Monthly Archive for March, 2010

A First Family That Puts Families First!

Published on March 31, 2010 in Portia Wu and Work & Family. 0 Comments
Portia Wu, Vice President

Portia Wu, Vice President

At night after the kids are in bed, most working couples have “kitchen table” talks.  Who’s going to meet with a teacher, or stay home with a sick child? Who can take mom to the doctor on Friday?  Which bills can we pay this week?

Today, the National Partnership was honored to be invited to the table for a discussion led by the First Family, on work-family issues.

First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility on Wednesday with powerful remarks that made it clear that she knows just what it means to be a frazzled working parent. It’s great to know that work-family challenges are something that she and the President have experienced first hand, and that they know we need national solutions.photo.blog.obama.family

In fact, she talked about how terrible it is that many people don’t even have a single paid sick day—and that’s why the Administration supports the Healthy Families Act! That’s a key priority for the National Partnership too, and we’re leading a broad-based coalition that’s working for passage.

In these tough economic times, it was also great to hear strong endorsements for greater workplace flexibility from other Administration leaders, including Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. And the Council of Economic Advisers released a report today that makes the economic case for workplace flexibility, including paid leave.

We had the chance to break into discussion groups, made up of advocates, labor and business leaders, researchers and workers. My group had a lively debate. It’s clear that, while we might take different approaches, we all agree that we need to change our country and our workplace culture.

The day was capped by closing remarks from President Obama in which he stressed that workplace flexibility can’t be an optional perk. It needs to be an integral part of our workplace policies. He repeated his commitment to help families facing a daily juggling act, and repeated his support for family friendly policies, including state paid leave programs. And he promised that the federal government will lead by example.

At the National Partnership, we’re thrilled that President Obama and so many high-level leaders in his Administration are focusing on these issues. This is what working families need!  But discussion is just the first step.

Working families need action. That means paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, better child and elder care, expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act, and advancing other programs and polices that can make our workplaces more flexible.

So help us advance these and other critical policies. Take action now! Join the First Family in speaking out for the workplace flexibility and work-family policies that America’s families need!

New Beginning: Fixing Our Broken Health Care System Starts Now

Published on March 30, 2010 in Campaign for Better Care, Debra Ness, Health Care and Reform. 5 Comments
Debra Ness

Debra Ness

It’s done. Health reform is now the law of the land. Your hard work has paid off, and you should feel proud.

Today, President Obama accomplished a legislative victory that has eluded our nation for a century. Today, he put the finishing touches on long overdue changes that can make America’s health care system more affordable, more accessible, more efficient, more centered on patients, and more fair for those who for too long suffered discrimination in insurance and disparities in care.

However, this isn’t the end of the journey…it’s a new beginning.

The hard work of making reform a reality now rests with President Obama, Secretary Sebelius and the states.

Now they must establish rules so that no person is denied coverage or care because of gender, age, health status, income or employment; so people who are sick can focus on getting well instead of worrying that they will lose their coverage; and so patients and their caregivers can count on more coordinated care.

Fixing our broken health care system begins now, and we urge you to join us as we hold our leaders accountable and ensure the promise of quality, affordable health care is kept for all Americans.

Stay tuned.

For Today, Hooray!

Published on March 21, 2010 in Debra Ness, Health Care, Quality and Reform. 0 Comments
Debra Ness

Debra Ness

Your hard work is paying off. Last night, the House of Representatives said ‘yes’ to improving health care in our country.

Because of this historic vote, America’s women and families are one huge step closer to getting the health reform they need.

Every person who has been unable to afford health coverage won today.

Every woman who was overcharged because of her gender won today.

Every person who has been denied coverage because of age or health status won today.

Every caregiver who struggles to navigate a fragmented, uncoordinated system won today.

But the real victory will come when the Senate passes reconciliation, and the President signs this final element of health reform into law. Only then will the nation begin reaping the rewards from this historic legislation.

The end is now in sight, but we need the Senate to get us to the finish line.

» Urge your Senators to waste no time passing health reform reconciliation!

And once that work is done, you and I will insist that Congress take the necessary steps to reverse the appalling anti-choice provisions contained in health reform and render the President’s Executive Order null and void.

With your help, we will not rest until women have access to the full range of reproductive health services they need.

But for today…hooray!

How Much is the Wage Gap Costing Your Family?

Published on March 12, 2010 in Sharyn Tejani and Workplace Fairness. 1 Comment
Sharyn Tejani, Senior Policy Counsel

Sharyn Tejani, Senior Policy Counsel

Eight months of groceries.  That is what the wage gap is costing women and their families.  Don’t believe it? Do the math.

According to data just released from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the weekly gap in earnings between men and women is $162 which translates into $8,424 per year.  The USDA estimates that a family of four that spends “liberally” on its groceries spends $264.10 per week.  Put those two together, and you have 32 weeks—eight months worth of groceries—that women and their families miss out on because of the gender wage gap.  Of course, if you use the “thrifty” family weekly grocery bill ($133.40), the number of weeks of groceries is even higher: more than a year’s worth.

What can be done? We can pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. It provides a comprehensive approach to stopping wage discrimination.

Among its many badly needed provisions, the Paycheck Fairness Act will give women information about pay discrimination.  Right now, many employers forbid their workers from talking about their wages.  This secrecy around wages works to the employer’s advantage.  If workers don’t know how much the person sitting next to them is being paid, they can’t uncover wage discrimination.  But with the Paycheck Fairness Act in place, workers would be able to talk about their salaries and learn their coworkers’ salaries without fearing employer retaliation.

In addition to giving us the tools to unearth wage discrimination, the Paycheck Fairness Act would modernize equal pay laws so that victims of gender wage discrimination are able to get the same types of damages that are available under civil rights statutes that protect against discrimination on the basis of race or national origin.

The House has already passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, and yesterday the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on equal pay that focused on the bill.  We need a vote by the full Senate soon. So let your Senator know that you support the Paycheck Fairness Act—and then start making your grocery list.

Next Up: Paid Sick Days for 30 Million Workers

Published on March 4, 2010 in Rachna Choudhry and Work & Family. 0 Comments
Rachna Choudhry

Rachna Choudhry

It’s hard to believe, but the sick truth is tens of millions of workers in the good ole U. S. of A. don’t have a single paid sick day.

We’re working hard to change this, and yesterday we co-hosted a standing-room-only briefing on Capitol Hill for congressional staff and advocates about the need for a paid-sick-days standard to promote economic security among working families.

Healthy Families Act Briefing March 2010

Healthy Families Act Briefing, March 2010

We planned for 40 people and more than 75 showed up!  The big crowd was a clear indication of strong congressional interest in this issue.

Gail Cohen of the Joint Economic Committee presented new research on the Healthy Families Act, legislation that would establish a basic workplace standard of seven paid sick days.  The Joint Economic Committee found that the legislation would give more than 30 million more workers access to paid sick time.

The Healthy Families Act would significantly expand access to this basic protection for millions of our nation’s most vulnerable workers, including low-wage workers, workers of color and women workers.  Nearly half of workers who would gain access to paid sick time if the legislation passes earn less than $10.63/hour, placing them in the lowest wage quartile.  Workers of color comprise nearly one-third of the workers who would be able to accrue paid sick time under the Healthy Families Act, including nearly four million additional African American workers and 5.6 million additional Latino workers.  Nearly half of workers who would gain access to paid sick days—13 million—are women.

Thanks to our partner organization, CLASP, Working Mother Media’s Jennifer Owens spoke at the event, discussing her company’s support for the Healthy Families Act.  An expert on best practices, Owens said that nearly nine in ten employers on Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies list offer paid sick time to their employees.

Jennifer also noted that Working Mother supports the Healthy Families Act as an employer with its own staff.  “We advocate for it because it fits snugly with our mission to celebrate the companies that support working families, both at work and home.”  She explained that her company hates “presenteeism,” when a staff member comes to work sick, infecting the whole office, school, housekeeping staff or restaurant.

Now more than ever—when families are struggling and jobs are scarce—workers need paid sick days.  The March 2 briefing confirmed what workers and responsible employers already know: when companies respond to the needs of working families, workers are committed and productive, and our communities, workplaces and schools stay healthy.