tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81529578546281434262024-03-05T00:03:35.082-08:00Making Change: 9to5 National BlogNews and Views about work-family policy and women's workplace issues9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-40024911861682349332011-07-12T08:57:00.000-07:002011-07-12T09:06:20.084-07:009to5 Rejects Budget Cuts Disproportionately Affecting Women<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABnlf8_EKUcKHXU-veq668eAHdx2JoqlHxrGmJKBD-8jZ1OEv79BzfdDUCnED9l_GSVW7srxQp1p4rNy7ZW8a6BvCnx4Aemv5pDQ281Szoxa7Pi1pThiWL4qUOBCG4q2ZKN7HYnlv3cM/s1600/9to5logo-37yrs-Violet.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABnlf8_EKUcKHXU-veq668eAHdx2JoqlHxrGmJKBD-8jZ1OEv79BzfdDUCnED9l_GSVW7srxQp1p4rNy7ZW8a6BvCnx4Aemv5pDQ281Szoxa7Pi1pThiWL4qUOBCG4q2ZKN7HYnlv3cM/s200/9to5logo-37yrs-Violet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628496862968594610" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->July 12, 2011<span style="mso-tab-count:9"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">The Honorable John Boehner<br />The Honorable Harry Reid<br />The Honorable Nancy Pelosi<br />The Honorable Mitch McConnell</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><br />The U.S. Congress<span style="mso-tab-count:10"> </span>Capitol Building<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:4"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span><br />Washington, DC </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dear Mr. Speaker, Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader Pelosi, and Minority Leader McConnell:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We, the undersigned members of the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO), write to express our grave concern about the impact of deep budget cuts on women. We are alarmed both at the extent of proposed funding reductions in social safety net programs and at the extreme measures being discussed to drastically reduce federal spending for the long term. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If adopted, such measures could reverse our economic recovery, increase already high levels of unemployment, and severely restrict the federal government's ability to help those who are vulnerable. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">From what we understand about the proposed budget cuts, those most vulnerable –women, low-income earners, children, and seniors—will suffer the brunt of the spending cutbacks. Millions of women depend on government programs to keep them from falling into poverty; millions more rely on government employment and are in jobs dependent on government spending. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While men have recovered 24 percent of the jobs they lost during the recession, women have recovered only 14 percent of the jobs they lost. The federal government’s failure to create a robust jobs program means that many more women will lose their jobs as state and local governments reduce their workforces. Now more than ever, older women need the support of programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Many women cannot find employment at older ages, do not have pensions, and have been unable to save sufficiently because of time spent in caregiving, wage discrimination, and other factors. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">The average monthly Social Security check for women is about $1,000, and a substantial proportion of retired women –particularly the very elderly and widowed – do not have any other source of income and exhaust their savings in later years. These factors make proposed changes such as raising the full retirement age for Social Security extremely harmful to older women, who rely on the program for a greater share of their income than older men.</span> Women of color, who experience an even larger wage gap, are especially at a disadvantage when the retirement age is raised. Combined with rising premiums for Medicare Part B, an increase in the full retirement age would result in benefits replacing a smaller portion of recipients’ past earnings, forcing them to forcing them to reduce their standard of living substantially, since many simply do not have other income.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->Some political leaders have recently proposed using the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) in determining Social Security and other benefits, mistakenly calling it a more accurate measure of inflation to calculate the cost-of-living adjustment in benefits. In fact, living costs have been rising faster for seniors because they spend more on medical care, and health care costs have increased more rapidly in recent decades than the costs of other goods and services. <span style="font-style: italic;">Switching to the chained CPI would add to the financial burden many retirees face by reducing monthly Social Security benefits, an especially problematic change for older Americans because other sources of income decline with age.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Women would also suffer from proposed budget cuts to Medicaid and other crucial social services. Medicaid covers 70 percent of those in nursing homes, including the disabled and elderly; most residents of nursing homes are women. Moreover, if cuts to Medicaid and Medicare occur, women will bear the brunt of caregiving, taking even more time off from work to care for children and elders—which will reduce their future Social Security benefits.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b>Women also would be significantly affected by cuts to vital programs and services such as family planning, work training, child care, schools, and education. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We urge policymakers working on the budget negotiations to place women’s circumstances and concerns at the center of their analysis and response. This means developing a robust jobs program to address the difficulties women face, especially now as a result of the lagging recovery. It means acknowledging the real causes of the federal budget deficit—two unpaid-for wars, an unpaid-for prescription drug program, <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span>continued tax breaks for the richest Americans and a debilitating recession that resulted in massive job loss and lost revenues to governments at all levels. It means examining revenue enhancers as a means of reducing the federal debt. And it means finding ways to safeguard and strengthen the social programs that will help ordinary people recover from the extraordinary recession.</p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p>The National Council of Women’s Organizations, composed of more than 2<span style="color:black;">4</span>0 organizations representing more than 12 million women, expresses its concern for all women—especially older and low-income women—in the face of the upcoming budget decisions by launching a new social media campaign, “Respect, Protect, Reject.” The campaign aims to highlight the vital importance of reaching a budget result that will:</p> <p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Respect</span> </b>women’s contributions to the economy and their need for economic security.</p> <p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Protect</span> </b>Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and programs that disproportionately serve and employ women.</p> <p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Reject</span> </b>budget plans that threaten the economic security of women.</p> <p>We strongly urge policymakers to craft a national budget that will fulfill these goals.</p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-78589775449117455832011-07-08T07:56:00.001-07:002011-07-08T07:57:50.370-07:00Philadelphia Needs Earned Sick Days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGz1SpCIOlcJM3a4FBE0qTs1r8kKQcNHgPNldvppB9zoUF3IDs4X1QBPGh3t5jUBVPYffxDcHJo-bLmW7iJUTeUmxFHM91R6I6D39fEshthr9J77xGedjKEY2FVJm59GgifIG_tK5vmg/s1600/psd+philly.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGz1SpCIOlcJM3a4FBE0qTs1r8kKQcNHgPNldvppB9zoUF3IDs4X1QBPGh3t5jUBVPYffxDcHJo-bLmW7iJUTeUmxFHM91R6I6D39fEshthr9J77xGedjKEY2FVJm59GgifIG_tK5vmg/s200/psd+philly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626995701804935778" border="0" /></a><br />Mayor Nutter put himself on the wrong side of history with his June 28 veto of Philadelphia’s new earned sick days ordinance, which was passed by City Council and supported by an overwhelming majority of Philadelphia voters. Momentum is growing in Philadelphia and across the country for this common-sense policy that is good for public health, for families, for workers and for businesses, too. <p>9to5, National Association of Working Women will continue to stand with the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, the Philadelphia coalition leading the earned sick days campaign, as they continue their efforts to win earned sick days in their city.</p> <p>In order to strengthen jobs and the economy, safeguard public health and protect working families, we need earned sick days – in Philadelphia and across the country.</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">-Linda Meric, 9to5 Executive Director</span><br /></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-60756766324901391522011-06-06T07:29:00.000-07:002011-06-06T07:33:12.656-07:00It's time now for workers to be able to earn paid sick days in Philly and across the country<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJcEjq1329YAOuoWReFtNfIRK9rsxHxCpBuHeUInJ__bg0NoXE2VE4zgOmqVBWSXveaOz_Q06ctdfVL9It9-BDSctS5r_HUPxkiTPRTsf09npQ5G3Ms9D6o-vb-sZjs0afBNkNq59sYg/s1600/Linda+Meric+resized.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJcEjq1329YAOuoWReFtNfIRK9rsxHxCpBuHeUInJ__bg0NoXE2VE4zgOmqVBWSXveaOz_Q06ctdfVL9It9-BDSctS5r_HUPxkiTPRTsf09npQ5G3Ms9D6o-vb-sZjs0afBNkNq59sYg/s200/Linda+Meric+resized.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615114583021032562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Crossposted from <a href="http://customfitworkplace.org/win-win/it%E2%80%99s-time-now-workers-be-able-earn-paid-sick-days-philly-and-across-country#ixzz1O7fISxbc">The Custom-Fit Workplace</a></span><br /><p>Millions of Americans working without paid sick days face the impossible choice between caring for their health and that of their family, and keeping their paycheck or job. At a time when many families are worried about their financial security, the threat of losing a job or needed wages forces many workers to go to work even though they are ill.</p> <p>The lack of paid sick days poses a risk to public health. Many of the workers without paid sick days are in food service and health care jobs where illness can be spread to those they work with and serve.</p> <p>Laura, a coffeeshop barista, says her employer does not offer her paid sick leave. She says that puts others at risk because she is forced to go to work sick in order to make enough money to cover rent.</p> <p>“We exchange cash with you, make your latte, hand you your pastry, and yes, we sneeze,” Laura says. “So if an employee had to come to work with the flu because she couldn’t afford to miss work, you might be walking out of the store with your double latte and the flu.”</p> <p>But the lack of paid sick days is more than just a public health crisis – it is an economic crisis. As hard-working Americans are fired for being sick, they add to the growing unemployment rates and keep our economic recovery from moving forward.</p> <p>“My daughter, who was eight months pregnant, had an asthma attack at work,” says Rhonda. “She’d been on the job five months, but she didn’t qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. When she returned to work three days later with a medical statement, she was fired. No one would hire her at eight months pregnant. She became homeless. If she’d had paid sick days, my daughter would have kept her job and her income.”</p> <p><strong>There is a solution. </strong></p> <p>Policymakers at every level, and voters, can and<em> must</em> take steps to allow workers to earn paid sick days to recover from illness, access preventive care or look after a sick child or other family members.</p> <p>San Francisco, Washington DC and Milwaukee have already passed paid sick days laws. The Healthy Families Act was re-introduced at the federal level last week by Congresswoman DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Harkin (D-IA). City Councils, state legislatures and voters are considering paid sick days measures across the country. IT’S TIME FOR PHILLY TO TAKE ACTION!</p> <p>Providing a way for workers to earn a modest amount of paid sick leave will have a huge impact on millions of workers, allowing them to take care of themselves and their loved ones when they are sick – without the fear of losing their jobs or needed wages.</p> <p>And paid sick days will help workers <em>without</em> hurting business. In San Francisco and Washington, DC, where laws have already been implemented, studies have shown that workers are not only healthier but more productive when they have access to paid sick days. Six in seven employers surveyed in San Francisco say that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability, and two-thirds of employers support the law.</p> <p>Paid sick day policies are good for public health, for families, for workers and for businesses, too. In order to strengthen jobs and the economy, safeguard public health and protect working families, we need paid sick days – in Philly and across the country.</p><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br />Read more: <a style="color: #003399;" href="http://customfitworkplace.org/win-win/it%E2%80%99s-time-now-workers-be-able-earn-paid-sick-days-philly-and-across-country#ixzz1OVRxCoIE">http://customfitworkplace.org/win-win/it%E2%80%99s-time-now-workers-be-able-earn-paid-sick-days-philly-and-across-country#ixzz1OVRxCoIE</a><br /></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-67116320438918442422011-06-03T07:46:00.000-07:002011-06-03T08:30:25.061-07:00Young Women Need Paid Sick Days (Too)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmhid1Tadal43qNWNVpuoW1ld6VBlMybNG-Mt34XU0dwH6jtrcilLeAPkJU4UhZwZn6e6urFWg0js7laVdZ_9g458B-44DQJQHjhc9xgN-VmfLbgLTL3QPvy9zWKhhQu8s6dJWrgh2WU/s1600/claudia+headshot.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmhid1Tadal43qNWNVpuoW1ld6VBlMybNG-Mt34XU0dwH6jtrcilLeAPkJU4UhZwZn6e6urFWg0js7laVdZ_9g458B-44DQJQHjhc9xgN-VmfLbgLTL3QPvy9zWKhhQu8s6dJWrgh2WU/s200/claudia+headshot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614016246573151410" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Crossposted from the <a href="http://www.iwpr.org/blog/2011/06/01/young-women-need-paid-sick-days-too/">Institute for Women's Policy Research blog</a>.<br /></p><p>While some workers lacking paid sick leave can take time off without losing pay, many lose pay when they are out sick and cannot afford to take a single day off. This is particularly the case for young women. At an early stage in their careers, many younger women workers are living day to day and others juggle multiple jobs to <a href="http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@gender/documents/publication/wcms_097919.pdf" target="_blank">make ends meet</a>. With limited wealth and savings, a large <a href="http://womensmediacenter.com/blog/2011/05/exclusive-the-feminization-of-the-college-degree/" target="_blank">debt from college</a> or even a steady income, younger women often find themselves between a rock and a hard place when illness strikes. Younger women are often not in a position to take lower pay when sick, especially when medical expenses are involved.</p> <p>While part-time and low-income workers’ concerns are widely discussed, the needs of younger workers are almost unheard of, as it is usually assumed that their health status—without the burdens of chronic health conditions and age—is excellent, and that they don’t yet have care giving responsibilities.</p> <p><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/about_nhis.htm" target="_blank">Data</a> from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), however, shows that young workers need paid sick days just like everyone else. In fact, of those private sector workers that reported having fair or poor health, 30 percent were 35 years or younger and a larger portion were young women (18 percent compared to 12 percent for young men). The same data show that a majority of young workers lack paid sick days; only 37 percent have paid sick days, compared to 58 percent of all workers.</p> <p>Across the board, younger workers have limited access to paid sick days, no matter what they do for living, what their schedule looks like, or the size of the business they work for. For instance, whether young workers are employed in high-end jobs like legal occupations or in lower paying occupations like health support, data from the NHIS show that only one out of five workers with paid sick days in those occupations are between 18 and 35 years old.</p> <p>For younger workers concentrated in traditionally low-income occupations or small businesses, the picture is even grimmer. Along with part-timers, these workers are most often afflicted, and women are <a href="http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/women-and-paid-sick-days-crucial-for-family-well-being" target="_blank">overrepresented</a> in this type of work arrangement. The outlook is especially challenging for young women with care giving responsibilities on top of lower earnings: paid sick days are even more essential for them to to stay afloat. For single mothers, usually with limited resources and often living in <a href="http://wagner.nyu.edu/wocpn/publications/files/AtRopesEnd" target="_blank">poverty</a>, having paid sick days can make a big difference when medical problems arise.</p> <p>Paid sick days are essential to all workers, but even more so to those with limited resources, including younger workers who are more vulnerable and have fewer resources than many of their older counterparts.</p> <p><em>Claudia Williams is a Research Analyst with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.</em> </p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-3243791997820367602011-05-19T12:43:00.000-07:002011-05-19T12:45:52.500-07:00Healthy Families Act Reintroduced in Congress<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbfaRjTGq2CzQpKLeNfvweCh6ZMpnhFCcfR_wQ6myTEAkjSEumnDDj2HODTnh3czNLjG-JpPVt3Xn_1qbfegVa77O7Cm6R26UfprwZy9ZRup5u78RMBCERP0SzcyDqoJxAs5OBCoqILM/s1600/sick+child+with+woman+2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbfaRjTGq2CzQpKLeNfvweCh6ZMpnhFCcfR_wQ6myTEAkjSEumnDDj2HODTnh3czNLjG-JpPVt3Xn_1qbfegVa77O7Cm6R26UfprwZy9ZRup5u78RMBCERP0SzcyDqoJxAs5OBCoqILM/s200/sick+child+with+woman+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608515765937539106" border="0" /></a><br />Millions of Americans working without paid sick days face the impossible choice between caring for their health and that of their family, and keeping their paycheck or job. At a time when many families are worried about their financial security, the threat of losing a job or needed wages forces many workers to go to their jobs even though they are ill. <p>The lack of paid sick days poses a risk to public health. Many of the workers without paid sick days are in food service and health care jobs where illness can be spread to those they work with and serve.</p> <p>Laura Baker, a barista at a Denver Starbucks, says the company does not offer her paid sick leave. She says that puts others at risk because she is forced to go to work sick in order to make enough money to cover rent.</p> <p>"We exchange cash with you, make your latte, hand you your pastry, and yes, we sneeze," Baker says. "So if an employee had to come to work with the flu because she couldn't afford to miss work, you might be walking out of the store with your double latte and the flu."</p> <p>But the lack of paid sick days is more than just a public health crisis – it is an economic crisis. As hard-working Americans are fired for being sick, they add to the growing unemployment rates and keep our economic recovery from moving forward. </p> <p>“My daughter, who was eight months pregnant, had an asthma attack at work,” says Rhonda Willette, of Milwaukee 9to5 . “She’d been on the job five months, but she didn’t qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. When she returned to work three days later with a medical statement, she was fired. No one would hire her at eight months pregnant. She became homeless. If she’d had paid sick days, my daughter would have kept her job and her income.” </p> <p><strong>There is a solution. </strong></p> <p>The Healthy Families Act, introduced last week by Congresswoman DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Harkin (D-IA), will allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days a year to recover from illness, access preventive care or look after a sick child or other family members.</p> <p>This modest amount of sick leave will have a huge impact on millions of workers across the country, allowing them to take care of themselves and their loved ones when they are sick – without the fear of losing their jobs or needed wages. </p> <p>And paid sick days will help workers <em>without</em> hurting business. In San Francisco and Washington, DC, where laws have already been enacted, studies have shown that workers are not only healthier but more productive when they have access to paid sick days. Six in seven employers surveyed in San Francisco say that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability, and two-thirds of employers support the law. </p> <p>“Paid sick day policies are good for public health, for families, for workers and for businesses, too,” says Erin Bennett, Colorado Director of 9to5. In order to strengthen jobs and the economy, safeguard public health and protect working families, we need paid sick days – and we need the Healthy Families Act.</p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-26169952195088048472011-04-12T07:02:00.000-07:002011-04-12T07:04:01.805-07:00Paycheck Fairness Now!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_h0E3UEkMt2yZQYC7PQbGmJDEwjWuCwWd0TbB175596jq-uIjCSw2JWRKLez8GRFHF6UFuPVsXkP-iwmID8tTvct4FIc1HtOYrdW8P0J5ZVd74w7xMZNyvrD2OGAeuDu0WVmDTD8i588/s1600/Equal+Pay+day.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_h0E3UEkMt2yZQYC7PQbGmJDEwjWuCwWd0TbB175596jq-uIjCSw2JWRKLez8GRFHF6UFuPVsXkP-iwmID8tTvct4FIc1HtOYrdW8P0J5ZVd74w7xMZNyvrD2OGAeuDu0WVmDTD8i588/s200/Equal+Pay+day.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594697442812201026" border="0" /></a><br />On April 12, 2011, the nation observes Equal Pay Day to symbolize that women have to work a year plus more than three months to equal what men make in just one year, on average. This past year women were paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men in the U.S. For women of color, the gap is even wider, with African American women earning 67 cents and Latinas 58 cents on the dollar. <p>9to5 member LaTerrell Bradford calls equal pay a “non-negotiable.” While working as part of an all-female support team, a man was hired in the same job classification. Her female supervisor discovered that he was to earn much more than any of the women and advocated for every team member to be paid at the higher rate. Human resources relented because as Bradford says, “It would not have been fair nor legal to sit next to him, do the exact same work and have him be paid more.”</p> <p>Not only is the pay gap unfair, it harms families and children. Recent 2009 statistics show the largest number of people, including children, living in poverty since those numbers have been measured, and adult women 32% more likely to be poor than adult men. Women’s paychecks put food on the table and pay for doctor visits for sick children. With women as the sole or co-breadwinner in more families than ever, equal pay is critical.</p> <p>9to5 member and former Wal-Mart employee Mary Henderson is among the original plaintiffs of a massive gender discrimination class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in late March. Mary was paid thousands of dollars less than a man with less education and the same seniority in the same position. Mary’s daughter, also a Wal-Mart employee, applied for a supervisory job that ended up going to a man because “he had a family to support” – even though she was supporting her family, too. When Mary inquired about these instances of gender pay discrimination, she was punished with transfer to a store requiring an hours-long commute.</p> <p>The pay gap is evident in almost every occupational category, in every income bracket; it’s a constant despite education, despite experience. The National Women’s Law Center found the gap represents $10,622 a year, with which a family could:</p> <ul><li>Buy a year’s worth of groceries ($3,210)</li><li>Arrange for three months of childcare ($1,748)</li><li>Pay three months of rent and utilities ($2,265)</li><li>Cover six months of health insurance ($1,697)</li><li>Pay down six months on a student loan ($1,602) AND</li><li>Purchase three full tanks of gas ($100)</li></ul> <p>The Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963 to address the pay disparity that was 59 cents for women working full-time year-round jobs as compared to men’s one dollar of pay at that time. Since then the wage gap has narrowed by less than one-half of one cent per year. At this rate, women won’t achieve equality for 66 years, in 2077!</p> <p>The Paycheck Fairness Act will be an important step to help end significant and persistent disparities in pay, as it updates the Equal Pay Act of 1963, strengthens penalties courts may impose for violations of existing equal pay laws, prohibits retaliation against workers who inquire about or share wage information and empowers women to better negotiate for equal pay. It must be passed for the women of today and for the women of tomorrow.</p> <p>The U.S. Congress must consider how the pay gap places families of today in jeopardy, especially in these tough economic times. They should think about how they love and value their own daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters. Are they really worth less than their sons, grandsons and great-grandsons?</p> <p>Of course not! Equality is the cornerstone of our American way of life. Let’s all urge U. S. Senators and Representatives to champion fair pay for America’s working women and sign on as co-sponsors of the Paycheck Fairness Act as it is re-introduced this year. It’s the right thing to do for women, families and our country.</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">-Linda Meric, 9to5 Executive Director</span><br /></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-30121423145971891722011-04-12T07:00:00.001-07:002011-04-12T07:01:52.259-07:00Arizona-Style Laws An Attack on Women and Children<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmwR705k8Mju_KjUky1fF3wGrfxoM1wIaU-fIt-GOWIkS2MY5s_DBwBYDJSaVGcVdq-5QbNkTi44tS__6M78yoKXXrUrYEoOYjCI6Eh_sPX7EGR-kpafE4dBeed4BRza2YtCoz3XxaSs/s1600/Arizona-2-300x176.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmwR705k8Mju_KjUky1fF3wGrfxoM1wIaU-fIt-GOWIkS2MY5s_DBwBYDJSaVGcVdq-5QbNkTi44tS__6M78yoKXXrUrYEoOYjCI6Eh_sPX7EGR-kpafE4dBeed4BRza2YtCoz3XxaSs/s200/Arizona-2-300x176.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594696841611717618" border="0" /></a><br />In response to frustration with the federal government’s lack of a coherent immigration policy, state legislatures across the country are considering several Arizona-style immigration bills to require or allow law enforcement officers to demand proof of immigration status from anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. Although the well-being of women and children isn’t usually the first thing that springs to mind as an immigration issue, the reality is that these types of laws put women and children in harm’s way. <p>Officers could be forced to interrogate all brown-skinned people, anyone speaking in accented English or Spanish – most of whom will be American citizens or legal residents. The courts are currently reviewing the constitutionality of potentially institutionalizing racial profiling, largely blocking sections of the original Arizona law from enforcement.</p> <p>Regardless of how you feel about these laws, the truth is that women and children are the ones who have the most to lose if these bills pass. Families will be torn apart, children will be traumatized, domestic violence survivors will be silenced and workplace abuse will increase. Furthermore, these bills will undermine public safety for <span>all of us</span>.</p> <p><strong>Tearing Families Apart: </strong>Traffic cops targeting drivers for potential deportation means mothers are taken away from their children – often children who are U.S. citizens – splitting up families in pursuit of enforcement of a broken immigration system. A mother dropping her children off at school or child care in the morning doesn’t know if she’ll be there to pick them up in the afternoon. Children have been separated from parents who are detained and eventually deported; others have been removed from their parents’ homes and placed in foster care. These families endure harsh economic and emotional hardship.</p> <p class="ColorfulList-Accent11CxSpLast"><strong>Traumatizing Children: </strong>Children experience severe psychological trauma when separated from their primary caretakers. A 2010 Urban Institute report documented this: “The vast majority of children whose parents were detained in ICE raids in the workplace and in the home exhibited multiple behavioral changes in the aftermath of parental detention, including anxiety, frequent crying, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, withdrawal and anger…Disturbingly, the children also experienced dramatic increases in housing instability and food insecurity, which are both dimensions of basic well-being.”</p> <p>In a Congressional hearing, 11 year-old Heidi Ruby Portugal described her reaction after her mother was seized in Arizona, “They took away the most precious thing that children have, our mother. With one hit they took away my smile and my happiness.”</p> <p><strong>Silencing Survivors of Domestic Violence: </strong>These laws actually increase the threat to women facing domestic violence or sexual assault. Domestic violence survivors will be reluctant to call the police for fear of deportation, sometimes leading to fatal consequences. Survivors of sexual assault will avoid hospitals and services, fearing the involvement of the police. This is particularly dangerous for immigrant women who already face so many barriers, including language access and cultural stigmas that may make it less likely that they will seek services.</p> <p><strong>Discriminating Against Women in the Workplace: </strong>Abusive employers who violate wage, sexual harassment and discrimination laws – laws that protect everyone who works in our country – will benefit from these measures. Immigrant women will be vulnerable to employers using the threat of deportation to control and exploit them professionally and sexually. An Arizona-style law will silence women from speaking out, from reporting crimes and violations of workplace rights.</p> <p><strong>Undermining of Public Safety: </strong>Most police chiefs and law enforcement experts agree that public safety is hurt when trust between immigrant communities and the police is replaced by fear. If police participate in immigration enforcement programs, crime victims and witnesses will be unwilling to come forward and report crime. This makes the entire community less safe. </p> <p>Our immigration system is clearly not working but our time is far better spent promoting policies that help position ALL women and families to live the American dream, like policies to help close the pay gap so women can support their children now and prepare for an economically secure retirement tomorrow, and workplace standards like paid sick days that protect jobs and income for workers when faced with illness, domestic violence and sexual assault. Let’s not pass laws that attack women and children.</p> <p><em>-Linda Meric, 9to5 Executive Director</em></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-56423293159757459552011-04-07T14:51:00.000-07:002011-04-07T14:58:17.933-07:00Stop Wal-Mart From Discriminating Against Women<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOdal5u5mvlunnGiXZWeT28d0kdfRy50F-2sN58dSPCBOsPNlqz_TfTP8wiRLbF9U20qUytoNMLOdUjLRmED45uJ6PiBCliVUS_ys53UXk6shf-bNZDrSu7VbCcefI3zCWnfJhJXPwgc/s1600/WalmartFrown.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOdal5u5mvlunnGiXZWeT28d0kdfRy50F-2sN58dSPCBOsPNlqz_TfTP8wiRLbF9U20qUytoNMLOdUjLRmED45uJ6PiBCliVUS_ys53UXk6shf-bNZDrSu7VbCcefI3zCWnfJhJXPwgc/s320/WalmartFrown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592963266751086162" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:pixelsperinch>72</o:PixelsPerInch> <o:targetscreensize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; 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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">LINDA MERIC and MARY HENDERSON<br /><br />Ten years after Betty Dukes and other women workers first brought their claims of sex discrimination in pay and promotions against Wal-Mart, their case will go before the Supreme Court on March 29. 1.6 million women currently and formerly employed at Wal-Mart will be affected by the Court’s determination on whether Wal-Mart’s female employees can join together as a class, to challenge company-wide discrimination. The fair-minded among us will agree that Dukes v. Wal-Mart should be a class action case. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">These patterns of discrimination catalogued in the lawsuit are exemplified in the experience of Mary, a 9to5 member and former Wal-Mart worker, who questioned why she was paid thousands of dollars less than a man with less education and the same seniority in the same position. Mary’s daughter, also a Wal-Mart employee, applied for a supervisory job that ended up going to a man because “he had a family to support” – even though she was supporting her family, as well. When Mary inquired about this, she was punished with transfer to a store requiring an hours-long commute. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">The case contains thousands of pages of disturbing evidence documenting pervasive gender stereotypes, statistical pay and promotion disparities, and policies that allowed those stereotypes to negatively influence employment decisions affecting women throughout the company. A few examples:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><i>Gender Stereotypes.</i></b> The documents reveal an ingrained corporate culture that views women as inferior to men, and not interested in career advancement. Among the hundreds of statements detailed in Court documents is a manager telling one employee, “Men are here to make a career and women aren’t. Retail is for housewives who just need to earn extra money.” Another male manager declared, “Women should be home, barefoot and pregnant” – and NOT as a bad joke.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><i>Pay Disparities.</i></b> The women at Wal-Mart earned less than men, even after accounting for seniority, turnover and performance. In fact, the women had higher performance ratings and more years of employment on average, yet made 5% to 15% less: an average of $5,000 per year less than comparable men.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><i>Promotion Problems.</i> </b>Women received fewer promotional opportunities for in-store management positions, and had to wait longer for the promotions they did receive.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><i>Hiding Discrimination.</i></b> Despite Wal-Mart's policy prohibiting employees from discussing pay, women discovered they were regularly paid less than male counterparts. A female assistant manager discovered that a less-experienced male assistant manager earned $10,000/year more than she did when someone gave her his misplaced W2. One woman realized that she earned less because “many male associates [at her store] brag[ged] about their pay.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><i>Retaliation for Complaints.</i></b><i> </i>Although Wal-Mart’s “Open Door” policy supposedly allowed employees to air complaints, in reality it “was a façade and resulted only in retaliation,” according to one employee. Another reported that a Wal-Mart Home Office representative told female employees who made complaints of sex and race discrimination, “I can fire you, without taking any steps, for using the [O]pen [D]oor [policy].”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Wal-Mart has long been fueling a race to the bottom through its low standards of wages, benefits and working conditions. The company has been found guilty of numerous wage and hour and overtime violations, unfair labor practices, and absenteeism policies that punish workers for using their paid sick days. This lawsuit could put the brakes on; sending the message to all employers that illegal wage discrimination won’t be tolerated, even if you are the nation’s largest employer. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">Evidence strongly suggests that sex discrimination is rampant at Wal-Mart. It can be stopped by a class action resolution to address the company-wide problem. This case will educate the public about employer responsibilities and employee rights in the workplace. All companies, including Wal-Mart, must be fair to all employees – men and women alike. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i>Linda Meric is the Executive Director of 9to5, National Association of Working Women, a national membership-based organization of low-income women working to improve policies on issues that directly affect them.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i>Mary Henderson of Canon City, Colorado is a former Wal-Mart assistant manager who is fighting for a better tomorrow for her daughters and 12 granddaughters.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <i style=""><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:78%;" ><span style=""></span></span></i>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-23893982503926668802010-12-06T10:47:00.000-08:002010-12-06T11:08:29.378-08:00Two Million Americans Are Waiting ...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547647606548008418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuy2xO3H6OdnW7jPFMWSn4wbtCzRtbe2rZHTnkSexPHohiKSxLvKu6QNWPB2RDFdfW7Z8ZlJ4MPMe3k3K3by4H48tvKbeD-QfaPDUlqOTK7tMnHl5SU_9Qxl8pDGKjzloq2zBcyRXpqUk/s320/unemployment+line.jpg" border="0" />The news of the day centers on whether Congress will extend unemployment insurance benefits to the millions of American workers who are out of a job -- or if it will only do so if in a compromise agreement to pass tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. <div></div><br /><div>Basically today's reports from Capitol Hill tell us that unemployed workers are being held hostage. Meanwhile, there are children to care for, mortgages and rent to be paiid, a holiday season upon us. Congress might be reminded of what it should do by this op-ed from 9to5 National Director Linda Meric. It must think like struggling families -- and extend unemployment benefits to jobless workers NOW!</div><div></div><br /><div>Here is a link to the version of Meric's op-ed that appeared, appropriately, in the Baltimore AFRO, just 30 or so miles from the nation's Capitol.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.afro.com/sections/opinion/story.htm?storyid=3338">http://www.afro.com/sections/opinion/story.htm?storyid=3338</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-46908697164573182772010-11-16T13:39:00.001-08:002010-11-16T13:48:18.212-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_3IuyMMLiUZfhP0pZTCQLIHI868LHHDxODD9tb5ZXxZJn3UVPmMYxBTJBU0RkrDxp0_hy499O6RIlpnPjVnbdYSl_uR8_iEM7KrWiSOeRZz6LVhPXzMzDLJOGM824cAplGnDBthNTLg/s1600/pay-inequity.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_3IuyMMLiUZfhP0pZTCQLIHI868LHHDxODD9tb5ZXxZJn3UVPmMYxBTJBU0RkrDxp0_hy499O6RIlpnPjVnbdYSl_uR8_iEM7KrWiSOeRZz6LVhPXzMzDLJOGM824cAplGnDBthNTLg/s320/pay-inequity.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540266649760307602" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%">Lame Duck Congress:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Help American Families Today, Don’t Let Unemployment Benefits Expire<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">by Linda A. Meric</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There was good news for our flailing economy from the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> this month. More than 150,000 jobs were added in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> in October and private sector payrolls grew by 159,000.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But there was some news that didn’t change:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>unemployment held steady at 9.6 percent. Almost 15 million Americans are out of work and more than 41 percent of them have been unemployed for six months or more. So, adding 150,000 jobs, while a good sign, is still just a drop in the economic bucket.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">With job growth still sluggish, and with so many people out of work, it’s critical that unemployment benefits not be allowed to expire. President Obama has even expressed his support for this important step, saying “I think it makes sense for us to extend unemployment insurance because there are still <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/801-economy/127713-obama-makes-another-push-for-extension-of-emergency-unemployment-benefits">a lot of folks out there hurting</a>.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But the President obviously can’t do it alone. This is a job for the lame duck Congress, returning to the hill this week – and partisan politics should not get in the way.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Emergency unemployment benefits are set to expire at the end of this month. If no extension is approved, two million American workers will lose their unemployment benefits – and more importantly lose their lifeline to economic security for themselves and their families – just in time for the holidays.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> “The current expiration date will cause a cascade of unemployed workers to fall off the unemployment rolls, prematurely cutting benefits for some and making any form of an extension <a href="http://www.nelp.org/page/-/UI/2010/november.extension.report.pdf?nocdn=1">completely unavailable for others</a>,” according to the National Employment Law Project (NELP). Plus, as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted, there are still <a href="http://www.offthechartsblog.org/big-cuts-in-store-for-the-unemployed/">far more unemployed workers than there are job openings</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is worth noting, too:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An extension of benefits does not mean that workers who have completely exhausted their benefits will get even one penny more. It only means that those who are currently receiving UI benefits will not get cut off mid stream.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It means that working women – who face staggering unemployment at the same time that women are now the <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/04/womans_nation.html">primary or co-breadwinner in more than 2/3 of American families</a> – will be able to provide for their families; to make ends meet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Really, every dollar provided in UI benefits for struggling families pumps two dollars back into our economy because they have so many needs. These aren’t dollars that get stored up somewhere for savings. These are dollars that are needed and spent right now; for food, for clothing, for rent, for utilities – to keep the lights on and the furnace going.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The lame duck Congress can’t leave American families out in the cold this holiday season. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">It doesn’t have much time. It must extend emergency unemployment insurance benefits and do so quickly. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s families are waiting.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Meric is Executive Director of 9to5, National Association of Working Women</i></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4z6E8HvzChRXAxqV8x-gh5puT7fcDQrQcTwcQ0Je4Eui69JsZdXwMWSdmAzvNsV3vhwbR8mFsIy8lJMv2GmH2GSTF9J2IcKrNfOkcLmetNLmUSOt3PF-sDxt1X2pkNi8SVLJeelc08o0/s1600/pay-inequity.jpg"></a>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-58470451712814040492010-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:002010-11-11T16:18:08.544-08:00Congress Must Pass PFA & Other Critical Legislation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN8IThJdGM9A7PR6jdMoPy4hjbJ2zGhyNVeZw8D3hpzHMCaWyRSbDrBWJnAr88c4BxhPrHE5WmC-Y5iIa8ax8FXfzxkbZHG4WO6bWj1u6p2kquUR3Nuxwufvoa4hdddUgPrUIgXox37M/s1600/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN8IThJdGM9A7PR6jdMoPy4hjbJ2zGhyNVeZw8D3hpzHMCaWyRSbDrBWJnAr88c4BxhPrHE5WmC-Y5iIa8ax8FXfzxkbZHG4WO6bWj1u6p2kquUR3Nuxwufvoa4hdddUgPrUIgXox37M/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538404442334116706" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>With the House and Senate expected to reconvene on November 15th, this will be the last opportunity for the 111<sup>th</sup>Congress to pass legislation deemed imperative by the coalition of more than 200 national civil and human rights organizations.</b></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><span></span>Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the DREAM Act, a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” an extension of unemployment insurance, and the confirmation of President Obama’s judicial nominees have been identified as top priorities for the final months of 2010. Also, critically important is a Senate vote on the ratification of the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Here's what Wade Henderson, President & CEO of The Leadership Conference, has to say about these final months and lame duck priorities: “Now that the midterm elections are over, Americans expect Congress to work together on the important needs of our country..E<span>ach of these priorities will make our nation stronger and more just, and they deserve to be high on the list of ‘must-do’ legislation before the current Congress adjourns.”</span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>As a member of the LCCR coalition of 200 organizations, 9to5 agrees with these priorities:</b></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></b></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; "><b><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" > would deter pay discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations. “This Congress showed some remarkable backbone for women’s equality when it passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act,” said Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference. “Passing this legislation would reinforce this Congress’ commitment to narrowing the pay gap to help support family incomes and strengthen our economy.”</span></span></span></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; "><b><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >An extension of unemployment insurance</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >, which is set expire at the end of this month, would provide a lifeline for millions of workers in the stalled economy. “Congress has never cut off unemployment benefits when the jobless rate was this high. Extending them will help the economy recover while providing badly needed assistance to workers unable to find jobs,” Henderson said.</span></span></span></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; "><b><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Passage of the DREAM Act</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pledged to bring up for a vote during the lame duck session, would allow immigrant youths the opportunity to serve in our military, attend college, and earn citizenship. “The DREAM Act will help ensure that children who have worked hard, graduated from high school, and obeyed the law have the opportunity to be productive workers in the American economy,” Zirkin said.</span></span></span></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; "><b><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The repeal of “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell,”</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" > which has been under consideration for several months, would strengthen our military and advance LGBT equality. “Our service members should not have to live in fear of dismissal simply for being gay or lesbian. In the face of two wars and dwindling recruitment, our military needs our best and brightest citizens to serve regardless of their race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation,” Henderson said.</span></span></span></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; "><b><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The confirmation of pending judicial nominees</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" > who have faced a level of obstructionism that is unprecedented in American history. “People all over America are being denied justice because our overworked courts have more than 100 empty benches without judges to hear cases,” Zirkin said. “The Senate must put aside petty partisanship, eliminate obstructionist tactics, and commit to taking yes-or-no confirmation votes on the pending judicial nominees before adjourning.”</span></span></span></b></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; "><b><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ratification of CEDAW</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >, a landmark international agreement that affirms principles of fundamental human rights and equality for women around the world. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law has scheduled a hearing on the CEDAW treaty on November 18. “Ratifying the CEDAW treaty would continue America’s proud bipartisan tradition of promoting and protecting human rights,” said June Zeitlin, CEDAW Project director.</span></span></span></b></li></ul><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Write or call your members of Congress and ensure they know that these priorities are YOUR priorities.<br /></span></span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-25344852273183571522010-11-05T14:09:00.000-07:002010-11-05T14:22:32.896-07:00Report Surveys Economic Landscape for Women<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPT70g1NraUHAZs0W4Vy4YRM6TkPngw0CgTt0PXInJog54BFg9P1ZT7Vyfu3PKngoGDJOlPixJtJMMGmbg7IRxgIBdXr3XxMjDWdH6gESY8hOXFU6X3ewSB_m1Vl-e2tBIAcIRZkEAHQ/s1600/black+woman+const.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPT70g1NraUHAZs0W4Vy4YRM6TkPngw0CgTt0PXInJog54BFg9P1ZT7Vyfu3PKngoGDJOlPixJtJMMGmbg7IRxgIBdXr3XxMjDWdH6gESY8hOXFU6X3ewSB_m1Vl-e2tBIAcIRZkEAHQ/s200/black+woman+const.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536176129061396834" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">This might not seem like the Year of the Woman – especially if you peak into the pockets and purses of working women and especially if you consider the fact that we are still waiting for the U.S. Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But if things seem grim, consider this:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The White House has recently released a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/21/jobs-and-economic-security-americas-women-report">report</a>, “Jobs and Economic Security for America’s Women,” written by the National Economic Council. The report gives us a lay of the land; tells us exactly how these tough economic times have affected women and our families and provides some next steps for us from the Obama Administration.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">First of all, the bottom-line – women are pivotal to the economic recovery of this country.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“The economy has changed where women have made such enormous strides that they now constitute fully half of the workforce,” President Obama said in remarks accompanying the release of the report. “They actually constitute probably more than half of the money that’s coming in to middle-class families. And business—small business owners are now a much higher proportion women than they used to be. And so when you talk about what’s happened to the middle class, part of what you’re talking about is what’s happening to women in the workforce."</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For one thing, as the <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/10/womans_nation.html">Center for American Progress</a> has told us, women are now the primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner in two thirds of American households.<span style="font-size: 8.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black"> A</span>s of December 2009, 2.1 million women whose husbands were unemployed were working as the primary revenue earners for their families and 6.1 million single mothers are the sole providers for their households. Additionally, women own 30 percent or 7.8 million American small businesses that generated sales of over $1.2 trillion in 2007—an increase of 46 percent since 1997—and created roughly 500,000 jobs in those 10 years. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">But all is not good for women workers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of the jobs that are being lost, more of them are occupied by women than by men. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Women who are employed still face a wage gap, earning only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man – and for women of color the gap is even wider. There is still a glass ceiling in many sectors of the economy, especially in the highest earning professions. And, many women still have to make choices that place their economic security at jeopardy; choices like whether to go to work or stay home and care for an ill child because of the lack of paid sick days.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Year of the Woman – that remains to be seen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Read the report for yourself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And there’s something else you can do. Be sure to contact your <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">U.S. Senators</a> and let them know that the Senate must make a priority of passing the Paycheck Fairness Act before this year ends. For more info, visit <a href="file:///C:/Users/CS%20Branch%20NAACP/Desktop/9to5/www.9to5.org">www.9to5.org</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Women and our families just can’t wait any longer to win economic justice.</p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-15538989314578318202010-08-16T15:16:00.001-07:002010-08-17T07:02:31.091-07:00The Cost of Being Sick<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As we prepare for 9to5's National Day of Action -- Healthy Workplaces: Paid Sick Days Now, we consider this question ... What is the real cost of being sick for working women and particularly for low-wage working women.<br /><br />The writer of this column provides some answers.<br /><br />After you're done reading this, don't forget to contact Asha Leong at asha@9to5.org to start planning YOUR event for the National Day of Action.<br /><br />It really is true -- no worker should have to choose between the job she needs and the family she loves.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: -webkit-xxx-large; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">The Cost of Being Sick</span></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><div class="byline_date"> <div class="cp_image"> <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/818308/leigh_ann_conselyea.html" onclick="oct(this,'art_byline');"><img src="http://i.acdn.us/user/A8183/818308/818308-0.jpg" alt="Leigh Ann Conselyea" class="user_icon" /></a> </div> <div class="byline_links"> <div class="date"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Published August 14, 2010 by:</span></span></div> <a id="byline" href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/818308/leigh_ann_conselyea.html" onclick="oct(this,'art_byline');" class="content_byline"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Leigh Ann Conselyea</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5682272/the_cost_of_being_sick.html?cat=31">http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5682272/the_cost_of_being_sick.html?cat=31</a></span></span></div><div class="byline_links"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="byline_links"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How much does it cost to be sick these days? If you've ever gone to work and found one or more of your co-workers sneezing, coughing, and sniffling all day, you may have wondered why </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">they were even there in the first </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">place. Admit it...those thoughts run through your mind as you overdose on hand sanitizer and try to stay as far away from them as possible.</span></span></span></div><div class="byline_links"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="byline_links"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The fact of the matter is that for many Americans, staying home while sick is a luxury they cannot afford. Too many people in this country do not have enough paid sick time each year. This problem doesn't just affect working professionals however. In an article by James Warren for </span></span><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_24/b4182033783036.htm" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 102, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bloomberg Business Week</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, a second-grade school teacher, Stilli Klikizos talks about the many sick children that must stay in school all day long because their parents can't get off work to come get them.<br /><br />There is a bill currently in Congress called the Healthy Families Act that, if passed, would change things for many Americans. The Healthy Families Act would require employers with 15 or more employees to provide 7 paid sick days a year for their workers. These days could be used not only for days when the worker is sick, but the time can also be used when caring for others, or going to routine doctor's appointments.<br /><br />Advocates of the bill argue that we cannot afford to not take these measures. When people come to work sick, they are possibly infecting clients, co-workers, and customers. In the case of restaurant or daycare workers, their illness has the potential to affect the health of many. In a 2006 survey, conducted by the Center on Work Life Law at the University of California's Hastings College of the Law, 1 in 6 workers said they or a family member had been fired, suspended, punished or threatened by an employer for taking time off to care for themselves or a family member when ill. The Healthy Families Act is intended to alleviate some of the work/family conflicts that employees today often face.<br /><br />Critics of the bill argue that too many businesses are already struggling to make ends meet right now, and that this is the wrong time to force yet another government mandated expense.</span></span></span></div></div></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-11622658260258924142010-08-12T18:56:00.000-07:002010-08-16T08:33:43.726-07:00Recession hits women, especially Single Moms, hard<div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The news from Legal Momentum isn't good this week but reminds us that we must keep pushing toward economic justice for women and their families. Read the summary of a new report on the recession and single mother employment below. -- Linda Meric</span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Impact of the Recession on Single Mother Employment: </span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Already High </span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Unemployment Jumps Even Higher and More Single Mothers Reduced to Part-time Work </span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Single mothers have consistently experienced a far higher rate of unemployment than the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">population as a whole, and this pattern has continued during the economic downturn that began in December 2007. In 2007, the average monthly unemployment rate was 8.0 for single mothers compared to 4.6 for the population as a whole.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In 2009, the unemployment rate was 13.6 for single mothers compared to 9.3 for the population as a whole. The single mother unemployment rate may have grown even higher than 13.6 in 2010. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will not publish the single mother unemployment statistic until the year is over, BLS does publish on a monthly basis the unemployment rate for “women who maintain families,” about two-thirds of whom are single mothers.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The average monthly unemployment rate for women who maintain families was 11.9 in the first seven months of 2010, compared to 11.5 in 2009.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The economic downturn has also led to an increase in the fraction of employed single mothers who work only part-time from 18% in 2007 to 22% in 2009. (August 2010)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(For further information, contact Timothy Casey, Senior Staff Attorney, tcasey@legalmomentum.org) </span></span></div><div><br /></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-60233948537388646282010-07-27T15:21:00.000-07:002010-07-30T05:53:27.769-07:00Need for Paid Sick Days Never Takes a Holiday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhva63JK9XQ5k8-JOiIpVVgdZ1lz5N_697Kz2tqRCq10_f1iyhGHvWU30I5AGqAHlEbm1Mybd50UpX58A9AFeOPGdgjcD1XG2khJKi2YTfqAZShSStPsFqO_NPBt25Qo87FI_Ocmvenpak/s1600/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhva63JK9XQ5k8-JOiIpVVgdZ1lz5N_697Kz2tqRCq10_f1iyhGHvWU30I5AGqAHlEbm1Mybd50UpX58A9AFeOPGdgjcD1XG2khJKi2YTfqAZShSStPsFqO_NPBt25Qo87FI_Ocmvenpak/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499676704636000610" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">It’s summer -- a time for neighborhood barbeques, family road trips, lazy and hazy days. Summer fun is an American tradition, reminding us that we all occasionally need a break from the stresses and challenges of our lives.<br /><br />Summer is a perfect time to remind ourselves that low-wage working women occasionally need time too; the time to care for ourselves and our families. Now’s the time to take action for paid sick days for all workers: to contact our Senators and remind them that, for the sake of our families, our nation’s public health and family economic security, we must ensure that all workers have access to paid sick days by passing the Healthy Families Act.<br /><br />This summer – on Women’s Equality Day, August 26 – the members and activists of 9to5 will be doing just that in our National Day of Action, “Healthy Families: Paid Sick Days Now.” Some of us will perform street theater. Some will hold rallies. Others will conduct press conferences. We will all join our voices to say that no one should ever have to make the choice between caring for ourselves or a loved one in times of occasional illness and keeping our pay or our jobs.<br />Consider Asha’s family.<br /><br />Asha C.is a young working mother in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a temporary hire, Asha had no paid sick days and could be fired for missing work – even if she or one of her children was ill. One day, she was sick and called in to say she would be late. When she arrived an hour later, two men escorted her to a large meeting room. They fired her. Her employer’s actions not only caused her to lose her job, but also to miss payment of her rent and other household bills. It took a long time for Asha to find another job.<br /><br />Like Asha, nearly 60 million Americans lack a single paid sick day to care for themselves when occasional illness strikes. Nearly 100 million lack a paid sick day to care for an ill child. For these Americans, the lack of this basic labor standard presents unconscionable choices: whether to stay home and get better or go to work sick to keep from losing a job.<br /><br />Those who must go to work sick not only jeopardize their own well-being, they threaten the public health. It was at the beginning of summer in June 2009 that the World Health Organization announced we were officially in the grip of a global H1N1 swine flu pandemic. President Barack Obama and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously urged those experiencing flu symptoms to stay home from school and work, see a doctor and avoid public contact until they recover. But American workers without paid sick days could not stay home because they risked losing their jobs. Illnesses were passed in fast-food restaurants, offices and schools.<br /><br />Still, last summer’s threat of swine flu eventually passed and many of us haven’t given it another thought.<br /><br />But now it’s summer again. And, soon, flu season will be upon us.<br /><br />Especially as the economy still falters, especially as flu season approaches, especially because women are now the breadwinner or co-breadwinner in two-thirds of American families, we must have paid sick days now.<br /><br />So, we’re asking you to join 9to5 on August 26, Women’s Equality Day, for our National Day of Action. We’re asking you to speak-out. We’re asking you to contact us for ideas on how to take action.<br /><br />Illness never takes a holiday. Summer is the perfect time to ensure that the Healthy Families Act passes and guarantees paid sick days for all workers NOW.<br /><br />Linda Meric is Executive Director of 9to5, National Association of Working Women</span></span>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-50044172728836571532010-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:00:22.196-07:009to5 Co-Sponsor of "Turning the Tide"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBQ2q5e_rkEfMh4XNJsa9bYoErshce1Cp4SThktavfi9VsfVvkYRAqKc_RtgNH5Y57QH69YQvkwyec7Y7ABgXK81XLn9_dVdNKOAyrY66qcgxjDjz8078Evvbmrh1I8t31A7zgpqgOk/s1600/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBQ2q5e_rkEfMh4XNJsa9bYoErshce1Cp4SThktavfi9VsfVvkYRAqKc_RtgNH5Y57QH69YQvkwyec7Y7ABgXK81XLn9_dVdNKOAyrY66qcgxjDjz8078Evvbmrh1I8t31A7zgpqgOk/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499680850035221234" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">What women need are policies that do not place them as targets of unscrupulous employers, but that help them fight illegal labor practices like </span></span><a href="http://www.9to5.org/ourwork/news/equal-pay-day-2010"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#191aa3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">pay discrimination</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> and help to close the </span></span><a href="http://www.pay-equity.org/"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#191aa3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">pay gap</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> (which disproportionately affects Latinas and other women of color) so they can support their children now and support themselves in retirement.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">We don’t need laws that criminalize women and make them more vulnerable to harm, but laws that help make ALL women and their families successful and more able to live out the American dream. Join us in speaking out now -- that's why 9to5 has signed on to co-sponsor this important conference.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 48.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">-- Linda Meric</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Turning the Tide on Immigration Enforcement</span></span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">National Women and Children’s Advocacy Day</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Washington, DC *** July 15, 2010</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">On July 15, women and children from around the country will gather in Washington to share their stories and shine a light on the real life impact of immigration enforcement policies on families. In particular, policies like Arizona’s SB1070, 287g agreements and the so-called “Secure Communities” programs threaten the future for the next generation. Join us as we say, “enough is enough.”</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 48.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b>Agenda</b></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 48.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">10:00 Press Conference<br /></span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Announcing participating organizations and 3:00 pm hearing</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Location: TBA</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 48.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 48.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">10:30 Legislative Visit Orientation</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 48.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Reviewing goals and messages for the day</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 96.0px; text-indent: 48.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 96.0px; text-indent: -51.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> 11:00 Legislative Visits</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> Targeting members of the Caucus on Women’s Issues and the Children’s Caucus, </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> participants will share stories and concerns about the impact of SB1070, 287G and </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> other immigration enforcement policies on women, children and families.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">3:00 Hearing – Impact of Immigration Enforcement Policy on Children</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Chair: Congressman Raul Grijalva</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Location: Rayburn 2237</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 45.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>4:00 Closing</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 96.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; ">Co-sponsoring Organizations: Puente Movement Arizona, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, AFL-CIO, Family Values at Work Consortium, 9to5, National Association of Working Women . . . and others</span></p><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-2785869046653860472010-06-28T14:36:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:04:55.794-07:00US Department of Labor clarifies FMLA definition of ‘daughter and son<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Interpretation is a win for all families</span></span></span></p><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span lang="en-us"></span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The U.S. Department of Labor last week clarified the definition of "son and daughter" under the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure that a worker who assumes the role of caring for a child receives parental rights to family leave regardless of the legal or biological relationship.</span></span></i></p><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">From the News Release ...</span></span></p><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The FMLA allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to care for loved ones or themselves. The 1993 law also allows employees to take time off for the adoption or the birth of a child. The administrator interpretation issued by Nancy J. Leppink, deputy administrator of the department's Wage and Hour Division, clarifies that these rights, which provide work-family balance, extend to the various parenting relationships that exist in today's world. This action is a victory for many non-traditional families, including families in the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community, who often in the past have been denied leave to care for their loved ones.</span></span></span></p><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">"No one who loves and nurtures a child day-in and day-out should be unable to care for that child when he or she falls ill," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "No one who steps in to parent a child when that child's biological parents are absent or incapacitated should be denied leave by an employer because he or she is not the legal guardian. No one who intends to raise a child should be denied the opportunity to be present when that child is born simply because the state or an employer fails to recognize his or her relationship with the biological parent. These are just a few of many possible scenarios. The Labor Department's action today sends a clear message to workers and employers alike: All families, including LGBT families, are protected by the FMLA."</span></span></span></p><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER"><span lang="en-us"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">For more information please go to</span></span></span></b></span></p><p dir="LTR" align="CENTER"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span lang="en-us"></span></span></span></b><a href="http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/WHD/WHD20100877.htm" target="_blank"><span lang="en-us"><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/<wbr>press/WHD/WHD20100877.htm</span></span></span></b></u></span></a></p></span>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-24364213748492529202010-06-10T16:09:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:05:59.253-07:00President Obama Calls for Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On this 47th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women's rights activists have lifted their voices, calling on the U.S. Senate to end the bottleneck, pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and send it to the President's desk for signature.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now, President Obama again lends his own voice to those calling for passage in this statement released today by the White House.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><div class="information" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><p class="title" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; ">The White House</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center; ">Office of the Press Secretary</p><div class="dateline" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; width: 450px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div class="release" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 12px; float: left; ">For Immediate Release</div><div class="date" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 12px; float: right; ">June 10, 2010</div><div class="clear" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 12px; "></div></div></div><h1 property="dc:title" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: bold; color: black; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; ">Statement by the President on the Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act</h1><h3 style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 25px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sand-serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12px; color: black; text-align: center; "></h3><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5; ">On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act, which sought to end wage discrimination on the basis of sex. At the time, women were paid 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. 47 years later, pay parity remains far from reality, as women in the United States still only earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, this gap is even wider. This remains unacceptable, as it was when the Act was signed. All women – and their families – deserve equal pay. Women now make up nearly half of the nation’s workforce, most homes have two working parents, and 60 percent of all women work full-time. As we emerge from one of the worst recessions in American history, when families are struggling to pay their bills and save for the future, pay inequity only deepens that struggle and hampers our economy’s ability to fully recover.<br /><br />But we have taken some important steps to address this inequality. I am proud that the first bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored the right to seek a remedy for women who, like the law’s namesake, face wage discrimination during their careers. In my State of the Union address, I pledged to crack down on violations of equal pay laws, and I’ve created the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, bringing together federal agencies to improve the enforcement of equal pay laws. We’ve also increased funding for federal agencies charged with enforcing equal pay laws and other civil rights statutes. The agencies themselves have taken steps to address disparities. For instance, the Department of Labor Women's Bureau is conducting research and analysis, providing technical assistance, and building partnerships to increase women's incomes, narrow the wage gap, and reduce income inequality. And the White House Council on Women and Girls is actively working to close the wage gap.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5; ">More needs to be done. I appreciate the House acting on the Paycheck Fairness Act early last year, and I renew my call to the Senate to modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes, providing incentives for compliance, and barring certain types of retaliation against workers by employers. On this anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, let us all renew and redouble our efforts.</p></span></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-895463623084921372010-05-29T08:19:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:06:49.531-07:00Arizona Law an Attack on ALL Women<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVCSFa2LoI_g11oLpWrs-cysuNwo5nXIEKJOSWG9vfr7Cswfbzxnyl3y0bEtyYkpsieVD1KYO-Z_5N8ycAzHOdhs7wlKl0CCa5vR5s7JmmHhapR49ftiRlslKs9NSHZjY4BpmGJKPxE4/s1600/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVCSFa2LoI_g11oLpWrs-cysuNwo5nXIEKJOSWG9vfr7Cswfbzxnyl3y0bEtyYkpsieVD1KYO-Z_5N8ycAzHOdhs7wlKl0CCa5vR5s7JmmHhapR49ftiRlslKs9NSHZjY4BpmGJKPxE4/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476712862645087698" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;"><b><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In addition to the obvious racist and xenophobic implications of the new Arizona </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042301441.html"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">immigration law</span></span></span></span></a><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, in addition to the obvious concerns that this unlawful law targets residents based on the hue of their skin and the language on their lips, there is something else that troubles us. SB 1070 is an attack on women – especially mothers, and those who find themselves in situations of domestic violence, sexual assault or workplace discrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What was Governor Jan Brewer thinking when she stood for all the world to see and signed this wrong-headed legislation into law? There is so much in SB 1070 that compels activists to speak out against it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Targeting drivers for potential deportation means mothers are taken away from their children, splitting up families in pursuit of enforcement of a broken immigration system. A mother dropping her child off at school or child care in the morning doesn’t know if she’ll be there to pick her up in the afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And SB 1070 actually </span></span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">increases</span></span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the threat to women facing domestic violence or sexual assault. Why would a woman call the police to report a crime, why would she ask the police to come to her home, when the first thing they’re going to do is demand her citizenship documentation or that of her family members? This law is a boon for those who would threaten and abuse wives, girlfriends, partners and other women. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It’s also a boon for unscrupulous employers who violate wage and discrimination laws or permit sexual harassment in the workplace. These laws apply to all workers, with and without documents. If you work, under law, you must get paid and you must not be discriminated against or illegally harassed. But SB 1070 silences women from speaking out, from reporting crimes and violations of workplace rights. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">By silencing women, SB 1070 permits and condones these attacks. It’s especially bad for the women who face them as individuals, but it’s also bad for ALL women.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What women need are policies that ensure they can provide for their families, policies like </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.9to5.org/local/milwaukee/paid-sick-days-a-guaranteed-minimum-standard"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">paid sick days laws</span></span></span></span></a><span style="line-height:115%; Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that protect jobs and income even if you face unthinkable situations like domestic violence and sexual assault.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What women need are policies that do not place them as targets of unscrupulous employers, but that help them fight illegal labor practices like </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.9to5.org/ourwork/news/equal-pay-day-2010"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">pay discrimination</span></span></span></span></a><span style="line-height:115%; Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and help to close the </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.pay-equity.org/"><span style="line-height: 115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">pay gap</span></span></span></span></a><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (which disproportionately affects Latinas and other women of color) so they can support their children now and support themselves in retirement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;Arial","sans-serif""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We don’t need laws that criminalize women and make them more vulnerable to harm, but laws that help make ALL women and their families successful and more able to live out the American dream. Join us in speaking out against SB 1070 now!</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 55px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Linda Meric is National Director of 9to5, National Association of Working Women</span></span></i></span></p></b></span><p></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-23720276458754197352010-04-19T14:27:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:08:48.714-07:00We All Deserve a World Where Women Receive Equal Pay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKMKnaKb-rQk3j2l3Nj9UfV-LGvtRXupbQ1aBSH2U7Ax5PWu7LRHpURaJaMWDfWRqkb_cpvUhK90XZQHk8-_wHSUQ4-cb7ne4afGuRD1tDgCQ2S6VesTzp7XRkZYHqzrTk2qPUaazrPs/s1600/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKMKnaKb-rQk3j2l3Nj9UfV-LGvtRXupbQ1aBSH2U7Ax5PWu7LRHpURaJaMWDfWRqkb_cpvUhK90XZQHk8-_wHSUQ4-cb7ne4afGuRD1tDgCQ2S6VesTzp7XRkZYHqzrTk2qPUaazrPs/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461967007222517938" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today on April 20 -- a full four months into the year -- women across the country will observe the date on the calendar when our wages finally catch up with men’s wages from last year. That’s right; it takes women 16 months, on average, to earn what men make in only 12 months. For African American women and Latinas it takes even longer because the pay gap is even wider.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It’s shameful that the historic pay gap, rather than decreasing, is actually increasing. Women now earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. So women across the country are coming together for rallies, receptions, and “Un-Happy” Hours, wearing red to show that women’s paychecks are in the red.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But the pay gap isn't just a woman’s issue; it’s an issue for all working families.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">According to the Center for American Progress women are the primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner in two-thirds of American families. The gap hurts everyone – spouses, children, aging parents, our extended families – because there is less money to help make ends meet; less money for groceries, rent, clothes, doctor’s visits, and to ensure that our families are self-sufficient.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But there’s something we can do about it.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We can all come together to build support for the Paycheck Fairness Act (S 182), federal legislation that passed the House last year. Now, the Senate is poised to take action and we must speak out.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The act would close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963, enhance remedies, prohibit retaliation against workers who share wage information, and provide the government with new tools to monitor and address pay inequities. Passage is critical -- particularly in these economically perilous times when the self-sufficiency of women and their families is so at risk.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This legislation must move NOW. There's no time like the present. Take a moment, right now, and contact your Senators today, urging them to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Women who work hard every day should be paid fairly. It's been nearly 47 years since the Equal Pay Act was signed. We can't wait another forty-seven to close this gap. Working women and their families -- all of us -- deserve better.</span></span></span></p><p></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-66711540345621527492010-01-28T07:27:00.000-08:002010-07-30T06:14:42.155-07:00And Now for Some Good News …<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccB2g27krxChg2k8wCt4cfCpJLMzpZBJE0V2XcLEXqm6qvjNQ1JbFUimpHLym8QkilzKlAAwTfhGKhc-eLvr8VxXidxAAxFMCLcI9RgSY_5dine_CnEI8npreUCiJJUELjoOobZOVxso/s1600-h/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccB2g27krxChg2k8wCt4cfCpJLMzpZBJE0V2XcLEXqm6qvjNQ1JbFUimpHLym8QkilzKlAAwTfhGKhc-eLvr8VxXidxAAxFMCLcI9RgSY_5dine_CnEI8npreUCiJJUELjoOobZOVxso/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431849939904391794" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';color:#993399;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 55px; font-size:medium;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 13.9px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Paycheck Fairness Act gaining Momentum</span></span></b></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 32.0px 0.0px; line-height: 13.9px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">With the economy continuing to lag, so many women out of work, with the continuing challenge of health care reform and the continuing fight to establish a basic labor standard of paid sick days, it’s time for some encouraging news., So here it is: There‘s finally movement on the Paycheck Fairness Act and it couldn’t come at a better time.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 32.0px 0.0px; line-height: 13.9px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">This week, women’s and civil rights activists across the country are celebrating the one year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act into law. The Ledbetter law gives workers a wider window to file claims of pay discrimination. It’s a critically important piece of legislation.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 32.0px 0.0px; line-height: 13.9px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><br />But on a conference call Tuesday with Senator Chris Dodd, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Marcia Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center, Lilly Ledbetter herself said: “The work is far from done.”<br /><br />Another year has passed and pay discrimination persists.<br /><br />The pay gap actually widened slightly between 2007 and 2008, from 77.8 (generally rounded to 78 percent) to 77 percent. For women of color, it was even wider. In 2008, the earnings for African American women were 67.9 percent of men's earnings (a drop from 68.7 percent in 2007), and Latinas' earnings were 58 percent of men's earnings (a drop from 59 percent in 2007). Take a look at “</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><a href="http://www.pay-equity.org/info-time.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#191aa3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The Wage Gap Over Time</span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">” table and you’ll see how little the gap has changed in this century.<br /><br />While Ledbetter restored the law, Paycheck Fairness strengthens it and plugs loopholes. One of the most important components is that it will prohibit retaliation against workers who share information about their wages. If there had been wage transparency when Lilly Ledbetter was working at that Goodyear Tire plant in Gadsen, Alabama, she would have been able to find out that her male counterparts were earning more than she; that she received less pay simply because of her gender. But she didn’t find out for decades – not until someone slipped her an anonymous note.<br /><br />Her fight has made the workplace more equitable for us all.<br /><br />But, back to the good news: The House passed the Paycheck Fairness bill in July 2008. Now, the Senate is starting to act on it. Hearings are beginning. A bill should follow. And Sen. Dodd said he would seek time to discuss it on the Senate floor by spring.<br /><br />Ah, spring. Fairness for women – and most important their families -- is in the air.</span></span></span> </span></p></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:6;"><b><p></p></b></span><p></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-4401798242684816232009-10-26T08:06:00.000-07:002009-10-26T08:32:52.514-07:00Speaking Out for Paid Sick Days: My First Lobbying Experience<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qDjh2W9ncoXmoLCr-R-ZTJ_q7GmY3btdv_TTZYd1gaIc9FvFUJVxDVYlkkXcYgKTDNYtRaUl3E8Ox7RLUymDrdWqDI2ddnKMMY91Elmq3Mf4yXahJhAE54PlNXQezQ9-ojT2bOTdImw/s1600-h/Caitlin+McCannon.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qDjh2W9ncoXmoLCr-R-ZTJ_q7GmY3btdv_TTZYd1gaIc9FvFUJVxDVYlkkXcYgKTDNYtRaUl3E8Ox7RLUymDrdWqDI2ddnKMMY91Elmq3Mf4yXahJhAE54PlNXQezQ9-ojT2bOTdImw/s320/Caitlin+McCannon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396926355438326994" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>By Caitlin McCannon</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">When I arrived at the office of Sen. Saxby Chambliss, I didn’t know what to expect from the experience of lobbying. I knew that I was no high-priced lobbyist. I knew I wasn’t well-connected to the Washington beltway or even the Georgia State Capitol. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Still, I had a story to tell; one that the Senator needed to hear.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My story is about the lack of paid sick days and the need to pass the Healthy Families Act, federal legislation that would guarantee every American worker the opportunity to earn paid sick days. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Currently,<span> </span>nearly 57 million workers lack paid sick days. And, 100 million workers don’t even have a single paid sick day they can use to care for an ill child. That leaves folks with some awful decisions; especially low-wage workers like me. But no one should have to choose between keeping a job or income and caring for themselves or a loved one in times of occasional illness. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s what I told the Senator. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I told him I work at a movie theater on nights and weekends. The schedule each week came to mean the difference between making the rent payment, paying the utilities, having dinner each evening . . . or not.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At the theater, if you cannot not work the hours you are scheduled -- for any reason, including being sick -- those hours got to another employee who CAN work them. Or, those hours go to a new hire that can come in and take your place on the rotation. Not only will you lose that night's pay but you’ll lose the next week’s pay as well. Being sick is a liability that most of the employees just cannot afford. And, having a sick child could mean that you can’t feed that child. What kind of a choice is that?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The concession worker behind the counter scooping the popcorn and filling the drinks, the usher tearing tickets, even the box office cashier handing you your change, all of us have come in to work at one time or another, knowing we’re sick, knowing that we may pass along disease, but needing the shift, needing that pay.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We have not only endangered ourselves, but the public as well. Think about that the next time you’re snuggling down into that movie theater seat with your jumbo popcorn and extra large fountain drink. You might be getting a little swine flu with that extra squirt of butter. How many restaurant employees, fast food workers, child care aides, nursing home aides, how many other low-wage workers go into work sick because they can’t afford to take the time off? It boggles the mind to think about how many of us are working when we should be home in bed or going to see a doctor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If Congress passes the Healthy Families Act, working while sick would not be a necessity. Employees could earn paid time off to recuperate at home during bouts of occasional illness. Children could stay home with a parent by their bedside when they are ill. With swine flu spreading, passage of the HFA is critical. We’d all be a lot better off and families wouldn’t be faced with such tough choices in these tough economic times.</p> <span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">That’s what I told the Senator the day I became a 9to5 lobbyist. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:large;"><i><b>Caitlin McCannon, the Technology Intern in the 9to5 Atlanta Office, is a senior Cultural Anthropology major at Kennesaw State University. Reach her at caitlin@9to5.org.</b></i></span></span></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-35699516029899822662009-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:002009-09-23T15:23:32.028-07:00Does Having an Effective, Family-Friendly, Workplace Matter?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEfkeXlFmPPmrziSjgzzgFRHhCFWzsooOQCXOcIBjP6vP-oBskw9qE0eafwIq5aixJ5VYQVJbsB3_ezTOnw3SYMlQRstrVrCUHDuezTfQC-eDuFv4SE8ymGrTPfuTRsNuG0ksTAg91Mk/s1600-h/healthreport_r1_c1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEfkeXlFmPPmrziSjgzzgFRHhCFWzsooOQCXOcIBjP6vP-oBskw9qE0eafwIq5aixJ5VYQVJbsB3_ezTOnw3SYMlQRstrVrCUHDuezTfQC-eDuFv4SE8ymGrTPfuTRsNuG0ksTAg91Mk/s320/healthreport_r1_c1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384790628369318274" /></a><br /><blockquote></blockquote>You bet it does!<div><br /></div><div>And paid sick days for every worker is a critical element. Check out what a new report from the Families and Work Institute finds ... <blockquote></blockquote></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><i>"Employees who receive at least five paid days off per year for personal illness report significantly better work and health/well-being outcomes. </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><i>Fifty-six percent of employees with at least five paid days off for personal illness report high job satisfaction compared to 49% with less than five days off. Within the five-plus day group, 71% report no signs of depression, versus 61% of those with less than five days off."</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Read about paid sick days, and more, in "The State of Health in the American Workplace: Does Having an Effective Workplace Matter?" at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><a href="http://familiesandwork.org/">http://familiesandwork.org/</a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;">Share your own paid sick days story by emailing <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">rosemaryh@9to5.org. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;">Let's come together to speak out on the need for the Healthy Families Act, federal legislation guaranteeing each worker the opportunity to earn seven paid sick days each year. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support the Healthy Families Act now!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-26851562641703217092009-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:002009-09-21T10:58:31.968-07:00Unemployment Changes Little<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">AUGUST 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">R</span></b>egional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">August. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia reported over-<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">the-month unemployment rate increases, 16 states registered rate decreases, <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">and 7 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">reported today. Over the year, jobless rates increased in all 50 states and</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">in August, up 0.3 percentage point from July and 3.5 points from <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; ">August 2008.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Read the entire release at: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: normal; "><a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm">http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm</a></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></span></p>9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152957854628143426.post-52521893565375912082009-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:002009-09-17T07:12:59.729-07:00Activist Shines a Light on Milwaukee's Troubling Paid Sick Days Decision<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54Y-myKMp4hPp36zesPF4dwEogJ1RgZXC1VybwbuBNEGQmcWcMRN2-B6Hr4CfNebPm-dYz-v0QK8otbi9f3SQmghnQ4d4QbMgkFsy1TvwpBt6_UCq7sErEV2ZptbsPjwz3lcWizm4tjw/s1600-h/Linda+Meric.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54Y-myKMp4hPp36zesPF4dwEogJ1RgZXC1VybwbuBNEGQmcWcMRN2-B6Hr4CfNebPm-dYz-v0QK8otbi9f3SQmghnQ4d4QbMgkFsy1TvwpBt6_UCq7sErEV2ZptbsPjwz3lcWizm4tjw/s200/Linda+Meric.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382220764033520306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupkKwYM1zoR8Qn8VUhsf1F8obaghq4gA7ryVIAqqReol5dYUSKNz_gjRm5688ZETUFv0upkM1hg6TTDAbdLSKIbzxoikJUHcB2xut75JOvEkGbkNMG2IqeuTEDG53f3tF1vMyT-7_tNw/s1600-h/ted+bobrow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 74px; height: 55px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupkKwYM1zoR8Qn8VUhsf1F8obaghq4gA7ryVIAqqReol5dYUSKNz_gjRm5688ZETUFv0upkM1hg6TTDAbdLSKIbzxoikJUHcB2xut75JOvEkGbkNMG2IqeuTEDG53f3tF1vMyT-7_tNw/s320/ted+bobrow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382220643093910162" border="0" /></a><br />Ted Bobrow is a native New Yorker but he is dedicated to making his "adopted" hometown, Milwaukee, a better place for working families. A strong 9to5 ally, Ted wrote a compelling piece for ThirdCoast Digest, one of Milwaukee's most vibrant online sites.<br /><br />In "City's Troubling Decision to Sit Out Paid Sick Leave Appeal," Ted questions Mayor Tom Barrett's unwillingness to stand up for the voters who approved paid sick days in an overwhelming vote and Ted applauds the Milwaukee Chapter of 9to5 for continuing to fight the good fight for paid sick days.<br /><br />Read the full story at<a href="http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2009/09/city%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s-troubling-decision-to-sit-out-sick-leave-appeal/"> http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2009/09/city’s-troubling-decision-to-sit-out-sick-leave-appeal/</a><br /><br />And, contact your members of Congress, urging them to support the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.+2460:">Healthy Families Act</a>, federal legislation that would guarantee every American worker the opportunity to earn up to 7 paid sick days a year.9to5, National Association of Working Womenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14109175767168700090noreply@blogger.com0