Women's Employment Issues Committee Meeting

November 21, 2014: 1:00 PM
Frances Perkins Conference Room, Maine Department of Labor
45 Commerce Drive, Augusta ME 04330

Women?s Employment Issues Committee November 21, 2014

Present: Gilda Nardone, Valerie Carter, Christy Cross, Liz Ray, Kathy Kilrain del Rio, Karen Kliem (phone) Staff: Garret Oswald

Gilda Nardone opened the meeting with welcomes and introductions. She then asked Kathy Kilrain del Rio to speak about the Maine Women?s Policy Center report ? Building A Prosperous Maine: A Roadmap to Economic Security for Women and Their Families. Kathy said the report focused on four key areas that came out of their 2014 Summit: Workplace policies, Basic Needs, Health Care, and Education. It then gives recommendations for each of those four areas related to minimum wage, earned paid sick days, paid family leave, protection for pregnant workers, equal pay, food security, housing security, earned income tax credit, early childhood education, adult learning, health care and reproductive health. The goal of the report is to shine a light on these issues and generate a conversation, here in Maine and also in New England.
Gilda then spoke about her ideas for committee goals and priorities for the coming year: better data related to gender, women business ownership (entrepreneurship training), cross committee pollination, and member recruitment. The committee then had a discussion about who is not represented on the committee and came up with a few new possibilities; Sally Sutton from the New Mainers Welcome Center, an Adult Education Rep, someone from the immigrant community, a community college rep, business owners (targeted sectors ? IT, Manufacturing, composites, health care), Amy Fried from UMaine, Jenn Kimble from Maine Medical, Early Childhood Education rep or Childcare provider, someone working with incarcerated or re-entry women or DOC, someone from a library. The committee then went back to goals and priorities; - WIOA serving women - Education pathways out of poverty for women - Pay Equity issue / minimum wage issue - Economic Security issues (food, housing, transportation) - Health care access - Workplace policies (paid sick leave, Family medical leave) - Better data related to gender - Working with LWIBs and Career Centers

The committee then gave member updates; -Liz Ray has a new position ? Senior Program Manager for TANF/Aspire. She is looking for greater oversight at the program level, and consistent decision making through centralization. She is excited that case loads are decreasing and the department/program culture is shifting to work (first) as the priority. Gilda said the Creating Assets Savings & Hope (CASH) Coalitions are expanding. Currently there are 10 across the state. WWC is also offering Career Planning on line.

The committee adjourned on time. The next committee meeting will be February 24, 2015 from 1:30 ? 4:00 in Augusta Respectfully submitted by Garret Oswald.

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