When Women Succeed, Oregon Succeeds

Elleanor Chin

Rep. Nancy Pelosi was in town Saturday. Here's what she had to say:

• 2/3 of the people in this country making minimum wage are women.
• Many of them are also people of color, people with disabilities and aspiring citizens
• Lack of quality, affordable childcare is the obstacle to unlocking enormous economic productivity of women in this country.
• Minimum wage does not allow women and families to emerge from poverty.

These are the basic talking points of the House Democratic Minority Leader's “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” policy and economic agenda. A broad coalition of local advocacy organizations, led by Family Forward Action and Family Forward Oregon partnered to present the event as a Women's Economic Agenda Forum. In addition to the House Minority Leader and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D- 1st Dist), Oregon Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenblum (D-21 Portland) and State Representatives Jessica Vega Pederson (D-47) and Jennifer Williamson (D-36) spoke.

Pelosi's talk of actual policy plans was a bit sparse, but the Oregon elected representatives joining her on the speakers platform also spoke on the need for paid sick days, increasing the minimum wage and access to childcare. In the immediate term, Oregon probably has a better chance of making favorable change, due to the partisan paralysis in the nation's capital. Certainly the themes of the Women Succeed Agenda dovetail with the Oregon Fair Shot campaign. Fair Shot outlines the basics that women and working families need in order to have a fair shot at economic stability: a true living wage, paid sick leave, equal pay for equal work and the ability to save for retirement.

Pelosi did not dwell on the inability to do anything productive in the divided Congress, but underscored the need to vote, register to vote and support progressive candidates. Her overall message was an optimistic one, that change is “inevitable”. Certainly she has committed to a “brand” and campaign around economic success for working and middle class families, ideally building on some momentum from the June White House Summit on Working Families.

The Women Succeed campaign is looking for stories about women and working families, which can be submitted to the campaign's website. But in Oregon we can also hold our elected representatives accountable for their support (or lack thereof) for the Fair Shot policies. Write your representative today about their support for all four points of the policy agenda: living wage, sick days, retirement savings and equal pay. Don't let them tell you have to pick one or two either. We shouldn't ask someone who is drowning whether they want air or solid ground under their feet. They need both to succeed.

By Elleanor Chin Sept. 29, 2014