Equal pay for women
Payday candy bars help make the point

Local 1853 members bring the message of equal pay for women to Tennessee state legislators. Holding the banner (l to r) are Georgia Lindstrom, Kathy Brach, and Flo Sak.

Is your wife or daughter employed where there is a difference in pay, or are you paid less for doing the same work as the man standing next to you?

"White-collar or blue-collar jobs, in many instances, women do not receive equal pay." That is what Kathy Brach, co-chair of the Local 1853 women’s committee, told folks as she was handing out information packets and a Payday candy bar at the Tennessee state capitol.

The local, which represents Saturn workers, was lobbying to promote equal pay for women in the workplace. Ralliers even met with a few state representatives on the issue.

In a one-on-one grassroots lobbying campaign for women’s rights, Local 1853 member Flo Sak makes her point with a staff person from the Tennessee state capitol building.

Flo Sak, chairperson of the women’s committee and Georgia Lindstrom, Local 1853 financial secretary, spoke with Mike Kernell of State House District 93, D-Memphis and a former member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Rep. Kernell said, "I came from a union family. I’m for equal pay and success for women and equal care responsibilities for men."

Brach reinforced the representative’s remarks: "I know a lot of men that have children and no wife for what ever reason, divorce, death or whatever, and certainly the child care issue is the same for them as it is for a woman." Sak added: "We’re not educating women to find out what exactly their counterparts are making before they go in and lobby for a position."

Rep. Kernell mentioned that bills were coming up in the Tennessee House related to equal pay and childcare.

This reporter noticed that when the information packets and Payday candy bars were handed out, men were denied them. "Now you know how it feels," one of the ralliers would say. I then gave a Payday candy bar to a woman walking into the capitol. Telling her about the rally for equal pay, she replied "You’re preaching to the choir." She turned out to be Rep. Tommie Brown, a strong supporter of women’s equality.

Rep. Brown then invited Sak in for a brief meeting. Afterwards, Sak reported that Rep. Brown was very excited to know that labor was going to be on board. Up to this point, her committee did not have a link with labor and the community.

After the rally and lobby, Sak mentioned that she was invited to join the Tennessee Economic Council on Women.

Bob Graham
The Wheel Reporter, Local 1853

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