April 3 , 2007

Tell the Secretary of Labor to Restore Funding to the Women's Bureau!

ACTION NEEDED!
Against the intentions of Congress, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has cut money from the Women's Bureau's already meager budget for FY 2007. This cut will force the agency to reduce or eliminate vital programs that support working women, including the technical assistance Women Work! provides to our national network.

TELL SECRETARY CHAO THAT WORKING WOMEN MATTER!
The Secretary's drastic decision is just one in a long line of attempts by the Bush Administration to devalue and destabilize the only federal agency devoted to women's workplace issues.

1.) Tell Secretary Chao to restore the Women's Bureau's funding to FY2006 levels to ensure that the Women's Bureau can continue to support the Women Work! network and other critical initiatives to advance women in the workplace.

• Women Work! programs and State Affiliates: click here to send a letter to Secretary Chao.
• Women Work! program participants and graduates: click here to send a letter to Secretary Chao.

2.) Then, keep reading emails from Women Work! on how you can continue to be involved in this advocacy until the Women's Bureau's budget is restored.

BACKGROUND
In February, Congress passed and the President signed a year-long Continuing Resolution (CR) that provided funding for the Women's Bureau at the same level it was funded in FY2006. Unfortunately, Secretary Chao ignored the intention of the CR, and took funds away from the Women's Bureau in order to increase administrative offices at Department of Labor headquarters, including the Executive Secretariat and Legal Services.

This budget cut significantly jeopardizes the Women's Bureau's ability to implement critical programs for working women. If this cut remains in place, the Women's Bureau cannot support the technical assistance, training or capacity building services Women Work! provides to our national network of more than a thousand local programs and twenty-one state affiliates.

Click here to read a background paper about the Women's Bureau and the Women Work! program.

The Secretary's drastic decision is just one in a long line of attempts by the Bush Administration to devalue and destabilize the only federal agency devoted to women's workplace issues.

• In 2001, the Administration unsuccessfully attempted to close the Women's Bureau's ten regional offices.
• In 2004, the Administration removed information about equal pay from the Women's Bureau's website.
• In 2006, the Administration launched an effort to outsource over half of the career positions in the Women's Bureau national office to government contractors.