Today marks the increase of the minimum wage to $7.25 as the last step in a legislation devised by Congress that has seen two previous raises: from $5.15 to $5.85/hr in 2007, then to $6.55 last year. Though higher salaries are badly needed, especially for workers in the lowest-paying jobs, the raise fails to address the myriad labor problems that create economic insecurity.

From the NYTimes:

With the latest increase, the minimum wage is still no higher now, after inflation, than it was in the early 1980s, and it is 17 percent lower than its peak in 1968. That means that no matter how hard they work, many low-wage workers keep falling behind. The latest increase will slow the decline in living standards, but it doesn't reverse the overall downward pull.

Even that understates the broader dimensions of the problem.

People of color, who suffer from historical inequalities that exacerbate this "downward pull", are left in an even more vulnerable position.

Read the full NYT article here.

From the NYTimes:

The Obama administration has opened the way for foreign women who are victims of severe domestic beatings and sexual abuse to receive asylum in the United States. The action reverses a Bush administration stance in a protracted and passionate legal battle over the possibilities for battered women to become refugees.

The White House has also explained the requirements for asylum:

In addition to meeting other strict conditions for asylum, abused women will need to show that they are treated by their abuser as subordinates and little better than property, according to an immigration court filing by the administration, and that domestic abuse is widely tolerated in their country. They must show that they could not find protection from institutions at home or by moving to another place within their own country.

The policy is a positive move for the Obama administration and it once again highlights their commitment to addressing violence against women. It is also a bold move to choose an international focus in light of increasing domestic problems and anti-immigration rhetoric. However, the requirements for asylum might become problematic. Pain and suffering are dangerous benchmarks for women in desperate positions.

Read the full article here.

Posted by Intern Joan

The appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the new White House Advisor on Violence against Women and the funds included in the Recovery Act for comprehensive strategies to address violence against women shows the new administration is strongly committed to this urgent issue.

Posted by Intern Joan

On June 29, 2009, in a historic ruling, the Supreme Court reversed the decisions of several lower federal courts in the case of Ricci v. Destefano. The Court rejected New Haven's decision to throw out the firefighter exams on which none of the African Americans tested scored well enough to win immediate promotion. In doing this, the Court set a precedent for a narrower interpretation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, passed to curb employment discrimination. At the intersection of race and class, women of color will be deeply affected by this ruling in the struggle for equal employment opportunity. Title VII was meant for inclusion, not limitation.