Conference on June 9 to Address Gender-based Pay Inequalities

Teresa Heinz Kerry, philanthropist and advocate for women’s retirement security, will give the lunchtime keynote address at the "Women, Wages and Work" conference on June 9, 2008, at the Univ. of Massachusetts Boston. (Photo from www.heinz.org)

Former Massachusetts lieutenant governor Evelyn Murphy, philanthropist and women's retirement-security advocate Teresa Heinz Kerry, and Supreme Court plaintiff Lilly Ledbetter, whose case led to the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007, will be keynote speakers at a "Women, Wages and Work" conference on June 9, 2008, at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB).

Organized by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) at UMB, the all-day conference will address gender-based pay inequalities and cover topics such as retirement security, wage and benefit inequities faced by healthcare workers, and job-skills training.

The three keynote speakers will be among the estimated 300 women in attendance from various echelons of government, business and the non-profit sector.

The conference is open to the public, with online registration available at the CWPPP Web site.

A panel discussion called "Federal and State Legislative Solutions" will engage Ann Bookman, author and executive director of the MIT Workplace Center; Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Congresswoman; Harriette Chandler, Massachusetts state senator; Alice Wolf, state representative; and Patricia Jehlen, state senator.

"Making the Workplace Work for You," another panel discussion in the morning, will feature Jacqueline Cooke, director, Women's Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Labor Region I; Rocío Sáenz, president, SEIU Local 615; Beth Babcock, president and CEO, Crittenton Women's Union; Sharon Scott-Chandler, chair, Massachusetts Early Education and Care Board; and Lisa Bender, VP and chief human resources officer, MITRE Corporation.

The "Women, Wages and Work" conference will run from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on Monday, June 9, 2008. Registration is $75 each; students, $35 each. Sponsorships are also available.

The conference schedule and other information are online at www.mccormack.umb.edu/centers/cwppp/womenwages&work.php.

AFTERNOON STRATEGY SESSIONS OF THE "WOMEN, WAGES and WORK" CONFERENCE:

CLOSING THE WAGE GAP, ONE STEP AT A TIME
Facilitators: Linda Brantley, executive director, Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, and Donna Stewartson, associate program director, Program for Women in Politics & Public Policy, Univ. of Massachusetts Boston.
Gain an understanding of the state legislative process.
Learn more about the Chandler Bill - a first step toward creating pay equity for state employees.

ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELF IN THE WORKPLACE: HOW TO TALK TO YOUR BOSS ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED
Facilitators: Kelsey McCoy, public policy coordinator, Crittenton Women's Union, and Bryn Dews, a manager at the MITRE Corporation
Get salary-negotation tips. Understand what motivates companies to adopt family‐friendly workplace programs.
Learn how to make a case to your employer for what you need.

PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE: WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL WORKERS, WHAT'S NEXT FOR MASSACHUSETTS?
Facilitator: Ann Bookman, author and executive eirector of the MIT Workplace Center.
Learn what other states are doing to support workers with child and elder care responsibilities.
Discuss what's needed in Massachusetts and what you can do to help make it happen.

WAGE Project Training: EDUCATING WOMEN ABOUT WHAT THEIR WORK IS WORTH
Facilitator: Annie Houle, National Campus and Community Initiatives, The WAGE Project.
Learn about the WAGE Project, founded by former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy, who has taken it across the country.
Get a preview of fall 2008 workshops Start Smart for college‐aged women, and Return Smart for older women reentering the workforce.

EASING THE CHILDCARE BURDEN FOR WORKING PARENTS, IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Facilitators: Amy O'Leary, campaign director, Strategies for Children, and Sharon Scott‐Chandler, VP of Head Start and Children's Services, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD).
Learn about the Early Education for All Campaign and how you can participate in the effort to bring voluntary, universally‐accessible pre‐kindergarten and kindergarten to every child in Massachusetts.

JOB/SKILLS TRAINING: TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE, ADVOCATING FOR MORE
Facilitators: Rosemary Alexander, executive director of the JobNet One‐Stop Career Center, in Boston, and Sue Parsons, workforce solutions coordinator, Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
Learn about training opportunities available through Massachusetts' One‐Stop Career Centers.
Hear about the campaign for increased state funding for skills training and how you can get involved.

RETIREMENT PLANNING: THE TIME TO START IS NOW
Facilitator: Ellen Bruce, director of the Pension Action Center, Univ. of Massachusetts Boston
Learn how your decisions - while you're working or not - will effect your future retirement income.
Learn what policies are working against you, and how you can increase your future income.

ADVOCACY 101: BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE
Facilitator: Pamela Pollock, YWCAs New England, and Rita German, YWCA Boston.
Learn the skills you need to advocate for personal and political issues - in the workplace, at your child's school, and with local, state and national political leaders.

source: EthnicNews.org with material from the CWPPP and the UMB