The
      Cadre
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      9
      March
      1999
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Feature
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bread
      and
      Roses:
      Celebrating
     
     
      International
      Womens’s
      Day
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      MELISSA
      DOUCETTE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      March
      8
      is
      Interna-
     
     
      tional
      Women’s
      Day.
      It
      had
     
     
      its
      beginnings
      in
      the
      labour
     
     
      movement,
      where
      women
     
     
      fought
      for
      better
      wages
      and
     
     
      working
      conditions,
      and
      later
     
     
      the
      right
      to
      vote.
     
    

    
     
      The
      date
      was
      chosen
     
     
      because
      of
      an
      event
      that
      took
     
     
      place
      on
      March
      8,
      1909.
      Fif-
     
     
      teen
      thousand
      women
     
     
      marched
      through
      the
      streets
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      New
      York
      City,
      protesting
     
     
      for
      shorter
      working
      hours,
     
     
      safe
      working
      conditions,
     
     
      equal
      pay,
      and
      the
      right
      to
     
     
      vote.
      They
      were
      violently
     
     
      dispersed
      by
      police.
     
    

    
     
      Their
      anthem
      was
     
     
      “Bread
      and
      Roses,”
      symbol-
     
     
      izing
      economic
      security
     
     
      (bread),
      and
      better
      life
     
     
      (roses).
     
    

    
     
      On
      March
      5,
      1999,
     
     
      their
      struggles
      and
      the
      strug-
     
     
      gle
      of
      all
      women
      fighting
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      equality
      in
      their
      personal
      and
     
     
      professional
      lives
      were
      com-
     
     
      memorated
      by
      the
      —s
      of
     
     
      “Bread
      and
      Roses.
      he
     
     
      event
      took
      place
      at
      a
      break-
     
     
      fast
      sponsored
      by
      the
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      Labour
      Congress,
      the
     
     
      PEI
      Federation
      of
      Labour
     
     
      Women’s
      Committee,
      and
     
     
      the
      Public
      Service
      Alliance
      of
     
     
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      Special
      Guest
      speaker
     
     
      was
      Nancy
      Riche,
      executive
     
     
      director
      of
      the
      Canadian
      La-
     
     
      bour
      Congress.
     
    

    
     
      “International
      Wom-
     
     
      en’s
      Day
      is
      a
      celebration
      of
     
     
      Mp
      is
      va
      a
      woman,”
     
     
      Riche
      began.
      “It’s
      not
      a
     
    

    
     
      Riche’s
      talk
      was
      tied
     
     
      into
      the
      theme
      of
      “A
      Society
     
     
      for
      All
      Ages”
      which
      is
      the
     
     
      Federal
      Government's
      ver-
     
     
      sion
      of
      the
      United
      Nations-
     
     
      sponsored
      Year
      of
      the
      Older
     
     
      Person.
      Riche
      said
      that
      pay
     
     
      equity
      will
      have
      an
      important
     
     
      impact
      on
      older
      people.
      Pen-
     
     
      sion
      funds
      are
      tied
      to
      wage
     
     
      —
      which
      ——
      help
      stave
     
     
      o
      poverty
      so
      many
     
     
      elderly
      --
      and
      single
      women
     
     
      --
      now
      live
      in.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      have
      never
      seen
     
     
      such
      an
      attack
      in
      my
      life,”
     
     
      oa
      Riche
      on
      the
      fed-
     
    

    
     
      government's
      7
      pang
      !
     
     
      to
      pay
      equity.
      PSAC
      work-
     
     
      ers
      fought
      for
      14
      years
      on
      this
     
     
      issue,
      and
      the
      Supreme
      Court
     
     
      of
      Canada
      recently
      ordered
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      federal
      government
      to
     
     
      pay
      $5
      billion
      owed
      to
      female
     
    
   
   
    
     
      workers.
      The
      federal
      govern-
     
     
      ment,
      which
      added
      pay
      eq-
     
     
      uity
      to
      women’s
      rights
      legis-
     
     
      lature
      in
      1977,
      appealed
      the
     
     
      decision.
     
    

    
     
      PSAC
      workers
      are
      not
     
     
      the
      only
      women
      who
      face
     
     
      pay
      equity
      struggles.
     
    

    
     
      Women
      at
      Bell
     
     
      Canada
      have
      been
      fighting
     
     
      for
      9
      years
      on
      this
      issue.
      In
     
     
      the
      last
      few
      weeks,
      Bell
     
     
      Canada
      announced
      that
      the
     
     
      lay-off
      of
      2400
      workers
      --
     
     
      most
      of
      whom
      were
      women,
     
     
      and
      a
      pay
      reduction
      of
      40
      per
     
     
      cent.
      Many
      of
      these
      women
     
     
      were
      os
      +
      involved
      in
      the
     
     
      stru
      or
      pay
      equity.
     
    

    
     
      SeRiche
      otioubded
     
     
      that
      the
      federal
      government
     
     
      will
      be
      changing
      the
      law
      to
     
     
      avoid
      paying
      the
      $5
      billion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      According
      to
      her,
      the
      federal
     
     
      overnment
      has
      called
      the
     
     
      aw
      “confusing,”
      and
      wishes
     
     
      to
      amend
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Riche
      spoke
      about
     
     
      “the
      length
      they'll
      go
      not
      to
     
     
      pay
      women
      what
      they
      are
     
     
      worth.”
     
    

    
     
      She
      commented
      on
      re-
     
     
      marks
      made
      by
      people
     
     
      around
      pay
      equity
      to
      the
      ef-
     
     
      fect
      that
      they
      are
      not
     
     
      to
      it,
      but
      feel
      that
      $5
      billion
     
     
      is
      too
      much.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      the
      women
      are
     
     
      owed
      $5
      billion,
      then
      they're
     
     
      underpaid
      by
      $5
      billion,”
      re-
     
     
      plied
      Ride.
     
    

    
     
      She
      concluded
      by
      stat-
     
     
      ing
      that
      the
      battle
      for
      pay
      eq-
     
     
      uity
      is
      a
      victory
      for
      years
      to
     
     
      come.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Join
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Women’s
      Day.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      women
      all
      come
     
     
      marching,
      marching,
     
     
      hand
      in
      hand
     
    
   
   
    
     
      World
      Women’s
      March
      2000
     
     
      March
      8
      is
      International
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Join
      in
      the
      local
      activities
      or
      start
     
     
      something
      yourself.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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