01.17.01

Cantwell Praises Plan to Keep Women's Bureau Offices Open

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today praised Labor Secretary Elaine Chao's decision to halt consideration of the closure of the ten Regional Offices of the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor.

Earlier this month, eleven Democratic Senators, including Cantwell, sent a letter to Secretary Chao requesting that she reconsider a Bush Administration proposal to close the Regional Offices of the Women's Bureau. The Senators noted that "the elimination of the Regional Offices would raise doubts about the Department's ability to continue to implement vital services -- such as narrowing pay disparities between men and women, increasing the number of women in apprenticeships and non-traditional occupations, disseminating information about sexual discrimination and harassment, and supporting family-friendly policies such as the Family Medical Leave Act and employer-sponsored child-care." As a result of pressure from the Senators, a spokesperson for the Department of Labor recently announced the "idea of contemplating the closure of the regional offices is [now] completely off the table."

Senator Cantwell praised the decision, noting that the Bureau's regional offices allow for local focus on such important issues as pay disparity, sexual harassment, and discrimination. "These Regional Offices play an important role in informing women of how they can protect their rights in the workplace," she said. "The Regional Offices are vital to the Women's Bureau's mission of promoting the welfare of all wage earning women."