Contraceptive Equity Project

Formulate an action plan that alerts local unions and regional affiliates about the issue and asks them to take specific action (e.g., send out copies of the CLUW kit or specific pieces of the kit). Women's committees can be especially helpful in getting this issue out. It's also a great internal organizing issue.

Discuss the issue in education, communications, women's, civil rights and collective bargaining conferences.

Bring the issue of contraceptive coverage to the attention of health care administrators and union trustees.

Inform locals with Taft-Hartley health funds that they don't necessarily have to wait until the contract expires to take action.

Survey contracts to find out what is and what is not currently covered in plans (CLUW has a sample survey). Then target those plans that do not have contraceptive coverage, particularly units with large/national contracts.

Inform locals in states that have state mandates to cover contraceptives and urge them to find out if their plan is covered by state law. (There are 20 such states: AZ, CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, IA, MA, ME, MD, MO, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, RI, TX, VT, WA.)

Encourage locals in states that do not have a state law covering prescription contraceptives to lobby for one.

Urge locals in states without contraceptive laws to contact their AFLE-CIO state federation and local Central Labor Councils and urge them to deploy their legislative staff to work with allied organizations in support of contraceptive equity legislation.

Encourage locals (especially those with women's committees) to support EPICC, the "Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act," S. 104 and H.R. 1111, which would establish equitable coverage for contraceptive prescriptions and related medical devices.

Run an article in the union publication.

Share what your union is doing on this issue with CLUW so that we can track your activities and "give credit where credit is due."

Ideas for Action for CLUW Chapters & State Organizations

CLUW Contraceptive Equity Project
Carolyn J. Jacobson, Director
202-508-6901
cjacobson@cluw.org