2. Here’s the sign up for the Women’s March on Washington in New York City: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-march-on-nyc-tickets-29464021682

3. Here’s the latest information on the sister marches in various cities:
https://www.womensmarch.com/sister-marches/

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