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BOSTONPUBLICLIBRARY ,3 9999 06316 962 5 W R K WOHEN THE WORKINQ COMNT HONOR ROLL REPORT DEPARTMENT LABOR US OF WOMEN'S BUREAU ,'", WORK W H THE WORKINQ WOHEN CO^NT HONOR ROLL REPORT A Selection of Programs and Policies That Make Work Better U.S. Department of Labor Robert B. Reich, Secretary Women's Bureau Ida L. Castro 1996 ^„.BpST0NRj5LiCLiBRARY GOVERNMENTOOGUMENTSDEPARTMENT C^PECEIVED NOV 1 4 2000 j OCCIDENTAL COLLEG.^ DEC 1 2 1996 _ LIBRARY DEPOSITORY 56 FOREWORD The Women's Bureau joins with working women and employers across the country in the release of the Working Women Count Honor Roll Report. This report is the culmination of the Women's Bureau's effort to be responsive to working women's needs as reflected in the unprecedented Working Women CountI Survey. Nearly a quarter of a million women told us that they demanded improvement in three specific areas: pay and benefits, family-friendly workplaces, and respect and opportunity on the job. The Working Women Count Honor Roll Report is our first installment in this effort to respond to what women want and need on the job. This report should be used as a tool by both women and employers to make work better for women and their families. Our findings show that we have made important strides in addressing women's deepest fears that without economic security, family-friendly workplaces, and career advances, they will not be able to support and care for their families. The Honor Roll Report highlights what partnership is all about. As you will see, the "First Honor Roll Class" consists of more than 440 of ,300 large 1 and small businesses, state and local governments, nonprofits and unions nationwide who have responded in cooperative, concrete, and innovative ways to achieve substantial change in the lives of over 2 million women. That is a lot to be proud of! Working women are not the only ones who have benefitted. Employers have also told us what works. Improved employee morale, increased productivit—y, and heightened cre—ativity are just a few of the benefits they have reaped for the bottom line as they step into the workplace of the future. At the same time, there is significant room for improvement. Women identified better pay scales as their single most important issue. And while this "FirstClass" includes several innovative private sector initiatives to address this issue, it still represents the smallest category of the Honor Roll programs. Our findings validate what we are experiencing as a nation. In the area of family-friendly policies, our analysis demonstrates that enabling workers to meet thei—r family obligations is a key source of the nation's competitive advantage our national economic strength depends on our national family strength. Family-friendly policies can be a catalyst to the economic success of an enterprise. Congratulations to those who participated in this initiative. challenge I each of you to continue to build high performance workplaces that fully and fairly value women as equal partners. To potential partners, challenge you to join us in this effort. There is no excuse for inaction. I Ida L Castro Women's Bureau ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With the publication of a partial selection of employer models from the Working Women Count! Honor Roll, the Women's Bureau highlights the final phase of the unprecedented "Working Women Count!" initiative. From start to finish, tnis project would not have been possible without the thousands of people who helped make it a success. — We must begin by thanking the Secretary of Labor, Robert B. Reich without his support and leadership it could not have happened. Also a big thanks to the more than sixteen hundred partners representing business, labor, publications, on-line services, media. Federal and State agencies, women's, and other grassroots organizations that agreed to distribute and collect our Working Women Count! questionnaire. We also owe the success of this endeavor to the one quarter of a million women who responded to the questionnaire, telling us firsthand what it's like to be a working woman, and what changes would make it easier to balance work and family. Special thanks to over thirteen hundred Honor Roll Partners and Partners for Change, who, through their policies and programs, have made positive changes in the lives of over 2 million working women and their families, demonstrating that Partnership initiatives ana executive commitment works for working women and men. — We are indebted to the author, Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, Ph.D. whose talents and expertise helped us compile an overview of the hundreds of Honor Roll applications we have received to date, and the graphic arts contractor for their professionalism in the composition, design, and layout of this publication on a very tight deadline. Additionally, we would like to thank American Home Products, Service Employees International Union, and the Corradi Family for their photographic submissions. — Thanks to Lionel Whit—e and his staff Jim Blockmon, Angelique Larsen, and Carrie Cyphert who oversaw the design and graphics process, and Clarence Lindsay and the staff in the Division of Printing Management for their assistance in jumping hurdles to get this publication printed! Last, but certainly not least, for the hard work, commitment to the task, and dedication to the issues this report represents, we thank the staff in the Women's Bureau notional and regional offices. Without the drive and determination of these "behind the scenes" women and men, we could not have accomplished such an incredible task. And while this report recognizes 440 models of innovative policies and programs, the staff at the Women's Bureau continues to receive, process, and add to our database, hundreds more models from Honor Roll applicants from around the country. The summaries of the programs highlighted in this report were taken directly from the information submitted by the Honor Roll applicant organizations. Although we have taken great steps to ensure the accuracy of information, we regret that we may have inadvertently misstated a program or policy. Thanks to everyone whose cooperative spirit and support made the Working Women Count! Honor Roll Report possible! 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii INTRODUCTION 1 ACall For Action! 2 — What We Learned Partnerships Work! 2 THE HONOR ROLL: MAKING IT WORK! 5 From Bejing to the Workplace! 5 "The First Honor Roll Class" 5 KNOWING WHAT WORKS! 7 Honor Roll Format 10 AND PAY BENEFITS 1 Pay 11 Pay: What Works! 12 Increasing Pay Honor Roll 12 Revaluing Women's Work Honor Roll 14 Benefits 14 Benefits: What Works! 15 Health Benefits Honor Roll 15 Pension Rights Honor Roll 17 BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY 19 Child Care 19 Child Care: What Works! 20 Child Care Honor Roll 20 Paid Leave 23 Paid Leave: What Works! 24 Paid Leave Honor Roll 25 Other Family-Friendly Policies: What Works! 26 RESPECT AND OPPORTUNITY ON THE JOB 27 Advancement and Training Opportunities 27 Advancement and Training: What Works! 28 Advancement and Training Honor Roll 28 CONCLUSION 33 ENDNOTES 35 APPENDIX Additional Models 39 I: AND PAY BENEFITS 41 Improving Pay Honor Roll 41 Revaluing Women's Work Honor Roll 41 Health Benefits Honor Roll 42 Pension Rights Honor Roll 43 BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY 45 On- or Near-Site Child Core Honor Roll 45 Paid Leave Honor Roll 46 Reduced Hours/Flex-Time Honor Roll 48 RESPECT AND OPPORTUNITY ON THE JOB 51 Training, Skills, & Leadership Development Honor Roll 51 Advancement and Training Honor Roll 54 Partnerships Honor Roll 57 APPENDIX II: Honor Roll List 61 Honor Roll Members 63 Partners for Change Members 1 15