Legal Momentum Briefing Room

U.S. Representatives Call for Gender Equity in Federal Contracts

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) and Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) co-signed a letter with 22 of their colleagues on September 18th urging Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to modernize the affirmative action goals set by the Office of Federal Contracts and Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in 1980 to reflect the realities of female participation in the construction industry today.

“Modernizing these contract requirements is a no-brainer,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “These OFCCP standards are based on forty-year-old data that in no way reflect the considerable progress we have seen in the construction industry over the past four decades. These standards should reflect the America of 2010, not the America of 1970.”

Legal Momentum has been pushing to increase gender equity in non-traditional jobs as an important strategy for closing the stubborn wage gap that exists between male and female workers. Expanding pathways to good-paying jobs with benefits and paid sick days is vital to combating poverty and building economic security for women. 

As Congresswoman DeLauro and Congressman Stark have pointed out, it's high time the federal government updated it's requirements to match the realities of a diverse construction industry, thereby opening the doors for more women to transition from low-wage work into strong, stable careers.

• Read Congresswoman DeLauro's OpEd from The Hill Newspaper: It’s time for OFCCP to reflect the 21st century.
• Read Rep. Delauro and Rep. Stark's letter to Secretary Solis.
  
• Read Legal Momentum's Report: From the Ground Up: Building Opportunities for Women in Construction.
• Read Legal Momentum’s recommendations for building a stronger OFCCP, supporting women in non-traditional fields, and thereby increasing pathways to better jobs here. 
  

Jobs that Pay -- A Statement by Legal Momentum President Irasema Garza on the Signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Non-traditional Jobs for Women

Shortly before President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,  his Administration released a revised estimate on how many jobs the legislation will likely create and where.  While most economists agree that the heavy investments in infrastructure and energy will boost men’s job creation, these projects also offer unique opportunities for low-income women and their families who make up the majority of the nation’s poor.

While women have not flocked to jobs in the typically “burly man” fields of construction and engineering in the past, economic realities may lead some women to consider non-traditional career paths. These jobs, with their solid wages and benefits, can mean the difference between continued poverty and a pathway to prosperity for low-income women and their families.  In utilizing the funds provided within the stimulus package, federal agencies and contractors taking tax-payer dollars should ensure that women have a fair shot at these jobs which offer economic security—jobs that actually pay. 

Legal Momentum urges Houston mayor to end discrimination against women firefighters

Legal Momentum urged Houston mayor Bill White in early 2008 to address ongoing sex discrimination in the Houston Fire Department that is making it virtually impossible for women to advance from the Department’s rank-and-file to leadership roles. The discrimination stems from new promotional rules adopted by the City and its firefighters’ union. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently determined that the rules have a discriminatory disparate impact on women firefighters. However, the City apparently plans to defend the rules in a court battle. MORE ON WOMEN IN NONTRADITIONAL JOBS