Workers' Rights ...

ON THE LINE by Daisy Pitkin is subtitled “A Story of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women's Epic Fight to Build a Union,” In this non-fiction work which almost reads like a novel, Pitkin describes working as a labor organizer for UNITE and her connection with a second-shift immigrant laundry worker she identifies as Alma. They call each other the moths, Las Polillas, referring to “Las Mariposas, the Mirabel sisters who worked clandestinely to oppose the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and were nicknamed the butterflies.” This battle between multinational conglomerate Sodexo and the workers at their Phoenix facility is documented in part by Human Rights Watch. What a fantastic series of events to share with our students, especially in contrast to other historic labor fights like those involving the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Kirkus describes this memoir as “A much-needed spotlight on the daily struggles of a vulnerable population.” ON THE LINE deals with issues of class, privilege and race, and provides yet another opportunity for our students to look beyond themselves. 

PAY UP by Reshma Saujani, the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, deals with “The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think).” It is one of the first texts to address the disproportionate impact on women of the pandemic – causing so many to leave their jobs and careers due to childcare constraints. Writing for both women and stakeholders, Saujani outlines four key steps: empower women; educate business leaders; revise and shift our thinking about success; and advocate for policy reform. She argues that all of it is necessary because we “participate in a workforce and live in a society that do not make having it all actually possible.” She is angry, particularly on behalf of the 35 million working mothers in America (together with other working women, they comprised fifty-one percent of the pre-pandemic workforce) and on behalf of undervalued full-time Moms. She cites statistics about the drop in women’s employment and reluctance (or outright refusal) to come back. PAY UP offers a passionate look at critical issues of high interest to our students; hopefully, policy-makers can also be inspired to more seriously consider efforts to provide affordable child care, paid parental leave, and cash payments to parents.

ONE FAIR WAGE by Saru Jayaraman (Behind the Kitchen Door) is a clarion call for the end of subminimum wages. Jayaraman, co-founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California at Berkeley, points to disturbing data regarding the loss of service sector jobs, “deep structural inequities,” and increased sexual harassment. Over six million restaurant and tipped service workers (e.g., parking attendants, car wash workers, nail salon employees) lost jobs due to COVID-19 and “60 percent reported experiencing great challenges accessing benefits because the state told them their wages were too low to meet the minimum threshold to qualify.” Jayaraman uses multiple examples and anecdotes to describe the situation faced by tipped workers who are often women or people of color. She points specifically to workers with disabilities, and those who are youthful, incarcerated or immigrants. Clearly, Jayaraman is committed to her cause and to making change as her work during the pandemic with the OFW Emergency Relief Fund and High Road Restaurants shows.