Chicago, Illinois
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women. One out of every four women will be victims of domestic violence in their lives. Problems of domestic violence frequently spill into the workplace. Batterers commit 13,000 violent acts against their partners in the workplace each year. Batterers also pose serious threats to the safety of their victims' co-workers. Research shows that 74 percent of employed battered women were harassed by their husbands or boyfriends at work. Every month, domestic violence caused 56 percent of them to be late for work at least five times, 28 percent to leave early at least five days and 54 percent to miss at least three full days of work. As a result, many victims face disciplinary action.
Employment is the key to a domestic violence victim's economic self-sufficiency, but the U.S. General Accounting Office found that one-quarter to one-half of domestic violence victims surveyed lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence.
The Victim's Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA), which has been introduced in Congress, would provide unpaid leave and unemployment insurance eligibility, protect victims from employment and insurance discrimination, and establish a national clearinghouse and resources center on domestic violence in the workplace.
The Coalition of Labor Union Women, in conjunction with national domestic violence prevention organizations, has developed a training curriculum for union members and staff to assist them in representing victims of domestic violence in the workplace and to prevent future violence.
Therefore be it resolved that the AFL-CIO supports the passage of the Victims' Economic Safety and Security Act of 2001 and will work to ensure its quick passage. Furthermore, the AFL-CIO shall encourage member unions to provide training on domestic violence and its impact on the workplace to members and staff and will provide technical assistance to affiliate unions seeking collective bargaining provisions and/or joint labor-management programs aimed at assisting workers who are victims of domestic violence.