May 1, 2020
Ms. Foundation on International Workers’ Day
Ms. Foundation on International Workers’ Day
NEW YORK (May 1, 2020) – Ms. Foundation for Women President and CEO Teresa C. Younger released the following statement on International Workers’ Day:
“Today, on International Workers’ Day, we not only commemorate those who fought but recognize those who continue to fight and advocate for worker rights.
“This year, International Workers’ Day falls at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day, we see essential employees brave public transportation and constant exposure to themselves and their families. Since the beginning of the spread of COVID-19, workers have not only risked their lives in unsafe working conditions but many have lost their lives in the process. The irony is that, before the COVID-19 outbreak, community organizations and activists around the country were already sounding the alarm about unsafe working conditions, worker violence, lack of paid sick and family leave, and unfair wages.
“This moment in time only highlights the harmful and often deadly impacts of disparate worker treatment; further exposing the structures of inequity that our country is built on. COVID-19 did not create these conditions but has exacerbated the economic disparities and injustices that hourly employees, contract workers, and those in the gig economy have always faced. They account for hundreds of thousands in this country that are risking their lives in order to keep food on the table and our communities running as we move forward in our new normal and they deserve fair treatment and safe work conditions, many of whom are women and people of color.
“As workers plan to organize and demonstrate today against employers who put profits ahead of the health and wellbeing of their employees, we stand in solidarity with all who do not have the ability to work from home and the advocates who are fighting on the frontlines.
“All workers deserve quality wages and a safe work environment free from the risk of illness or violence, during this pandemic and beyond.”
Ms. Foundation spokespeople are available for interviews by phone from NYC. To schedule, please contact Sunshine Sachs at [email protected].
###
For 45 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has worked to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. The Ms. Foundation invests in, and strengthens the capacity of women led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change in the lives of women. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, the Ms. Foundation works to create a world in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.