Letter: Rep. Cortvriend voted on the side of women

Posted 5/14/19

To the editor:

In response to former Rep. Ken Mendonça’s May 7 letter (“Rep. Cortvriend flip-flopped on rollover contracts”), the shame should be on the former …

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Letter: Rep. Cortvriend voted on the side of women

Posted

To the editor:

In response to former Rep. Ken Mendonça’s May 7 letter (“Rep. Cortvriend flip-flopped on rollover contracts”), the shame should be on the former representative. 

While true Rep. Cortvriend voted against continuing contracts as school committee chair, it is also true people can change their minds on issues when given a new lens through which to see the issue. Rep. Cortvriend did her research, listened to all sides of the issue, and voted on the side of women.

Education workers in Rhode Island and the United States are more than 75 percent female, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The fight for continuing contracts here in Rhode Island is a fight for women. 

While male unions of police, fire, and correctional officers have the well-deserved protection of binding arbitration, female unions of educators have not. Why? Because it was stereotypically seen that women were wives, not family bread-winners. Kudos to current lawmakers who rejected these misogynistic, 1950s-style ideals and voted in favor of continuing contracts.

There is no betrayal by Rep. Cortvriend. By voting in favor of women educators, she did exactly as she was elected to do. Rep. Cortvriend was endorsed by the RIDP Women’s Caucus, Moms Demand Action, RI NOW, and other groups believing in the rights of women. As female labor leaders, we applaud Rep. Cortvriend for doing the right thing for the women of District 72 and for all women across Rhode Island.

Amy Mullen

38 Harbor View Road

Portsmouth

Amanda Scott 

North Scituate

Ms. Mullen is a member of NEA Tiverton and NEA director for Rhode Island. Ms. Scott is a member of NEA Portsmouth and the treasure for NEARI.

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