LETTERS

Dear Friends,

You may be wondering why it's been so long since you have heard from us. The lack of time and money --the problem we all have without wages for housework--prevented us from putting out the newsletter. But we are still here and getting stronger with changes and news to report.

The Wages for Housework Campaign (including us and groups from the U.S., Canada, Black Women For Wages for Housework and Wages Due Lesbians) was in Houston for the International Women's Year Conference in November. You may have read in the papers about two contingents at the Conference: the Pro-Life contingent (those opposed to the E.R.A. and abortion) and the Pro-Plan contingent (those in support of the pro-E.R.A., pro-abortion, and other resolutions adopted by the State conferences and put together in "The Plan" by the conference organizers). But there was another group which did not get press coverage the Pro-Money coalition. We pushed through several substitute resolutions on disabled women, older women, and welfare demanding independent money and services for women and defining "poverty as a major barrier to equality for women."

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The welfare resolution passed by the conference said:

"Just as other workers, homemakers receiving payments should be afforded the dignity of having We that payment called a wage not welfare. oppose the Carter Administration proposal for welfare reform (H.R. 9030) which, among other things, eliminates food stamps, CETA training and CETA jobs paying more than the minimum wage, adequate day care, and introduces "work. fare" where mothers would be forced to "work off" their grants which is work without wage, without fringe benefits or bargaining rights, and without dignity."

Wages & Housework

5482

Cleveland, Ohio 44101 651-5907 or 281-9982

The adoption of the resolution was a real victory even though, not surprisingly, it was kept quiet by the media.

We in Cleveland are pleased to report that Vicki Meminger from Black Women for Wages for Housework is involved in the campaign in the Cleveland area. If you would like to get in touch with her, her address and phone number are: Oberlin College, Bcx 2434, Oberlin, Ohio 44074 (1-775-5983). Together we are planning several meetings in the spring on welfare and Wages for Housework. In the meantime, if you want to get in touch with us, our new box number is 6243.

--Wages for Housework, Cleveland

P. O. Box 6243 Cleveland, Ohio 44101 Phone: 651-8987

WHAT SHE WANTS IS:

..A MONTHLY NEWS JOURNAL PRODUCED FOR ALL WOMEN There is no subject unsuitable for our reader's and therefore you will find articles on every topic from politics to poetry in each issue.

WHAT SHE WANTS ADVOCATES:

...equal and civil rights

the right to earnings based on our need, merit and Interest

...access to job training, salaries and promotions we choose

...the right to organize in unions and coalitions to advance

our cause

...the right to decent health care and health information ...the right to safe effective birth control and to safe and legal abortions

...the right to accept or reject motherhood

the right to make and express sextual peference without harsisment

.....the right to mœcellence in education and freedom from prejudice in learning materials

The following letter was sent to and is reprinted from Off Our Backs, February, 1978:

We will appreciate your printing this reply to at letter from Betsy Warrior which you ran in your last issue. Warrior alleged that the Center for Women Policy Studies (CWPS) is undercutting the distribution of her publication "Working on Wife Abuse”, by preparing to distribute our own listing of people and projects.

Since we have consistently tried to be supportive of Warrior's work, I would simply like to set the record straight. For a year and a half CWPS has been running a clearing house and publishing a free newsletter (RESPONSE) on "sensitive crimes" (sexual assault, sexual abuse of children and wife abuse). We are funded for this by the LEAA but at less than half the level Warrior mentioned. Each month we receive more than 150 requests for information, many of which require our knowing who is doing what on wife abuse. We have built a card file of 700 entries which needed to be verified and put on a list that can be mailed to people who request the information. Thus we have written to persons and projects in our file for up to date information on their activities and are receiving a fine response.

Oddly, Transition House, with whch Warrior is affiliated, filled out and returned the card we sent with a pleasant note mentioning the Working on Wife Abuse directory and telling us that the Ms. Foundation has made a grant to update it. If this is true, Warrior's claim that the work is done on her "$52.00 a month in food stamps" is disingenuous at best.

Warrior wrote of my visit to her during the first week of our project in June, 1976, but she either misunderstood or misrepresented my purpose. My objective was to add to our mailing list feminists working on wife abuse, so that they could receive our free newsletter. Warrior's original directory was published and available for this use, but many new people had written to her wanting to be included. I suggested that CWPS pay to have this list typed, reasoning that this would help her to update her work and could be used to augment our mailing list as well. The offer was apparently interpreted as a takeover effort and was refused. I regret that an opportunity was lost for our groups to engage in mutually beneficial, cooperative work.

Several weeks before Warrior's letter appeared in your publication I wrote to Lisa Leghorn, who I assumed works closely with Warrior, and told her about our listing. I suggested that it be used to spare expenses in updating Working on Wife Abuse. Meanwhile, other directories are coming out all over the country as women organize on the state and regional level. Lists of names and addresses are important tools and Warrior deserves credit for having done the first on this subject. Still, a tool is. but a means to an end and I suggest we stop this destructive dialogue and get on with the job of stopping wife abuse.

Sincerely, Margaret J. Gates Co-director

What She Wants

What She Wants has rescheduled production to the second weekend of every month. Copy should be handed in by the first of every month so that we can discuss and edit collectively at our editorial meetings. Articles are much easier to read if they are printed or typed. Please leave material in our mailbox (second floor of the White House, 2420 S. Taylor Rd. at Scarborough, Cleveland Heights) or mail to: WSW, c/o Cleveland Women's Counsel, P.O. Box 18472, Cleveland Heights, 44118.

WE ARE:

Carl Epstein; Linda Jano; Marycatherine Krause; Barbara Louise; Babbl Meady; Barbara Rausch; Mary Walsh

FRIENDS OF THIS ISSUE

Marie Crews, Judy Gregery, Penery Orr, Freddy Scott, Jeanas Van Atta, Gail Powers

On February 1, 1978, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center sponsored an excellent seminar, "RAPE: Victim and Offender," which was reviewed by Carol Epstein in last month's What She Wants.

Three women from the Free Clinic (Marcia Kessler, Sandy Scully, Lyn Singer) and I attended the seminar. Afterwards we discussed what we had heard, combined our notes, and wrote a summary to share with other staff members and volunteers at the Free Clinic.

I believe the summary contains information that would be interesting and useful to those who did not attend the seminar and would like to share it with anyone who is interested.

Call me at 721-4010, or write to 12201 Euclid Please include Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. 50¢ for photocopying and postage.

UNITE

THE

Gail R. Powers

JUSTICE

The Deadline for the April issue of What She Wants

is March 31st. Please leave your articles in our mailbox (second floor of the White House, 2420 S. Taylor Rd. at Scarborough) or mail to WSW, c/o Cleveland Women's Counsel, P.O. Box 18472, Cleveland Hts., 44118. Please include your phone number with all submissions.

WSW always likes input from our readers in the form of letters, articles, Off My Breast, personal experiences WSW always likes to include new women on our staff who are willing to write, help with lay-out, organization, editorial, advertising, and selling full time and part time WSW always likes new subscribers, distribution people, outlets for sales, and publicity

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WSW always needs information about what Cleveland women are doing, planning, thinking, writing, breaking up, putting together.

WSW always needs YOU!!! Write us at:

What She Wants c/o Cleveland Women's Counsel P. O. Box 18472, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118. 371-5376

YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Regular $6.00

Contributing -$15.00

Sustaining $25.00

Institutional $15.00

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