Wisconsin Union Members: McCain’s Record a Disaster for Women

Posted by Sue Ledbetter to AFL-CIO NOW

In a play for women’s votes, Sen. John McCain held a town hall in Hudson, Wis., to address issues facing women. But workers from around the region turned out at the event to speak out against McCain’s economic and health care record, which has left women in the dust, and to set the record straight on McCain’s claims to support equal pay for women—when, in fact, he opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 

McCain’s record on a number of issues shows that his agenda wouldn’t improve the lives of millions of working women who are hit hard by the ongoing economic crisis. (For real-life stories of how the economy is hurting women and families, check out Ask a Working Woman survey, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and our community affiliate, Working America.) 

The doors to McCain’s town hall meeting opened at 10 a.m., but a quickly growing group of protesters was already established by 7 a.m. Workers from UAW Local 722; OPEIU 277; AFT 5000; AFT 3535; AFT 340; and AFSCME were all in attendance, as well as several allies. Janet Polansky, a member of AFT Local 5000, a union of faculty and academic staff at the University of Wisconsin, came out because she was concerned about what McCain’s policies would mean for women. 

“John McCain has one of the worst records on women’s issues in the entire Senate. He voted against the Family and Medical Leave Act; voted against equal pay for women—including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act—that would have given women the right to sue for wage discrimination. He opposes all kinds of family planning programs, including funding prevention of unwanted teenage pregnancies.”

 Polansky says that as a woman and a teacher, she sees McCain’s agenda as dangerous. 

“He doesn’t support Social Security, which is one of the major ways that women are kept out of poverty when they’re elderly. He says that educational training will help women better than equal pay will, yet he opposes educational funding. There’s no reason any woman should support John McCain, he’s never done anything positive.”

Julian Colvin, another teacher and AFT member, expressed strong concern for McCain’s economic and health care plans.  

“John McCain is going to take our country in the wrong direction if he gets elected. He wants to privatize Social Security. He wants to put all health care in the private market, which is incredibly risky and is just going to increase health care costs. On the other hand, we have Sen. Barack Obama, who has real plans to save Social Security and to ensure that everybody in America has quality, affordable health care.”

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.