Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and
controlling behaviors including physical, sexual, and
psychological attacks against the victim as well against
children, property, or pets.
 
Domestic violence is a widespread societal problem with
consequences reaching far beyond the realm of the family.
It is a crime that has devastating effects on the
victims, their children, and workplaces. In the past,
unions and employers may have thought of domestic
violence as something that was not their concern; it was
a "private matter" which should not be brought to work.
As societal awareness of domestic violence has grown,
however, unions and employers have begun to consider the
special needs of workers who may be victims of domestic
violence.
 
* Between two million and four million American women are
physically abused by their husbands or boyfriends each
year. Four thousand die.
 
* Domestic violence occurs in every economic class, race,
and ethnic group.
 
* Women are six times more likely than men to be the
targets of domestic violence.
 
* While physical violence is the most severe form,
domestic abuse ranges from emotional to sexual abuse.
 
* Abuse can occur, and usually starts, through fear,
intimidation, and other forms of control and
manipulation. One doesn't have to be beaten to be
battered.
 
Why Should You Get Involved?
 
For the health and safety of union members
For the future of our children
 
There is a direct link between home and workplace
violence. Abuse against spouses and partners frequently
is carried out in the workplace, either by phone or in
person. In addition, domestic violence exacts a heavy
toll in increased medical expenses, reduced productivity,
increased absenteeism and turnover, and increased risks
of violence at the workplace.
 
* Three of every four employed battered women are
harassed at work, with more than half of them missing
time from work each month.
 
* Domestic violence costs employers between $3 billion
and $5 billion annually just from absenteeism; it can
cost the victims-- on top of the physical and emotional
pain--their jobs, further compounding the problems in the
home and the victim's ability to leave the abuser.
 
* One in five victims of workplace homicide is a woman,
and homicide is the leading cause of death for women in
the workplace, accounting for 42 percent of on-the-job
fatalities for females.
 
Are You In An Abusive Relationship?
 
Does your partner continually criticize what you wear,
what you say, how you act, and how you look? Does your
partner often call you insulting and degrading names? Do
you feel like you need to ask permission to go out and
see your friends and family? Do you feel like no matter
what you do, everything is always your fault? Do you feel
like you're always walking on eggshells trying to avoid
an argument? When you're late getting home, does your
partner harass you about where you were and who you were
with? Is your partner so jealous that you're always being
accused of having affairs? Has your partner threatened to
hurt you or the children if you leave? Does your partner
force you to have sex whether you want to or not? Has
your partner threatened to hit you? Has your partner ever
pushed, shoved, or slapped you?
 
What Unions Can Do
 
Domestic violence presents unique challenges for the
union, and any workplace response must be part of a
coordinated community effort to end the devastating
consequences of violence within the family. Your employer
can play a powerful role in this coordinated response by
sending a clear message that no violence, including
domestic violence, will be tolerated at the workplace.
Your employer can also  ensure that the workplace
supports victims of domestic violence by helping them
understand and access available services, information,
and protections.
 
* Work with security, human resources, and employee
assistance programs to ensure that workplaces
appropriately respond to issues of domestic violence and
that all staff are trained on this issue.
 
* Sponsor union programs on domestic violence. Invite
speakers, show films, and have lunch hour workshops or
seminars.
 
* Print articles in union publications about domestic
violence. Include information on sources of help in the
community for domestic violence victims and for
batterers.
 
* Include information about domestic violence as part of
steward training. Negotiate paid leave and employer-paid
legal assistance for use by victims of domestic violence.
 
* Work with shelters, including donating funds and
contributing needed items; providing volunteers; and
lobbying federal, state, and local governments for
increased funding for shelters.
 
What You Can Do To Support A Co-worker
 
While the signs below could be explained by something
other than domestic violence, possible signs that a
co-worker is being battered include: bruises she may try
to explain as being caused by an accident; frequent or
unexplained absences or lateness; frequent personal phone
calls that leave her upset; a decline in job performance
- difficulty concentrating or working effectively; and
withdrawal from co-workers.
 
If you are approached by a friend or co-worker who is a
victim of domestic violence and wants someone to talk to,
the following suggestions may be helpful.
 
DO
* Believe her.
* Encourage, but don't pressure her to talk about the   
  abuse.
* Respect her need for confidentiality.
* Listen to her. Support her feelings without judging   
  her.
* Let her know that she is not alone. Domestic assault  
  happens to many women.
* Reassure her that the abuse is not her fault. She is  
  not to blame.
* Give her clear messages that she can't change her     
  partner's behavior; that apologies and promises will  
  not end the violence; that violence is never justified.
* Her physical safety is the first priority. Discuss her 
  options and help her make plans for her and her       
  children's safety.
* Give her the time she needs to make her own decisions.
* If she is not ready to make major changes in her life, 
  do not take away your support.
* Give her a list of key community resources that work  
  with assaulted women.
 
DON'T
Battered women need our support and encouragement. Some
forms of advice can be harmful or dangerous:
* Don't tell her what to do, when to leave, or not to   
  leave.
* Don't tell her to go back and try a little harder.
* Don't rescue her by trying to make her decisions for  
  her.
* Don't offer to try to talk to her partner to straighten 
  things out.
* Don't tell her she should stay because of the children.
 
Where to get help
 
If you are a victim of domestic abuse and want to break
the cycle of violence, look in the yellow pages of your
telephone directory under Crisis Intervention Services,
Social Service Organizations, Domestic Violence, Family
Violence, or Emergency Shelters for your local battered
women's shelter or service.
 
FOR IMMEDIATE CRISIS INTERVENTION, INFORMATION, AND
REFERRALS TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES, CALL THE TOLL-FREE,
24-HOURS-A-DAY NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE:
1-800-799-SAFE.
 
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
 
OCAW Research & Education Department
Post Office Box 281200
Lakewood, CO 80228-8200
303-987-2229