Federal Employees: What women are looking for in 2021 | Women At Work

Pandemic Hits Women Workers Harder:

The beginning of the end of the pandemic might be in sight, but there’s no clear signs of where federal employees will be working in the future, or when they’ll be working there. In some ways, the long telecommute has been difficult for women. For a temperature check and look ahead, the legislative representative for Federally Employed Women, or FEW, Tonya Saunders, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

American Rescue Plan offers Support:

“we’re very excited, in fact, that they did include additional paid leave, so that employees can use this emergency leave to care for themselves, their children, their spouse, and others. It’s, in fact, we were very supportive of the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act for years. And that was also passed prior to this bill. But this gives federal employees a level of comfort, particularly women, you know, Tom, women have been hit the hardest by COVID-19. And so just the name itself let you know that this is a organization of women”

Priority issues include ERA, VAWA

“We have priority issues, FEW has three tiers. Tier One are issues directly impacting federally employed women. Tier two issues affecting all federal employees, regardless of gender. And then tier three issues affecting all women as a class. And there are two very important issues that are weaving their ways through Congress currently. One is the Equal Rights Amendment, ERA. The other is the Violence Against Women Act.”

Read the full interview at the Federal News Network