By HELENA WHYTE and SYLVIA FINKAAUW NM CO-PRESIDENTS
While Labor Day is the time when we recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers, the fight for economic equality is far from over.
Only 13 percent of American workers have access to paid leave through their employer. Two-thirds of minimum wage workers in the U.S. are women, and their income remains below the federal poverty line. Couple this with the fact a woman working full time on average still only makes 79 cents to a white, non-Hispanic man’s dollar. It’s easy to see that we still have work to do.
As Election Day approaches, it’s important for all voters to educate themselves on where candidates, both state and federal, stand on worker issues. We encourage everyone to utilize the American Association of University Women Action Fund’s (AAUW) 2016 voter guides, which provide a breakdown of where candidates in congressional, gubernatorial and presidential races stand on issues impacting women and families such as minimum wage, equal pay, paid leave, and many others. (https://www.aauwaction.org/voter-education/voter- guides/).
Providing voters with clear information on candidates’ positions is just as critical as getting people to the polls in November. This is especially true for women, whose votes will likely decide the 2016 election. Candidates owe it to voters to answer our questions, address our issues, and make their stances known.
It’s also up to us as citizens to not only register to vote but to actually show up to the polls on Nov. 8! This year voters are watching and we will hold candidates’ feet to the fire come Election Day and beyond.
