PREAMBLE
The Alice Paul Equal Rights Amendment shall stand first, foremost and above all other items which may appear on the Legislative Platform of this Federation until equal rights for women and men become guaranteed in the United States Constitution.
THE ALICE PAUL EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Actively work to pass legislation, which will ensure equal rights and remedies for women in all phases of their lives, including support of affirmative action programs; and eliminate sexual harassment against individuals.
ECONOMIC EQUITY
Actively work to support equal educational opportunities; equal treatment for women in all areas of employment, including adequate retirement benefits, improved programs for women re-entering the workforce, and implementation of equal pay for work of comparable worth.
DEPENDENT CARE
Promote measures to strengthen and improve enrichment programs, physical facilities, and funding for affordable quality dependent care of all ages.
VICTIM RIGHTS
Actively work to strengthen and enforce legal protections for all individuals who are victims of violent acts including domestic and/or sexual violence; promote support services and facilities for survivors of violence and the funding thereof; and support legislation, which provides compensatory and punitive damage awards to victims.
HEALTH
Actively work to strengthen and enforce legal protection for full access to all health care services including reproductive choice, funding for research into and protection for women’s health care and educational programs concerning women’s health issues.
POLICY ITEMS
Actively work for the election of and appointment to policy-making positions those who support the BPW Legislative Platform. Actively support the BPW/USA Legislative Platform.
BPW/OHIO Resolutions
Adopted May 2006
RESOLUTION 1: EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN
Whereas, since equal pay for women became the law of the land in 1963, the wage gap has narrowed by slightly more than one/third of a cent per year, and Whereas, women working full-time, year-round earn only about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and Whereas, an earnings gap exists between men and women across a wide spectrum of occupations, and Whereas, the earnings gap between women and men also persists across all education levels, and Whereas, there is not a single state in which women have gained economic equality with men, and Whereas, as women get older, the wage gap for them widens and pay inequity follows women into retirement, and Whereas, many single women provide most or all of the families’ support, and the wage gap limits women’s purchasing power, thereby making it harder to pay bills, and Whereas, the average 25 year old working woman will lose more than $523,000 to unequal pay during the course of her career; and Whereas, women’s Social Security and individual retirement income is decreased because of the wage gap, making the United States the leader among industrial nations in the number of women in poverty in their elder years, and Whereas, equal pay for equal work is at the foundation of equality in the workplace, therefore be it Resolved, that BPW/OHIO members be urged to encourage their Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 841, H. R. 1687) and the Fair Pay Act of 2005 (S. 840, H. R. 1697) and be it further Resolved, that the President of the Ohio Federation of Business and Professional Women send letters to Ohio Senators Mike DeWine and George Voinovich urging them to support S. 841 – The Paycheck Fairness Act and S. 840 – The Fair Pay Act of 2005; and be it Resolved, that each BPW/OHIO local organization be encouraged to address the issue of Equal Pay for Women during at least one meeting or activity during the 2006-7 Federation Year; and be further Resolved, that this resolution be published in the next issue of the Ohio Business Woman and on the BPW/OHIO website.
RESOLUTION 2: Resolution in Support of OHIO PREVENTION FIRST ACT
Whereas, nearly 50% of all pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended, one of the highest unintended pregnancy rates among Industrialized nations. We need common sense solutions to this problem; and Whereas, reducing the unintended pregnancy rate will reduce the number of abortions. Half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion, by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies we can safely reduce the number of abortions; and Whereas, increased access to emergency contraception (EC) is an effective way to reduce unintended pregnancy and the number of abortions. A 2002 study revealed that EC use was likely responsible for up to 43% of the decline in the number of abortions in the United States between 1994 and 2000; and Whereas, last year, 13% of the female students at Timken Senior High School in Canton, Ohio were pregnant – that’s 64 young women facing unintended pregnancies. Ohio has the 28 highest teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. Students deserve honest scientifically proven methods of sexuality education so that they have the life skills to prevent pregnancy when they decide to be sexually active; and Whereas, the Ohio Prevention First Act will: Forbid a health insurance company from limiting or excluding coverage for FDA approved prescription contraception if the policy covers other prescription drugs or devices. Establish an emergency contraception education program through the Ohio Department of Health to educate medical professionals and the general public about emergency contraception. Allow pharmacies to dispense EC without a prescription, after completing a training program. Require sex education classes to provide students with medically accurate information about abstinence, contraception and condom use as ways to prevent unintended pregnancies and STDs including HIV/AIDS. Sex education programs that do not follow these guidelines are not eligible for state grant funding. Restore state funding for family planning services. Launch a Teen Pregnancy Prevention grant program through the Ohio Department of Health to award grants to public and private entities to establish or expand programs geared towards at risk youth. BE IT RESOLVED, that BPW/Ohio supports the Ohio Prevention First Act and directs the BPW/Ohio President to publish a copy of this Resolution in the OBW and post it on the BPW/Ohio Website; and FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2006-2007 BPW/Ohio Legislation Chair shall organize and implement a mechanism to assist the membership in a letter writing campaign to their Ohio Senators and Representatives urging their support of the Ohio Prevention First Act; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of BPW/Ohio actively work in support of passage of the Ohio Prevention First Act.
RESOLUTION 3: VOTER TURNOUT
Whereas, Voting is a sacred right that many of us take for granted; and Whereas, Billions of people throughout the world cannot cast a meaningful ballot; and Whereas, Elections can be won or lost by a just a few votes; and Whereas, There is a lot at stake in this election for American working women and businesses; and Whereas, BPW members and all working women can have a strong influence on the outcome of the 2006 election; therefore be it Resolved, That BPW members be urged to vote on Election Day, 2006 and in subsequent elections; and be it further Resolved, That
this resolution be published in the next issue of the Ohio Business Woman and on the BPW/OHIO website.
RESOLUTION 4: Resolution in Support of Ohio Minimum Wage Legislative Initiative
Whereas, the erosion of the minimum wage has painful consequences for families. A full-time, year round worker earning $ 5.15 per hour brings in only $ 10,712 for a year’s work. Full time minimum wage workers earn less than two thirds of the three-person poverty threshold which was $ 16,600 in 2006; and Whereas, federal inaction has allowed such dramatic wage erosion, States have taken action. More than half of the workers in the United States now live in a state where they are or will soon be protected by a minimum wage above the federal level. At least twenty (20) states plus District of Columbia will have minimum wages above the federal; and Whereas, a grassroots coalition is seeking to put a minimum wage increase on the November 2006 ballot; and whereas this initiative would raise Ohio’s minimum wage to $ 6.85 an hour in January 2007 with annual cost of living adjustments, thereafter; BE IT RESOLVED, that BPW/Ohio supports the grassroots efforts to place the Minimum Wage Initiative on the November 2006 ballot and urges its membership to actively gather signatures on petitions to have this initiative placed on the ballot; FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2006-2007 BPW/Ohio President shall publish a copy of this Resolution in the OBW and post it on the BPW/Ohio Website; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of BPW/Ohio shall actively work in support of the ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage in Ohio.
