International Women's Day: Expand Healthcare and Workers Rights

International Women's Day, March 8, is a day of struggle for dignity and respect for women and girls in the workplace and in the community.

A March 8 rally at the State Capitol celebrating International Women's Day called on the state of Connecticut to address the lack of mental health services for women and girls.

“Right now, the State of Connecticut is turning away women and girls from receiving life-changing and lifesaving services due to the staffing crisis,” said SEIU District 1199 NE.

Speakers urged elected officials to “Restore Lifesaving Services for Women and Girls” and called for solutions that will reopen programs cut back during the pandemic.

The Recovery for All coalition joined the rally,“The state legislature has an opportunity during this session to fund the services women and girls so desperately need,” they said.

“State run programs are a lifeline for women who can't afford to go to private rehab facilities. Cuts to staffing and closures of quality state run programs has meant that hundreds of women and girls are going without adequate care! Quality care for women and girls = Equity.”

The Recovery for All coalition was among many preparing to testify before the Labor Committee the following day in favor of a set of bills expanding workers' rights.

“Hundreds of thousands of working people are struggling to raise families, while a handful of wealthy corporations and wealthy residents are getting even wealthier,” they said.

“Adding insult to injury, working people are also contributing a greater share of their income for the services we all rely on which the wealthiest fail to pay what they owe to state and local governments'.

“This isn't an accident.” the coalition added. “Decades of bad policy choices have made Connecticut ground zero for the most extreme racial, economic and gender inequities in the country.”

Three bills to raise basic labor standards were highlighted by the Connecticut AFL-CIO, One Fair Wage, Working Families, CWEALF, and CT Voices to eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, to ensure that all Connecticut workers have a stable work schedule they can rely on, and to expand paid sick days to all workers.

A fourth bill to provide standards to protect ride share and delivery drivers was also part of the agenda for workers' rights at the Labor Committee's public hearing..