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Dear EARN community,
Just over a week ago, we celebrated International Women’s Day. In recognition of the essential but undervalued work that (mostly women) care workers provide our families and communities, we’re sharing two new EPI publications. The first is our Rooted in Racism spotlight on domestic workers in the South, which includes a demographic profile of domestic workers and their wages by occupation, race and gender, and state. The other publication we want to highlight is EPI’s updated tool for calculating the cost of child care in every state and accompanying case study on unaffordability of child care in New Mexico.
We also know that you all are responding to attacks on the federal workforce in your states and localities, a workforce that represents the diversity of the country. Historically, federal employment has offered important opportunities to veterans, women, and workers of color—in some states playing a central role in building the Black middle class. But now these workers are under attack. To help EARN groups investigate the role of federal workers in our communities, EPI released a list of resources on the federal workforce and a template you can use to produce a fact sheet on federal workers in your state.
In the face of federal attacks, there have been some bright spots in state legislative sessions: from paid leave for state employees in Alabama to a minimum wage increase and farmworker exemption repeal in Virginia to a domestic workers bill of rights in Washington. In these dark times, we have found encouragement and hope in community with you and in our shared commitment to advancing economic, racial, and gender justice.
Take care,
Nina Mast
Policy and Economic Analyst
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