Monthly Archive for January, 2011

Real Family Values

Published on January 25, 2011 in Portia Wu and Work & Family. 2 Comments

Megan Renner, Exec. Director, USBC

Portia Wu, Vice President, NPWF

Every year roughly four million women give birth in the United States, and most of them (more than three-quarters) start out breastfeeding. Study after study has affirmed the value of breastfeeding in protecting both mothers and children from a host of acute and chronic diseases and conditions, saving billions in health care costs. Breastfeeding mothers also report feeling more closely bonded with their babies—a factor which may lower the risk of postpartum depression.

Recognizing the important health, psychosocial, economic, and environmental effects of breastfeeding, today the Surgeon General called on the entire nation to support breastfeeding mothers. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding sets forth key action steps and strategies for health care providers, employers, insurers, policymakers, researchers, and the community at large to remove the barriers that prevent so many mothers from reaching their personal breastfeeding goals.

For too long, women have had to stop breastfeeding sooner than they wanted to, or have been discouraged from even starting. Returning to work can present a particularly challenging hurdle to breastfeeding success. Without paid maternity leave, many mothers are forced to make a rapid return to their jobs after the birth of a child. To add insult to injury, many then can’t express breast milk at work. Missing even one needed pumping session can have several undesirable consequences, including pain, inflammation, infection, and decreased milk supply. Some women resort to restrooms or hide out in their parked cars, under pressure and without the time, equipment and sanitary conditions they need.

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action recognizes the need to address barriers to breastfeeding—including these workplace barriers. This is more important than ever, at a time when many more families are relying on mothers’ incomes. We applaud the Surgeon General for shining a spotlight on the importance of breastfeeding, and the policies and environmental changes that can make it easier for women to do so.

Fortunately, breastfeeding is already becoming more manageable, due to a provision in health care reform that guarantees millions of working new moms the right to pump at work. The Obama Administration is implementing this provision in ways that will ensure that as many moms, babies and families as possible will benefit.

The Affordable Care Act finally gives millions of nursing moms the support and protection they need: the right to privacy and reasonable break time to pump at work. The law targets hourly workers in industries including retail, food service and factories who often find it most difficult to take breaks and find safe, private places to pump at work. (Because the new provision amended existing labor laws, most salaried workers are not covered, although they may have protections under state law.)

In late December, the Department of Labor issued guidance clarifying the law and its protections, and requesting information and comments from the public. For the mother who otherwise would have to rush to her car during her break to pump, or negotiate for break time with her employer, the new protections are life-changing and long overdue.

These changes benefit businesses as well. Workplace breastfeeding support is a “win-win-win” for employers, mothers and babies. Employers that support nursing mothers not only help their employees transition back to work, but also reduce turnover, absenteeism, and health care costs, and increase employee satisfaction, loyalty and productivity. It makes sense: When working mothers’ needs are met, they are better able to meet the dual demands of work and motherhood.

The new law is a tremendous step forward, but we believe all working moms who are breastfeeding should have break time and appropriate spaces to pump at work. So we are delighted that the Surgeon General is spearheading this effort to improve support for breastfeeding mothers. President Obama is also leading the way, by directing federal agencies to extend the right to pump at work to all new mothers, not just those who are paid on an hourly basis. This sets an important example for state and local governments as well as private sector employers.

The Obama Administration has taken concrete action to support new mothers and make it easier for them to function in their dual roles as both caregivers and breadwinners. Today’s Call to Action reinforces the critical need to ensure breastfeeding is truly an option for all mothers. Now, we call on all employers to take the basic steps to make it possible for new mothers to breastfeed their babies. That would be real family values at work.

Portia Wu is a vice president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. Megan Renner is executive director of the United States Breastfeeding Committee.

Time to Protect Common Sense.

Published on January 22, 2011 in Debra Ness, Health Care, Repro Health Watch and Reproductive Health. 5 Comments Tags: .

Debra Ness, President

On this day in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, which established a woman’s right to privacy and to make her own reproductive health decisions. 38 years later, that right – and women’s ability to access it – are at risk.

The November election put in place more federal and state lawmakers who oppose a woman’s right to choose. The extreme measures proposed by these lawmakers are at odds with the majority of Americans who do not want women to lose access to reproductive health services.

For the majority of Americans who do not want to return to the days when abortion was illegal, there is a lot of work ahead. We have opponents in Congress who are determined to undermine our right to choose and deny us access to reproductive health care.  Our goal, quite simply, must be to ensure that all women — regardless of their income, where they live, whether they serve in the military — can access a full range of reproductive health services that includes abortion care.

We urge Congress to reject the outrageous “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which would reduce the availability of abortion coverage in the private insurance market nationwide, narrow the already limited rape and incest provisions in the Hyde Amendment, and permanently deny low-income and military women access to health coverage that includes this essential care.

Lawmakers should end the divisive efforts to take away women’s right to choose and impede women’s access to basic health care, and instead focus on preventing unintended pregnancies. Today, half the pregnancies in our country are unintended and by age 45, about one-third of women will have had an abortion. Making family planning services available to everyone who needs them, and offering all youth unbiased and comprehensive sexuality education, are essential to effective efforts to reduce our nation’s staggering rates of unintended pregnancy. That should be a top priority.

Currently, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) is considering whether to include birth control services and supplies in the package of preventive services that health plans will be required to cover without deductibles or co-pays, as provided for in the Affordable Care Act. A decision to include birth control services without cost-sharing would be a welcome step in the work to reduce unintended pregnancy.

At the National Partnership, we will continue to work tirelessly to protect and expand common sense policies that improve women’s health by providing access to affordable, high quality reproductive health services – and there are ways you can help. Please start by telling your Senators to prioritize women’s health and ensure that women have access to the reproductive health services they need.

Shame on Them!

Published on January 19, 2011 in Debra Ness, Health Care and Reform. 2 Comments

Debra Ness, President

For decades, women and families have been penalized by punitive and predatory insurance practices that have restricted their access to quality, affordable care. But the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing that.  It is the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation.

This new law is already bringing us closer to the day when essential women’s services are fully covered, prevention is a priority, and care is coordinated so family caregivers don’t struggle to shoulder impossible loads.

Yet just as we are beginning to realize the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, House leaders chose to pursue politics instead of better care: by repealing a law the nation urgently needs.

The ACA is ushering in an era in which women can access affordable coverage, and insurers cannot charge women more because of gender — or deny or cap our coverage when we get sick. It is making screenings for breast and cervical cancer available without deductibles or co-pays, making family planning services more accessible, and outlawing gender discrimination in insurance. And it is ending the days when young adult children were kicked off their parents’ insurance policies, and when the preventive services that can keep patients healthier were out-of-reach for millions.

That is why the vote in the House of Representatives to repeal health care reform was such a deep disappointment.

That vote was politicking and posturing at a time when Americans urgently need is progress on jobs, the economy, creating more fair and family-friendly workplaces, and finishing the work to give every person quality, affordable health care. The nation will be much better off if this vote marks the end of this political theater, and our lawmakers now return to solving the urgent problems facing America’s families.

Your Senators need to hear from you. Urge them to stand strong and support health reform — a huge advance for women. Urge the Senate to prioritize women’s health — rather than trying to unravel reform — so we can protect and build on its critical advances for women and families.

Record High Number of Discrimination Claims Alarming

Published on January 18, 2011 in Sarah Crawford and Workplace Fairness. 4 Comments

Sarah Crawford, Director of Workplace Fairness

Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the agency that enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination—announced that charges of discrimination hit an unprecedented level in 2010. News coverage over the past few days has focused on who or what is to blame, and what this could mean for the future. But one thing is certain: We need to strengthen anti-discrimination laws and change employers’ behaviors in this country— especially for the tens of millions of working women who are still struggling for equality on the job.

According to its report, the EEOC has received nearly 100,000 charges of job discrimination in the last year. Claims of discrimination based on sex and in the form of unfair pay account for nearly a third of these charges. In fact, sex discrimination charges alone have reached their highest mark ever. Since the recession began in 2007, charges of sex discrimination have increased by 17 percent, and pregnancy discrimination charges have risen 10 percent. For the first time, the most prevalent charges involved claims that employers unlawfully retaliated against workers who complained of discrimination, suggesting that an increasing number of employers are hostile to workers who seek to exercise their rights to equal opportunity.

As has been heavily reported, the economic downturn and skyrocketing unemployment are likely contributors to the surge. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the unemployment rate for women has more than doubled over the past four years. Many employers have been forced to cut back on staff, and job seekers are facing stiff competition for few job opportunities. The EEOC statistics suggest that the economic downturn has opened the door wider for discrimination to creep into such personnel decisions.

And with an economic recession and high unemployment come loss of income and financial strain for working families. The consequences can be devastating—and prove the need for continued enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, a greater commitment from employers to follow them, and stronger protections for workers. With so many families struggling to make ends meet, and many more on the brink of poverty, unlawful job loss or barriers to employment and fair pay can push families over the edge.

There is still plenty of room to improve protections and safeguards for workers. Women today are paid a mere 77 cents for every dollar paid to men. Eliminating this pay gap alone could lift millions of women and families out of poverty. Legislative proposals like last year’s Paycheck Fairness Act would help to close the gap and strengthen protections for women by making it harder for employers to hide pay discrimination and rewarding those with good pay practices. These steps can go a long way in building a fairer, more equal workplace.

Despite historic gains over the last 40 years, working women throughout the country are still losing their jobs or promotions because of their sex or their decision to have a child. The drastic increase in discrimination charges detailed by the EEOC proves that something isn’t working. As evidenced in the landmark Dukes v. Wal-mart case pending before the Supreme Court, male-dominated corporate culture remains the norm for too many. In the Wal-mart case, 1.6 million women allege widespread discriminatory pay and promotion practices by the nation’s largest employer. The Supreme Court will decide this year whether this lawsuit can proceed and these women can get their day in court.

The silver lining in the EEOC’s announcement is that workers are recognizing their right to equal opportunity under the law and their right to work free from discrimination—and they are taking steps to report mistreatment. But the numbers still paint a clear picture of a national work environment where discrimination is simply too easy. The gender discrimination we have fought so hard to stop prevents too many women, and especially women of color, from realizing fair wages and equal pay and opportunity. We must continue to fight discrimination in all its forms, so that all workers are treated equally and hard-working families get the wages and opportunities they deserve.

New Data a Sobering Reminder that Nation’s Policies are Failing Millions of Workers, Families

Published on January 12, 2011 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Few workplace policies in the United States recognize the dual demands of work and family. Our lack of a paid sick time standard is a prime example. Last week, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) released new data revealing that our nation’s failure to give all workers the right to earn paid sick days affects even more people than government reports reflect. According to a new analysis conducted by economists at IWPR, more than 44 million private sector workers in the United States don’t have a single paid sick day they can use to recover from common illnesses. We know that millions more do not have paid sick time they can use to care for a child or family member. No workers should have to choose between their jobs and income, or their health and the health of their families. This new data should be a compelling call to action for all lawmakers as they set priorities for the year.

IWPR’s figure supplements government estimates that 40 million workers lack paid sick days. It adds to that total another 4.2 million workers who are not yet eligible to earn paid sick days because they haven’t been on the job long enough. In all, more than 44 million private sector workers are forced to risk their health and financial security if they get sick. With high unemployment, scarce jobs, and many working families relying on one income instead of two, workers who cannot earn paid sick time risk job loss and financial disaster if they get sick or a child becomes ill.

The fact is: Everyone gets sick, and when workers don’t have paid sick days, they often go to work sick. IWPR’s research underscores how this threatens public health. It shows that people in the very jobs most likely to have regular contact with the public—those in food service and preparation, and personal care and service—are the least likely to earn paid sick days. In fact, according to the new research, only 23 percent of food service workers have access to earned paid sick days. The public health risks that result when workers have no choice but to go to work sick should concern us all.

Fortunately, lawmakers in some cities and states have already recognized the threat associated with a failure to provide paid sick time. Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C, have passed paid sick days laws within the last few years.

More lawmakers are poised to do so. In Connecticut, newly-elected Governor Dan Malloy has been a vocal supporter of paid sick days. With his support, Connecticut may become the first state to ensure workers can earn paid sick days. Massachusetts is also seeing momentum grow around a statewide paid sick days bill, and Governor Deval Patrick has pledged support.

In New York City, a paid sick days bill has strong support despite political roadblocks. And City Council members in Philadelphia have expressed support for legislation that would guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days.

At the federal level, the new Congress is expected to consider the Healthy Families Act. The bill would allow workers at businesses with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven paid sick days per year. Workers could use this time to recover from common illnesses, go to medical appointments, address a family member’s health needs, or to deal with domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault. The Healthy Families Act would give tens of millions of workers the right to earn the paid sick time they need.

Even though there are a number of innovative legislative proposals, and support for paid sick days is growing, it’s going to take political will from lawmakers to turn momentum into real change for the working people who struggle to protect their physical and financial health without paid sick time. What IWPR’s new research makes clear is that lawmakers at all levels need to make it a priority this year to give all workers the right to earn paid sick days for the benefit of working families and our communities. This will get us one step closer to the fair and adequate workplace policies working families deserve.

Cross-posted at Paidsickdays.org.