"Under the Bus: How Working Women Are Being Run Over," with Caroline Fredrickson

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Produced by: 
KBOO
Air date: 
Wed, 09/30/2015 - 9:00am to 10:00am
"Under the Bus: How Working Women Are Being Run Over," with Caroline Fredrickson

Host Kathleen Stephenson speaks with Caroline Fredrickson about her new book, "Under the Bus: How Working Women Are Being Run Over." She explains how U.S. labor laws exclude certain workers from protection (mainly women and people of color), and the terrible reasons why those workers are excluded.

Caroline Fredrickson is President of the American Constitution Society. She has been widely published on a range of legal and constitutional issues. She served as the director of the ACLU’s Washington legislative office and as general counsel and legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America and practiced several years as a labor lawyer.  In addition, she was chief of staff to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and deputy chief of staff to then-Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).  She is a senior fellow at Demos.

In "Under the Bus: How Working Women Are Being Run Over," Fredrickson explains how President Franklin Roosevelt bargained with Dixiecrats in order to pass minimum wage, overtime, and collective bargaining legislation.  In exchange, jobs traditionally occupied by African Americans, women, and immigrants – such as domestic work and farm work – were excluded from the protection of the laws.  These laws, based on racially-motivated and sexist compromises, remain in place.  Part-time, temporary, domestic, farm, and small business workers are not considered “employees” for legal purposes; therefore they have few rights if they are discriminated against, wrongfully terminated, harassed, or even abused at work.


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