Women from 64 countries took part in the Global Strike 2000.  Women in Argentina, Ecuador, London, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Uganda, Trinidad, and Tobago marched in the streets, broadcast jingles on major radio stations, went on strike took kids out of school, demanded wages for all work and the right to land, held a "Bad Hair Day" to get housework recognized for tax purposed, invaded department stores to protest requirements that staff stay slim, closed women's bookshops, read poetry in the plaza, carried pots on head and babies on backs while refusing to do any work.

The Kaabong Women's Group of Kaabong, Ghana marched in the streets on Strike Day 2000, carrying pots on their heads and babies on their backs.  No woman was allowed to do any kind of work.

Come to the Welfare Warriors Mothers Organizing Center OPEN HOUSE FOR WOMEN ON STRIKE March 8, 2001 from 12-2 pm and 4-8 pm.  Eat, drink and watch the video "Who's Counting?" on the value of women's unwaged work.  Sign a Petition to Bush to demand that the US include women's unwaged labor in the Gross National Product.

On March 8, 2001--International Strike Day--Welfare Warriors spoke and flyered around the city of Milwaukee to let folks know about the Global Women's Strike. Hundreds of women commented on the strike, agreeing that it was about time women's work was recognized and reduced. Most mothers bemoaned their plight as overworked women and said they would not be able strike, but would be with us in spirit.

We held an OPEN HOUSE with meals and drinks, on March 8 from noon to 2pm and again from 4-8 pm and invited women on strike to come and celebrate our struggle for recognition of ALL women's work, especially the low-paid, no paid work taking care of the people and the Earth. About 20 women and one man attended the Open House. They watched the Global Women's Strike video from 2000 and loved it! Some women watched the Video, "Who's Counting" and were amazed to learn that only narrowly defined "productive" work i.e. work that included an exchange of cash, was included in every government's budget.

        We had a big discussion about how government could include disasters like war and tanker oil spills as "productive" work, while ignoring the work women do caring for the young, the old, the sick, the dying, the communities, the churches and the Earth.

        All strikers at the Open House signed letters to President Bush demanding that he include women's unwaged work in the Gross National Product. They also signed a letter to Milwaukee's District Attorney E. Michael and his White Collar Crime Division, demanding that they prosecute two welfare agencies, Goodwill and Maximus, for their welfare fraud. (see following article.) The two private welfare agencies admitted they spent $820,000 of state welfare money on lavish meals, concerts, symphony tickets, drinks, advertising logos, entertainers--and even on business in other states to secure welfare contracts. Yet the state of Wisconsin has renewed their multi-million dollar welfare contracts and the DA has not even considered prosecuting them.

        Recently a state audit revealed that these two bloated, tax-draining, privatized welfare businesses in Milwaukee, Goodwill and Maximus, paid their administrators and workers over  $2 million dollars in bonuses for reducing welfare roles. Each worker received an average of $4,000 in bonuses. Goodwill's welfare director, Will Martin, gave himself $90,000 in bonuses and earned $172,000. The private welfare agencies spent this state-contracted welfare money on themselves while denying, terminating and sanctioning cash support for single moms and their children, including sick, disabled, dying and battered women and children.