FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: info@powherny.org 914.329.4046
Gender and Racial Justice Groups Call for Bolder Policy Reform in 2024
December 11, 2023 - 4:00PM: The PowHer® New York Network of over 100 gender and racial justice organizations celebrates organizations and individuals who, despite considerable obstacles, advanced issues critical to women’s* economic well-being in New York. The event is held online at 4:00PM to 5:30PM RSVP Link
2023 PowHer® Equity Awardees:
Workers’ Rights Award to SAG-AFTRA - presented by actress Carrie Preston
PowHer® New York honors the strong leadership and the activism of the 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA. We celebrate your hard fight and success in negotiations during the longest strike in the history of your union. With the newly ratified agreement, members will receive unprecedented wage escalation, significantly improved streaming compensation, and the first-ever crucial protections around the use of artificial intelligence technology. This is the result of the tenacity of your membership which gathered across the nation to boldly show the world that actors and industry professionals stand together. SAG-AFTRA illustrates the critical importance of unions to the well-being and advancement of all workers, especially women whose earnings are higher with union membership.
Pay Equity Awards to Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly member Latoya Joyner - presented by Equal Pay Today!
Senator Jessica Ramos: PowHer®New York commends the tireless efforts of Senator Jessica Ramos, Chair of the Committee on Labor, for her ongoing commitment to changing the laws of New York State to make systemic change that will protect workers, close the gender and racial wage gap and address the undervaluing of the work of women, especially women of color. She sponsored and fought for the NmYS Salary Transparency Law, which went into effect in September of 2023. This transformational law is just one example of her passion for equity and skill in moving difficult legislation through considerable barriers to become law.
Assembly member Latoya Joyner: PowHer®New York honors Assemblymember Latoya Joyner (AD17), Chair of the Committee on Labor, as an outstanding champion on issues ranging from economic equity to domestic violence to education and protection of renters. Her tenacity and leadership were critical to the passage of the New York State Salary Transparency Law which went into effect in September, 2023. This groundbreaking law provides workers across the state with critical information about wages to inform their job searches and career development and helps business efficiently attract and retain talented and qualified employees.
Child Care Award to Empire State Campaign for Child Care (ESCCC):
PowHer®New York honors the strategic leadership and long term commitment of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care to build a high quality, affordable, accessible and just child care system for New York. In 2023, its powerful statewide grassroots movement fought successfully for dramatic expansion of the number of families who can qualify for government subsidies for child care, grants to boost compensation for the child care workforce and the continuation of the Governor’s Task Force which is assigned to design a path to universal access to quality affordable child care.
QUOTES:
“In 2023, despite historic pushback on women’s rights, New York made significant gains which Powher® New York is proud to spotlight through our Powher® Equity Awards. The remarkable accomplishments of our child care, pay equity and union rights awardees illustrate that collective action and collaboration can lead to life-changing policies and far-reaching culture shifts. We thank Senator Ramos, Assembly member Joyner, SAG-AFTRA and Empire State Child Care Campaign for their unwavering commitment, vision and partnership. There is so much work ahead, but together our community can build an equitable, just, and inclusive economy that respects the rights of women*, values their contributions, and provides the opportunity to not only survive, but to thrive,” said Beverly Neufeld, President, PowHer®New York.
"So much of my work as Labor Chair has been focused on upending the feminization of poverty, and PowHer®New York has been in that fight every step of the way. Whether it's SAG-AFTRA's historic wins on the picket line or our continued advancements for universal child care, the tide is changing for women in our economy," said State Senator Jessica Ramos.
“Salary transparency helps build trust between employees and employers.” Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner said. “I am proud to continue the fight for salary transparency and other important labor initiatives. Thank you to the Powher®New York for your continued support on this front.”
"SAG-AFTRA is honored to receive the PowHer®New York Equity Award for Advancing Worker Equity for our role in protecting union workers’ rights during the longest strike in our union's history. Unions raise the bar for everyone and help narrow the gender wage gap. We are proud to stand as a role model for all who seek fair pay and protections for workers, SAG-AFTRA Executive Director, New York Local, Labor Policy and International Affairs Rebecca Damon
“PowHer®NY’s leadership towards an inclusive, equitable economy for women in New York is an example for us all. We are proud to be honored today, amongst powerful state and movement leaders, for our work towards a system of universal child care where every child gets the best start, every family has the care they need, and every child care provider earns what she deserves, “ said Shanita Bowen, Steering Committee Co-Chair of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, “Since 2017, the tireless work of child care providers, parents, and advocates as part of our Campaign has led to more mothers and families receiving the help they need to afford child care. It has also led to growing recognition that universal child care is only possible when the women who do this work are paid what they deserve. Our movement is growing stronger every year — as we grow in numbers, we grow in our determination to build a thriving child care system together.”
“On behalf of Equal Pay Today, we would like to congratulate the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly member Latoya Joyner, and SAG-AFTRA on being named this year’s Equity Champions,” said Deborah J. Vagins, Director of Equal Pay Today with Equal Rights Advocates. “As a coalition of local, state, and national organizations and hundreds of activists nationwide committed to addressing all the drivers of pay inequity, Equal Pay Today is honored to work with incredible leaders like PowHer®NY. We applaud PowHer®NY and the legislative Equity Champions in the enactment of the NYS Salary Transparency law, which improves the lives of workers in New York State and helps to drive momentum on pay transparency laws in states across the country and at the federal level,” said Vagins.
“Legal Momentum honors the groundbreaking contributions of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly Member Latoya Joyner, and SAG-AFTRA. Together, your work has meaningfully set new expectations for what we must achieve on childcare; broken down a significant barrier to pay equity by securing unprecedented pay transparency with national impact; and demonstrated on a global scale the power of workers when they act collectively. We are also overwhelmingly grateful to PowHer®New York for the invaluable role it continues to play in both leading and uplifting this vital work to increase economic security for the women of New York,” said Seher Khawaja, Director of Economic Justice & Deputy Legal Director, Legal Momentum.
PowHer®New York (PowHer®NY) is a statewide network of 100+ organizations committed to securing economic equality for all New York women. Our unique model for collective action brings together diverse groups across issue areas, backgrounds, political parties and locales that work together on a shared agenda. Through intersectional collaborations, we educate about gender inequality, achieve policy reform, foster women’s leadership and convene innovators. PowHer New York is a 501c3 organization.
*Note: When PowHer®New York uses the word women, we unequivocally mean cis and trans women, and we are inclusive of all other gender-oppressed individuals, including non-binary and gender-expansive people.
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