Legal Momentum Briefing Room

Legal Momentum Commemorates Equal Pay Day

The gender pay gap still plagues women nationwide. On average, women workers still earn 77 cents on every dollar their male counterparts make, an income gap that translates to a loss of over $10,000 per year. The gender wage gap is even more striking for women of color: African-American women make 61 cents and Latinas make 52 cents for every dollar white men earn.

April 12th, the 102nd day of the year, is Equal Pay Day, designated as such because women would have to work 102 more days into 2011 to earn what their male counterparts made in 2010 alone.

Today Congress will re-introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that died in committee last November. The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen the Equal Pay Act, signed into law by President Kennedy in 1963. While the Equal Pay Act was a major victory for women, it is in dire need of updates to ensure that women have full equality. The Paycheck Fairness Act would give women the same remedies for gender wage discrimination that are now available to victims of discrimination based on race or national origin. It would also bar employers from retaliating against employees for discussing their salaries with each other—a problem that continues to plague many women.

Equal Pay Day reminds us that there is progress to be made when it comes to women’s economic equality – and just in time. While the White House and the Congress have agreed on a the FY 2011 budget, it will soon consider the budget for FY 2012. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced the GOP 2012 budget plan last week, a blueprint that would further imperil women’s bid for full equality, with severe cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Pell Grants for education and other programs that benefit Americans in poverty – most of whom are women. Indeed, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Ryan’s 2012 budget gets about two-thirds of its $4 trillion in cuts from programs that benefit low-income Americans.

On Equal Pay Day, Congress should reconsider and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. But future equality also depends on budget that is both balanced and fair to all – a fact that must be remembered as Congress begins to debate the FY 2012 budget.

Learn more about Legal Momentum's work on employment discrimination.

New Report Highlights Women's Advancements and Persistent Inequities in the United States

In 2009, President Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that the federal government provides a coordinated response to women’s issues. In honor of women’s history month, the Council, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget and the Economics and Statistics Administration, released "Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being," a report analyzing five key issues facing women: demographic and family changes, education, employment, health, and crime and violence.

"Women in America" demonstrates that women have advanced dramatically in American society, particularly in education.  More than ever before, women, from diverse racial and ethnic groups, enroll in institutions of higher education. In 2011, there are more women than men in both undergraduate and graduate schools. Women also have higher graduation rates at all academic levels than men.
Despite this progress, female students score lower than male students in mathematics assessment tests. While science, math and technology careers are dominated by men, women comprise two-thirds of global graduates in the humanities. Gender segregation in career and technical education – the path to jobs in the skilled trades, which lead to occupations with high wages, benefits, and opportunities for professional growth – continues. Legal Momentum's Pipeline Program seeks to address this disparity, forging systemic change in educational institutions to end the long history of gender segregation in these schools and career fields, while increasing the earnings potential and future economic security of low-income women.

Today, women's advances in education do not always translate success in the workforce. The gender pay gap continues: among those working full time, women earn, on average, 80 cents for every dollar men make.

"Women in America" also addresses the impact of criminal activity in American communities. Women are disproportionately affected by certain types of crime, particularly sexual victimization and intimate partner violence.

A recent study by Dr. Dean Kilpatrick of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated and Forcible Rape: A National Study, found that "during the past year alone [2006], over 1 million women in the U.S. have been raped…Our estimates do not appear to support the widely held belief that rape has significantly declined in recent decades."

While sexual violence remains a persistent problem for American women, "Women in America" does note that the rate of nonfatal intimate partner violence against women declined by more than 50 percent between 1994 and 2008. 1994 marked the passage of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Legal Momentum was instrumental in passing VAWA and has advocated for its subsequent reauthorizations in 2000 and 2005. Since Congress passed VAWA in 1994, law enforcement and justice system officials have become increasingly involved in domestic violence cases, matters which were once perceived to be private concerns. The declining rate of intimate partner violence achieved by VAWA affects not only victims but their children as well. As "Women in America" explains, "Research demonstrates significant adverse impacts on children’s health and developmental well-being as a result of exposure to domestic violence."

"Women in America" finds that while women have achieved significant advances in education and employment, much work remains. Legal Momentum continues to confront the issues facing American women and children, from poverty to sexual violence. Learn more about Legal Momentum.

Legal Momentum Celebrates International Women's Day

March 8th marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, first observed in the 1901, when thousands of women poured into the streets across the world to raise their voices against oppression and inequality. We have made significant progress toward ensuring women's health, safety, and economic security. But much work remains. From a persistent gender pay gap to the gender bias in schools, women and their families remain those hardest hit by the failure of governments across the world to provide adequate social services, especially during economic crises.

Since 1970, Legal Momentum has consistently worked to ensure the economic and personal security of women and girls. Our work includes advocacy and litigation to incorporate principles of international human rights law into United States law to strengthen the human rights of all women. Through amicus curiae briefs and policy advocacy, our work on international human rights law focuses on Congress and the courts. This work includes:

• Advocating for the U.S. government to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), a "women's bill of rights" ratified by over 180 countries. The United States is one of only seven countries in the world that have failed to ratify this landmark international human rights agreement.
• Serving as a member of the New York City Human Rights Initiative, an organization that advocates for Human Rights in Government Operations Audit Law (HR-GOAL), which requires city agencies to examine whether opportunities (including jobs) and services are being fairly distributed to women, people of color and other historically marginalized groups in New York City.
• Submitting several amicus curiae briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the Court should consider international human rights law and U.S obligations in considering constitutional questions.

While we celebrate International Women's Day and the enormous achievements and contributions made by women across the world, Legal Momentum also recognizes the critical work that must be done to ensure full equality for all women.

• Read Legal Momentum's full statement in support of CEDAW.
• Learn more about Legal Momentum.

U.S. Women and Their Families Hurt by Lack of Paid Leave and Supportive Services

A new report by Human Rights Watch, "Failing its Families: Lack of Paid Leave and Work-Family Supports in the U.S.," finds that U.S. women desperately need paid leave laws, breastfeeding accommodations, and laws barring discrimination against workers with families. The lack of paid leave and protective laws for workers disproportionately affects women and their children. Many of the working women interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that their careers were derailed as a result of employer bias against women with family responsibilities. Many also recounted problems with postpartum depression and noted that they the lack of workplace breastfeeding accommodations forced them to give up the practice early.

"Failing its Families" demonstrates that existing legal protections do not fully protect working women and their families. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows U.S. workers with new children or severely ill family members to take unpaid, job-protected leave, but the FMLA covers only half the workforce. Only 11% of civilian workers (and 3% of the lowest-income workers) have paid family leave benefits. Roughly two-thirds of civilian workers have some paid sick leave, but only about a fifth of low-income workers do.  And studies show that the number of employers voluntarily offering paid family leave is declining.

As Legal Momentum has testified, the United States has much less generous parental leave than other rich countries and far less public support for child care. Notably, countries with paid leave policies also have higher levels of economic competitiveness compared to the United States.

Legal Momentum has long advocated for paid leave and workplace family supports. Learn more about Legal Momentum's advocacy for working women.

Minnesota Republicans Introduce Legislation to Repeal Pay Equity Act

If there was any doubt about whether discrimination against women in the workforce persists, Minnesota Republicans have stepped in to clear up the debate. In a shocking attack against working women, Minnesota Republicans have introduced legislation that would repeal the 1984 Local Government Pay Equity Act (LGPEA), which ensures that women and men are paid the same. HF7/SF159 not only repeals LGPEA, but countless other mandates on local governments, including grants for libraries, regulations on part-time police officers, and agricultural programs for low-income farmers.

The repeal is backed by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, which wrote in a December report on public employee compensation, "State pay equity/comparable worth law should be repealed. Its purpose is outdated, and requiring governments to correct perceived 'errors' in labor markets based on bureaucratic and subjective assessments of the relative value of government jobs is an unnecessary and costly mandate."

This statement couldn’t be further from the truth. A drastic pay gap persists not only in Minnesota, but across the country, where women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. This gap is no small number – it translates to a loss of over $10,000 a year. In Minnesota, women still earn less than men, and the divide is even greater among women of color.  White women earned 76 cents for every dollar that men earn, while Native American women earned 69 cents to the dollar, African American women 61 cents and Hispanic women earned 51 cents to the dollar. These numbers were for all workers in Minnesota, not only workers in the public sector, reported the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.

And the Office of Minnesota Management and Budget found that in 2010, there was almost a 10 percent inequity in the wages that women were paid in public sector jobs. The MMB directs municipalities, school districts, counties and other public employers to correct pay differences. "Before the inequities were corrected, the average pay for females in the examples was $16.27 per hour. After adjustments were made, the average pay for females was $17.86 per hour. Prior to the adjustments, females were paid 83% of what males were paid, but after the adjustments, the wage gap narrowed and females were paid 91% of what males were paid," wrote the authors of the report.

This effort by the MMB to correct wage inequities is exactly what Minnesota Republicans are fighting against. This attack is a sharp departure from the state’s legacy of actively working to close the gender pay gape. Indeed, Minnesota was the first state to pass pay equity laws. In 1982, it passed the State Government Pay Equity Act, which covered state employees, and in 1984 the LGPEA was passed to cover all public employees in the state. The law protects the right of cities to give performance raises and pay more to workers who have seniority, but it also says that there cannot be substantial pay differences between jobs held by men and jobs held by women. Each public institution must track the pay of its employees and report the figures to the state every three years. If they fail to report this data or correct any inequities, they risk losing their portion of government aid.

Shannon Drury, president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Organization for Women, said, "Pay equity laws won’t be archaic until pay discrimination ends. As long as discrimination exists, these measures will remain necessary to ensure compliance. Repealing this law takes money out of women’s wallets. It’s that simple."

The introduction of HF7/SF159 comes on the heels of the failure of the Paycheck Fairness Act to pass in the Senate. The act would have helped to close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act with harsher penalties against employers who discriminate against workers on the basis of gender. The Senate’s failure to remedy income inequality is not representative of American voters, 84 percent of whom said they supported such a bill.

The consequences of gender pay disparities are felt within the homes of millions of American women, particularly during these difficult economic times, when many more families depend on female breadwinners. Indeed, women make up half of the workforce, and two-thirds of American families with children depend on this income for survival. "Why the legislature would repeal this measure in such a difficult economic climate is beyond me," said Drury. "Women are now the majority of the American workforce, due in part to the recession’s disproportionate toll on men."

Legal Momentum recently reported about the Census Bureau’s release of five-year data from the American Community Survey (2005 to 2009) that broke down occupational data by gender. The data demonstrates a stark contrast in occupations held by men and women, with many fields highly segregated by gender. On average, the median pay in jobs dominated by men are higher than in those dominated by women, and for jobs held by both men and women, median pay for men almost always exceeds that for women.

Remapping Debate, a non-profit media project dedicated to reporting on domestic public policy issues, graphed the data to highlight gender segregation and pay disparities in the American workforce. Within the highest-paying top 25 occupations for men, women workers made up less than 50 percent of the total workers. In 10 of these occupations, women workers made up less than 20 percent of the total. In 23 of the 25 cases, median earnings of women were less than 90 percent than those of men. And in more than 100 occupations, men are more than 90 percent of the workers.

This data affirms the critical need for Minnesota’s Local Government Pay Equity Act and other legislation across the nation that combats gender pay disparities. Legal Momentum has worked tirelessly to further employment rights, particularly through our Equality Works Program, which uses policy initiatives and impact litigation to challenge discrimination and expand opportunities for women working in historically male-dominated fields such as the skilled trades and firefighting. We strive to strengthen TANF and the social safety net, support job training, and combat workplace discrimination. These initiatives our motivated by our belief that workplace equality is an essential component of ensuring economic security for all women and families. We will continue to fight until all women receive full economic equality.

• Check out the New York Time’s map of the gender pay gap, state by state here.

New Study Shows That Women Ph.D.'s Are Less Likely to Obtain Tenure Than Men

Less than a month after the Census Bureau released data from the American Community Survey that demonstrated a striking segregation by gender between occupations and persisting pay disparities between men and women, The New York Times has reported on a new study that shows that men are more likely to receive tenure at a college or university than women. “Keeping Women in the Science Pipeline,” written by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, concludes that while more woman than ever are obtaining Ph.D.'s in sciences, they are less likely than their male counterparts to obtain tenure at a college or university. Women who are married with young children are 35 percent less likely to enter a tenure-track position after receiving a Ph.D. in science than their male counterparts.  Married women with young children are 28 percent less likely than women without children to achieve tenure in the sciences. And women Ph.D.’s with young children are 27 percent less likely than men with children to receive tenure after entering a tenure-track job in the sciences.

The scientists explain that these numbers are related to the absence of paid maternity leave in most research universities. Additionally, there are massive time demands on faculty, which are particularly challenging for women, who must combine their work with caregiving, house work, etc.

"America's researchers do not receive enough family-responsive benefits, particularly the more junior researchers. All major research universities should look to build a family-friendly package of policies and resources," concludes the report. Indeed, the scientists recommend that universities institute more "family-friendly" policies to encourage women Ph.D.’s to continue with their careers. These measures would include paid maternity leave to graduate students and giving extra time to women who give birth before making tenure decisions. "The lock-step timing of academia needs to be more flexible," they write.

The scientists warn that the failure of universities to adopt these policies may have severe consequences for the U.S. "The loss of these women, together with serious increases in European and Asian nations' capacity for research, means the long-term dependability of a highly trained U.S. workforce and global preeminence in the sciences may be in question," they argue.

At least one university is heading the warning – the University of California, the home of the authors of the report. Since 2003, when the University system instituted more family-friendly policies, the number of assistant professors in the system with children has risen 27% percent, to 64% out of all assistant professors.  "It shows that you can change the workplace culture," said Dr. Mason, the report's lead author.

The ability of women to achieve tenure and general workplace security like their male counterparts is an urgent challenge that must be addressed by all colleges and universities. 

• Learn more about Legal Momentum's work in employment rights for women.

Less than a month after the Census Bureau released data from the American Community Survey that demonstrated a striking segregation by gender between occupations and persisting pay disparities between men and women, The New York Times has reported on a new study that shows that men are more likely to receive tenure at a college or university than women. “Keeping Women in the Science Pipeline,” written by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, concludes that while more woman than ever are obtaining Ph.D.'s in sciences, they are less likely than their male counterparts to obtain tenure at a college or university. Women who married with young children are 35 percent less likely to enter a tenure-track position after receiving a Ph.D. in science than are married men with young children and Ph.D.’s in science. The married women with young children are 28 percent less likely than women without children to achieve tenure in the sciences. And women Ph.D.’s with young children are 27 percent less likely than men with children to receive tenure after entering a tenure-track job in the sciences.

The scientists explain that these numbers are related to the absence of paid maternity leave in most research universities. Additionally, there are massive time demands on faculty, which has a particular consequence for women, who must combine their work with caregiving, house work, etc.

“America’s researchers do not receive enough family-responsive benefits, particularly the more junior researchers. All major research universities should look to build a family-friendly package of policies and resources,” concludes the report. Indeed, the scientists recommend that universities institute more “family-friendly” policies to encourage women Ph.D.’s to continue with their careers. These measures would include paid maternity leave to graduate students and giving extra time to women who give birth before making tenure decisions. “The lock-step timing of academia needs to be more flexible,” they write.

The scientists warn that the failure of universities to adopt these policies may have severe consequences for the U.S. “The loss of these women, together with serious increases in European and Asian nations’ capacity for research, means the long-term dependability of a highly trained U.S. workforce and global preeminence in the sciences may be in question,” they write.

 

At least one university is heading the warning – the University of California, the home of the authors of the report. Since 2003, when the University system instituted more family-friendly policies, the number of assistant professors in the system with children has risen 27% percent, to 64% of all assistant professors.  “It shows that you can change the workplace culture,” said Ms. Mason, the report’s main author.

 

The ability of women to achieve tenure and general workplace security like their male counterparts is an urgent challenge that must be addressed by all colleges and universities.   

Gender Segregation and Pay Disparities in Employment Persist

In December, the Census Bureau released five-year data from the American Community Survey (2005 to 2009), which not only provided general population data, but broke down occupational data by gender. The data demonstrates a stark contrast in occupations held by men and women, with many fields highly segregated by gender. On average, the median pay in jobs dominated by men are higher than in those dominated by women, and for jobs held by both men and women, median pay for men almost always exceeds that for women.

Remapping Debate, a non-profit media project dedicated to reporting on domestic public policy issues, graphed the data to highlight gender segregation and pay disparities in the American workforce. Within the highest-paying top 25 occupations for men, women workers made up less than 50 percent of the total workers. In 10 of these occupations, women workers made up less than 20 percent of the total. In 23 of the 25 cases, median earnings of women were less than 90 percent than those of men. And in more than 100 occupations, men are more than 90 percent of the workers.

Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics last summer indicate that the gender pay gap is a nationwide problem. In November, Legal Momentum wrote about the Senate's failure to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, a devastating blow to millions of American women who continue to face significant barriers to workplace equity. Women make up half of the workforce, and two-thirds of American families with children depend on this income for survival. Yet, an enormous gender pay gap remains - women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn, a divide which is even greater among women of color. This gap translates to a loss of over $10,000 a year, significantly worsening the struggles of many women to keep their families afloat during the economic crisis.

In addition to gender pay disparities, countless jobs remain dominated by men and present significant hurdles to women seeking to join the field. These barriers range from workplace discrimination to workplace security. Legal Momentum is a leader in promoting opportunity and equality for women in non-traditional job sectors, such as the construction trades and in law enforcement, many of which are high-paying, have career tracks, and provide job security, annual leave, and other benefits. Through our Equality Works Program, Legal Momentum uses policy initiatives and impact litigation to challenge discrimination and expand opportunities for women working in historically male-dominated fields such as the skilled trades and firefighting.

Workplace equality is a critical step towards ensuring economic security for women and their families and we will continue to fight until all women receive full economic equality.

• To read Remapping Debate’s article “New data on gender segregation and pay disparities in jobs,” click here.
• To read “Paycheck Fairness Act Fails in Senate, Devastating Blow for Millions of American Women,” click here. 
• To learn more about Legal Momentum's Equality Works Program, click here.

Working in the Shadows: Immigrant Women Sexually Victimized on the Job

Over four million undocumented immigrant women currently live in the United States. Many of these women are employed in the U.S. food service industry, and, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), many of these women suffer sexual harassment and sexual violence on the job.

Injustice on Our Plates demonstrates what Legal Momentum’s Immigrant Women Program has often found in its efforts across the country: that undocumented immigrant women are forced to work for little pay in a shadow economy, exploited by their employers while remaining invisible to most Americans.

In June, Legal Momentum released Reforming America’s Immigration Laws: A Woman’s Struggle. We noted that undocumented women migrants are "vulnerable to sexual violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other gender-motivated exploitation in the workplace. Absent any fear that employees will report these actions and crimes, employers continue to take advantage of immigrant women."

Injustice on Our Plates echoes Legal Momentum’s findings in the U.S. food service industry. The SPLC interviewed 150 immigrant women working throughout the United States. The vast majority of the women the SPLC interviewed said that they suffered sexual harassment and/or sexual violence on the job. At the Agriprocessers Inc. meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa – the site of one of the largest federal immigration raids in history in May 2008 – the women workers described sexual harassment by their male supervisors as “widespread and constant.” According to the SPLC, this type of exploitation is common across the country:

In Salinas, Calif., a worker told the EEOC that farmworkers there referred to one company’s field as the field de calzon, or “field of panties,” because so many women had been raped by supervisors there. In Florida, women farmworkers dubbed fields “the green motel” for the same reason. In Iowa, women said they had encountered the problem so often that they believed it was a common practice in the United States to exchange sex for job security.

Immigrant women are the silent victims of the broken immigration system. Legal Momentum’s Immigrant Women Program advocates for comprehensive immigration reform that considers how even facially gender-neutral laws create more hardship for immigrant women. Congress must create paths to legalization that equitably value women’s work, eliminate 287(g) and/or Safe Communities Programs that often harm immigrant women crime victims, and eradicate backlogs in the family immigration system.

The women profiled in Injustice on Our Plates are the backbone of the U.S. economy, yet they live in the shadows. Comprehensive immigration reform must include provisions to ensure that these women are able to live and work free of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and fear.

Paycheck Fairness Act Fails in Senate, Devastating Blow for Millions of American Women

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 58-41 against moving forward with the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have helped to close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act with harsher penalties against employers who discriminate against workers on the basis of gender.

While the Equal Pay Act, signed into law by President Kennedy in 1963, was a major victory for women, the bill is in dire need of updates to ensure full equality. Though the Act requires that men and women be given "equal pay for equal work," limited enforcement tools have resulted in a persistent wage gap. Today, women continue to face significant barriers in workplace equity.  Women make up half of the workforce, and two-thirds of American families with children depend on this income for survival. Yet, an enormous gender pay gap remains - women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn, a divide which is even greater among women of color. This gap translates to a loss of over $10,000 a year, significantly worsening the struggles of many women to keep their families afloat during the economic crisis.

The Senate’s failure to remedy income inequality is not representative of American voters, 84 percent of whom said they supported such a bill. This failure, which Deborah J. Vagins of the ACLU described as another victim of the partisan gridlock that has plagued Congress, will be felt within the homes of millions of American women, particularly in these difficult economic times, when many more families depend on female breadwinners. The vote stands in sharp contrast to the White House’s repeated support for the bill, including issuing a Statement of Administrative Policy advocating the passage of the Act. Following the vote, President Obama gathered with leading advocates of the bill to discuss next steps.

Despite this tragic blow to the livelihoods of millions of women, the struggle is far from over. As Vagins states, “This is not the end of the fight. There is too much at stake to stop the work while families are struggling to make ends meet. People will continue to make their voices heard, our allies in Congress will continue the effort, the advocates will never give up, and the President himself made it clear that despite Wednesday's vote, 'my Administration will continue to fight for a woman's right to equal pay for equal work.'"

Legal Momentum supports all measures to enhance women’s economic security, and the Paycheck Fairness Act is an essential component of this security. We have worked tirelessly to further employment rights, particularly through our Equality Works Program, which uses policy initiatives and impact litigation to challenge discrimination and expand opportunities for women working in historically male-dominated fields such as the skilled trades and firefighting. We strive to strengthen TANF and the social safety net, support job training, and combat workplace discrimination.

Workplace equality is a critical step towards ensuring economic security for women and their families and we will continue to fight until all women receive full economic equality.

Women's Economic Security: The Opportunity Series

Legal Momentum co-sponsors New York University's Women of Color Policy Network's Opportunity Series, a semester-long program of panel discussions, webinars, and lectures about women's economic security in a changing economy.

The economy has shifted dramatically in the last few years, with particularly severe effects on male-dominated sectors like manufacturing and construction. Millions of families now depend on women for household income, yet most women are forced to work without paid sick leave or reliable, affordable childcare. And, of course, gender wage inequality continues to plague American women, who earn 77 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. The gender wage gap is even more striking for women of color: African-American women make 61 cents and Latinas make 52 cents for every dollar white men earn.

The Opportunity Series has convened a range of experts from across the nation to examine these issues from the perspective of women of color and explore opportunities to develop and maintain women's economic security over the long term. The series has included discussions on single mothers and the wealth gap, the impact of the economic crisis and economic recovery on low-income women and their families, and child care subsidies and low-income women of color.

The Women of Color Policy Network will hold their final Opportunity Series event, "Quality Jobs in a New Economy: Paid Sick Leave and Communities of Color," on Monday, December 6th at 6:30 pm. Experts will discuss the importance of paid sick leave and other work supports for low-wage workers and communities of color in particular.