Archive for the 'Vicki Shabo' Category

Paid Sick Days Opponents Continue to Hide Behind Preemption

Published on May 10, 2013 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Last month, I wrote about a disturbing trend: States are passing “preemption” laws that prohibit a growing number of cities and counties from adopting their own paid sick days standards. Sadly, these misguided attacks on local democracy have been spreading rapidly, as legislators put the interests of the national big business lobby ahead of the interests of their constituents. Now, there are paid sick days preemption bills or laws in 13 states.

This trend is no coincidence. In fact, it is a well-coordinated effort to thwart paid sick days bills just as momentum for this common sense policy continues to build. We know that the National Restaurant Association circulated a draft preemption bill at a 2011 meeting of the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Since then, the association and other groups have been working behind the scenes to advance very similar bills.

Take the case of Florida. Eighty percent of Floridians say that workers should be able to earn paid sick days, and six in 10 want localities to be able to make their own laws. But Florida legislators refuse to listen to voters. Instead, big business associations and local power players like Disney and Darden Restaurants have convinced them to shut down local governments’ ability to pass their own paid sick days standards. It is shameful that the same state legislators who claim to be for “local government” are pushing through a policy that essentially ties its hands.

Michigan’s battle against preemption is also ongoing. As Working America points out, legislators in the state who have railed against “big government intrusion” have changed their tune to fulfill the wishes of the business lobby. As in Florida, Michigan voters say that workers should be able to earn paid sick days. They know that if Michigan’s preemption bill passes, it will be families – like the moms who make up the local advocacy group Mothering Justice and their kids – who will suffer most.

This same pattern is repeating itself across the country: Louisiana. Mississippi. Kansas. Tennessee. Arizona. A preemption bill is introduced – usually by a legislator who is an ALEC member, and usually with the support of the big business lobby – and then it’s fast-tracked through the legislature and quietly signed by the governor. In these five states, the new laws preempt not only paid sick days, but also local minimum wage and other ordinances proven to improve workers’ lives.

The bill in Arizona – now law – is particularly disturbing. In 2006, Arizona voters passed a statewide ballot measure forbidding the legislature from doing exactly what it just did: preempting local wage and benefits standards. According to the state constitution, the legislature must meet certain strict requirements to overturn a voter-approved measure. It hasn’t done so, making the preemption bill illegal and open to litigation. Arizonans can thank legislators like the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Thomas Forese (an ALEC member), for the costly lawsuit that will almost certainly be filed.

The Indiana bill is also troubling. In addition to preempting workers’ rights, it may overturn local anti-discrimination ordinances meant to protect the right of LGBT individuals to keep their jobs.

The other states considering preemption legislation are Alabama and South Carolina. The South Carolina bill was introduced by an ALEC Task Force chair, Rep. William Sandifer, and is being pushed through quickly and under the radar, leaving concerned advocates little time to speak out.

Washington and Oklahoma also considered preemption bills in 2013, but those bills have not passed.

Almost all of these preemption bills have been pushed through quietly, without the knowledge of activists or legislators who might ask questions about their provenance and usefulness. But, as the intent of the big business lobby becomes clearer, and as it becomes more obvious that these bills have nothing to do with the well-being of states or their residents, sponsors will surely have a tougher time defending their attempts to usurp power from the people to whom it truly belongs: voters.

Preemption: A Growing, Calculated Threat to Democracy

Published on April 5, 2013 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 2 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

From Vermont and New York City to Washington state, momentum and support for paid sick days policies are high. More than a dozen campaigns are working across the country to advance paid sick days and, last month, we celebrated victories in Portland and Philadelphia when city councils in those cities approved paid sick days measures. But with the great success of paid sick days and other pro-worker policies has come a disturbing trend: State-level legislation designed to prevent cities and counties from passing their own paid sick days standards and other workplace protections.

This “preemption” strategy first appeared in 2011 in Wisconsin, where the state legislature passed and Governor Scott Walker signed legislation to effectively void a Milwaukee paid sick days measure that passed in 2008 with the approval of nearly 70 percent of voters. It was an outrageous abridgement of local democracy. And it was just the beginning.

There is growing evidence that anti-worker groups such as the National Restaurant Association and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are supporting these preemption bills. In 2012, the strategy surfaced again in Louisiana, where state legislators passed a more expansive preemption law than Wisconsin’s. The Louisiana law prevents local authorities from passing any basic workplace protections.

Now, preemption bills are being considered in even more states:

  • A bill in Mississippi passed quickly through the state House and Senate and has been signed by the governor. Now law, it preempts both paid sick days and minimum wage standards, to the detriment of Mississippi workers.
  • In Florida, where opponents kept the citizens of Orange County from voting on a local paid sick days measure last fall, state legislators are attempting to prohibit all localities from passing their own standards. This far-reaching legislation threatens to preempt not only paid sick days ordinances, but also to void local policies that affect living wage, domestic violence leave and other standards. The Florida Coalition for Local Control is fighting back.
  • Legislators in Arizona and Indiana have also introduced broad preemption bills that are in danger of passing. In Arizona, the preemption of local wage and benefit measures by the state legislature is actually illegal according to a 2006 ballot measure and the state constitution. So, if the bill passes, the state – and taxpayers – could face a costly lawsuit. Indiana’s bill is also controversial: In addition to usurping local control, it may overturn existing municipal non-discrimination ordinances.
  • In Washington state, legislators have introduced a preemption bill in response to the paid sick days ordinance that Seattle passed in 2011. Local advocates have rightly identified it as an attempt to undermine the democratic process and silence the will of the people. In the meantime, Washington is considering a statewide paid sick days bill.

Most legislators who are promoting preemption bills claim workplace standards should not be enacted at the local level, but none have offered state-level solutions at a time when millions of workers and their families suffer without the basic paid sick days protection they need. This is irresponsible and one more reason that state legislators should see preemption efforts for what they are: misguided and harmful efforts to undermine democracy.

Local paid sick days advocates are increasingly aware of the threat posed by preemption bills, and they are redoubling their efforts. State preemption bills make an even stronger case for a national standard like the one proposed in the Healthy Families Act, which was introduced in Congress last month.

No matter where you live or work, no one should have to choose between job and family because he or she cannot earn paid sick days. Workers and families know it. Business leaders know it. And lawmakers increasingly know it. Preemption efforts may continue, but they will not stop the push to increase access to a standard that all workers so urgently need.

Election 2012: Hope for Workers and Families

Published on November 8, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 1 Comment

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

For those who advocate day in and day out for family friendly policies, this election brings hope. Not the more naïve and dreamy hope of 2008, but a hope borne out of the reality of the last four years and a growing recognition of the real demographic changes in our society. Hope that springs from the demonstrated desire of people in the United States to have government policies that help workers and families succeed in joining and staying in the middle class.

Hope also springs from a growing consensus that leaders must work together to find common sense solutions to working families’ struggles. New York Times columnist David Brooks nailed it the day after the election: “If you look at the polls, and I’ve been looking all day at Asian-Americans and Latinos, how they look at America, they believe ferociously in work. And they think some government programs help them work harder.” Brooks goes on to say that the central question for leaders to face is: “How do we help people work harder and make their lives better?” (Read more here.)

Family friendly policies fit the bill. Workers who earn paid sick days can work more productively and in healthier workplaces because they don’t have to work sick, and they can work with greater economic security because they don’t have to worry about losing income or risking their jobs when a child comes down with the flu. Workers who can take paid family leave after the birth of a child are more likely to return to work, to be more attached to their employers, to earn higher wages over time and to rely less on public assistance. And workers who have flexibility and control over their schedules need not worry that their jobs are on the line when family responsibilities arise. All of these common sense, pro-work policies fall into the bucket of government standards that would help people work harder and smarter.

For the public, family friendly policies unite rather than divide. Most Republicans, Independents and Democrats support common sense standards. Three-quarters of adults in the United States support a national paid sick days law so that workers don’t have to risk losing their jobs or wages because they or a child are sick, and a similar share believe that family and maternity leave are very important workplace standards. Voters who have had the opportunity to hear a fulsome debate about a paid sick days standard overwhelmingly believe that elected officials who support paid sick days policies are standing up for working people and understand their real-life challenges. On all of these questions, support holds firm across partisan divides.

As we move forward, let us answer the question “How do we help people work harder and make their lives better?” by looking to the obvious: paid sick days, paid leave and greater efforts to make workplaces more family friendly. Together, we will forge that path forward.

Nation’s First State Paid Leave Program Turns 10 – Here’s to Many More Decades of Success for Workers, Families and Businesses

Published on September 30, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 1 Comment

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Last weekend marked a decade since California enacted its groundbreaking state paid family leave insurance program – the first in the nation. In honor of this anniversary, researchers at the University of Santa Barbara took a look at the program’s impact on the state’s families, businesses and economy. As Californians who have used the program to care for a new child or an ill loved one know, it is a huge success.

According to the report, Ten Years of the California Paid Family Leave Program: Strengthening Commitment to Work, Affirming Commitment to Family, California’s paid leave insurance program has been used more than one million times – most commonly for bonding with a new child. The result has been positive health and economic outcomes for families and positive results for businesses.

For example, the analysis shows that mothers in lower quality jobs who used the state’s paid leave program were able to breastfeed for twice as long as those who did not. Breastfeeding is known to decrease the risk of disease for both mothers and infants.

The program has allowed new fathers to care for their children without sacrificing their economic security. In the past three years, use of the paid leave program among new fathers has increased by six percent. This is critical at a time when the majority of families are increasingly dependent on two incomes.

The benefits experienced by California businesses have also been significant. Women who returned to their jobs after taking paid leave through the state’s program increased their working hours by six to nine percent. And because the program is funded through employee contributions, there have been zero direct costs for employers.

Despite the overwhelmingly positive outcomes for workers and businesses, the report also recognizes that there are areas for improvement. Too many Californians still don’t know about the program, and many low-income workers – even though they pay into the program – can’t afford to use it because they can’t make ends meet with the level of wage replacement (55 percent of wages) it provides.

So there’s much to celebrate at this anniversary, but there’s also work to do – in California and throughout the country.

California’s program means that more workers are able to take the time they need to care for their new children or ailing loved ones. But, for the majority of workers in the United States, caregiving leave without financial worry is out of reach. With the success of California’s program – and a similar one in New Jersey – as our guide, it’s time for Congress to establish a national paid family and medical leave insurance program that nearly all workers will be able to use at some point in their lives.

The ability to take care of one’s health and family should not depend on geography. California continues to show us that success is possible and benefits are far-reaching. It’s time for the entire country to follow the Golden State’s lead.

A Sad Day and a Hopeful Lesson in Orange County

Published on September 19, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Cross-posted from MomsRising.

Late yesterday, it became disappointingly clear that voters in Orange County will not see a proposal for earned sick time on their ballots in November. Despite the will of at least 46,000 Orange County voters and a broad coalition of workers, businesses and advocates who played by the rules, Mayor Teresa Jacobs and county commissioners ignored their duties and caved to special interests to keep citizens from being able to vote. This is the most blatant example I’ve seen of moneyed special interests using their clout to subvert the purest tool of citizen democracy: the right of citizens to petition the government.

As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said, “it is a sad day for democracy.”

But what happened in Orange County is not just worrisome and harmful for working families, businesses and the democratic process in Florida. What happened in Orange County is the latest example of a growing, far-reaching and coordinated attack led by big business special interests with unlimited financial resources and access.

Early on, the Florida corporate business lobby made taking down a popular earned sick time measure in Orange County a priority. Perhaps they were worried that momentum built through wins last year in Connecticut and Seattle (and before that in San Francisco, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C.) was coming their way. And perhaps that’s a silver lining in all this – it’s a testament to the strength of the nationwide movement to let workers earn paid sick days.

Through baseless yet extremely well-funded tactics, the Florida business lobby sought to systematically undermine democracy and keep voters from having the opportunity to approve a measure that would strengthen the local economy, protect public health and provide stability for working families. First they sued. When they lost in court, they went to the county commission and the mayor. Why? Because, if Orange County voters had the chance to weigh in, they just might have approved the measure – and that would’ve been unacceptable to the corporate interests who ignore the clear benefits of paid sick days laws in favor of job-killer rhetoric proven time and again to be false.

The truth is this: This powerful lobby has fought for decades against every major advance for workers and their families – from Social Security to minimum wage to the Americans with Disabilities Act. These special interests, which falsely claim to represent the interests of all employers, misconstrue the facts and ignore the significant and widespread benefits of paid sick days for businesses and the economy. They pit businesses against each other, play on myths that distract from the essence of the problems that working families face, and keep voters and legislators from carefully and honestly considering reasonable proposals.

There’s no question that this makes for a daunting road ahead as workers, advocates and enlightened businesses continue to advance paid sick days proposals at the local, state and federal levels. But it should give us hope. We are making progress, and we have the power of common sense and a growing public will behind us.

It may be a sad day in Orange County, but the fight for earned sick days there is not over. The Orange County earned sick time coalition will not give up. Paid sick days will prevail there and across the country.

Vicki Shabo is the director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.

An Energizing Event for Family Friendly Policy Advocates

Published on July 23, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

This month, more than 200 advocates from across the country were here in Washington, D.C., to discuss best practices and next steps in the effort to increase working families’ access to paid sick days and paid family and medical leave. We reflected on past victories; assessed current challenges and opportunities; brainstormed campaign strategies; heard from champions like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Rosa DeLauro and the nation’s top labor leaders; and took our stories straight to nearly 60 congressional offices. I know I’m not alone when I say it was an inspiring and productive event.

As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said of the gathering in her opening remarks, “We are a room full of people for whom it is in our DNA to constantly test and reach beyond boundaries. The spirit, energy, wisdom and experience we share over the next couple days will, without question, help us reach a time when our country recognizes as a given that 21st century workplace policies must enable all workers to thrive as responsible workers and responsible family members.”

The 2012 National Summit on Paid Sick Days and Paid Family Leave, co-hosted by the National Partnership and Family Values @ Work, launched with an impressive discussion moderated by Jared Bernstein, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The panel, which included Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry, Lake Research President Celinda Lake and National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-Jen Poo, discussed the current policy and economic climate and the significant opportunities and challenges it provides. The panelists’ emphasis on the power of diverse and well-coordinated coalitions and the need to embed our issues in a broader social justice narrative was especially inspiring.

But that opening panel was just the beginning. From there, we talked about best practices and lessons from paid sick days campaigns with leading advocates in New York, Florida, Oregon and Massachusetts. We heard the heart-wrenching story of Carolyn Pinkston, a 9to5 member from Atlanta whose family struggled without access to the paid time off they needed to help her recover from brain surgery. Latifa Lyles, acting director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, told us about the department’s efforts to improve workplace policies for working families. And we broke into 12 small groups to focus on specific aspects of our campaigns and develop new skills.

We closed out the day with another memorable and thought-provoking panel featuring Equality Maryland Executive Director Carrie Evans, Color of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson and Florida Immigrant Coalition Founding Director Maria Rodriguez. This panel’s emphasis on recent wins provided inspiration and highlighted best practices for moving progressive issues in the current climate.

That evening, many of us attended an event generously hosted by SEIU, the AFL-CIO and the Labor Project for Working Families. We heard moving stories from workers across the country and from great labor leaders and allies Mary Kay Henry, Gerry Hudson, Liz Shuler and Netsy Firestein. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D – Conn.) closed out the evening with rousing remarks about the need for paid sick days and paid leave and a strong call-to-action for Congress. It was the perfect way to end a full and energizing day.

The next day, we took our enthusiasm to the halls of Congress. The morning kicked off with a tribute to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D – Calif.) for her 25 years of service and commitment to improving the lives of women and families. Senator Tom Harkin (D – Iowa), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, rallied the crowd with his words of support. And workers and business owners from Oregon to Illinois told their inspiring stories.

After that, 133 of us went straight to the Hill to talk to lawmakers and staff at nearly 60 congressional offices about the need for the Healthy Families Act and the state paid leave fund. Along with our partners from Working Mother magazine, MomsRising, Ultraviolet and Family Values @ Work, we delivered the signatures of more than 46,000 people who signed a petition in support of a national paid leave program to key members of Congress.

Overall, the event was a tremendous success. With the great energy, dedication and expertise of all of the advocates, policy experts, workers and business leaders who attended the Summit – along with the hundreds who couldn’t make it – more victories for working families are certainly on the horizon.

To get the latest news on paid sick days efforts throughout the country and new research and resources on the importance of this basic labor standard, visit PaidSickDays.org. For more information on paid family leave, check out our paid leave research library.

Check out photos from the petition deliveries and a “day in the life” of one group of activists.

15 out of 51? Dads Expect Better

Published on June 17, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

This weekend, we celebrate dads. Fathers serve as both breadwinners and caregivers in most families, just as women do. And that’s why our nation’s dads a well as its moms need workplace policies that are more family friendly.

That’s what inspired us at the National Partnership to revisit our recently released assessment of family friendly laws at the state and federal levels, Expecting Better, with a focus on how well those laws support fathers who work in the private sector. This week, we released the results in a special report, Dads Expect Better – a detailed look at public policies that help new dads when a new child arrives.

As Dads Expect Better explains, just 14 states and the District of Columbia (15 out of 51 jurisdictions) have enacted policies that expand upon federal law to support new dads (as well as moms) when a child arrives. These states make family leave available to more parents, provide paid leave insurance, or do something else to make work more family friendly. Of the 36 states that do nothing beyond minimum federal standards for dads, 18 states do nothing for either parent and the other 18 states have laws in place that only help new mothers or state employees. In other words, it’s a sad state of affairs for working dads in this country, and the families who count on them – and our nation suffers as a result.

In a country where two-thirds of children live in households where all parents hold jobs, failing to support parents in the workplace can have detrimental, long lasting effects on families’ health, economic security and overall well-being. Fortunately, as we can see in this report, a few states are leading the way and providing good models for national policies.

California and New Jersey are among the top states for new dads who work because they provide paid family leave insurance to both mothers and fathers. Connecticut and the District of Columbia guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days. And Maine, Oregon and Washington are among the states that have expanded access to unpaid, job-protected leave for workers who are covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. These states recognize the widespread benefits of family friendly policies for fathers, families and our economy.

Action at the state level to adopt these policies is promising, but it’s simply unacceptable that a mere 15 out of 51 jurisdictions are taking action to help new parents. We need national policies that recognize the ways our families live and work today. Other countries are putting us to shame in this regard; at least 66 countries ensure that fathers receive or have a right to paid leave when a new child arrives. The United States isn’t one of them. Click here to let lawmakers know that working parents need paid leave.

On Father’s Day and every day we need to recognize what America’s families really need and advance policies that will help. Family friendly policies like paid leave and paid sick days are at the top of the list. It’s time for progress at the state and federal levels.

An Underhanded Threat to Working Families in Louisiana and Throughout the Country

Published on May 30, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 0 Comments

Melissa Flournoy, President and CEO, Louisiana Progress

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Over the past year, some workers and their families have rested a little easier knowing they will be able to recover from illness or help a family member do so without sacrificing much-needed income. That’s because, since this time last year, lawmakers in Connecticut and Seattle joined with workers, advocates and business owners to become the first state and the fourth city to guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days.

These victories have shown that progress for working families is possible, particularly when it comes to common sense policies like paid sick days that benefit workers, families, businesses and the economy. That’s why, today, there are promising paid sick days legislation and campaigns in more than 20 states and cities around the nation.

But opponents of paid sick days also bolstered their efforts in the last year – and Louisiana is their current target. The latest tactic is to strip local authorities of their right to pass basic workplace protections like paid sick days through state-level “preemption” legislation. These bills are underhanded and dangerous.

We saw this tactic in action in Wisconsin last year when the state legislature preempted Milwaukee’s popular, voter-approved paid sick days measure. It was a direct denial of local democracy and took away a law that would have done a lot to meet the needs of the city’s working families. Hundreds of thousands of workers in Milwaukee – and throughout Wisconsin – remain without paid sick days, and local authorities in Wisconsin now have their hands tied.

The Louisiana state legislature may take the same harmful action before the state’s legislative session ends this week. The preemption bill, Senate Bill 521, would eliminate the right of Louisiana’s cities and parishes to even consider paid sick days legislation. The state Senate approved the measure 37-0 without any real debate and the state House could vote on it at any minute, moving it ever closer to becoming state law.

More than 600,000 workers in Louisiana don’t have the right to earn paid sick days to recover from common illnesses, care for their families or get necessary preventive care. Working women, who are often their families’ primary caregivers and sole or co-breadwinners, face impossible choices between their own health and the health of their families when illness strikes if they don’t have this basic right. Low-wage workers and those in the service, hospitality and restaurant industries are particularly vulnerable because very few have paid sick days through their employers and their families too often already live on the brink of financial disaster. If S.B. 521 becomes law, cities and parishes in Louisiana will lose the chance to give them the support and protection they need.

Louisiana lawmakers must not deny working families the security they need to be good workers and good family members. House Speaker Chuck Kleckley (R – Lake Charles) and all members of the Louisiana House have a chance to take a stand and reject this dangerous and harmful bill. Working families in the state will suffer if they fail to do so.

Louisiana Progress is a nonpartisan organization which encourages citizens across the political spectrum to promote effective public policy that moves Louisiana forward without leaving fellow citizens behind. We advocate for policies that strengthen the middle class, protect the less advantaged, and equalize opportunity for Louisiana’s working families.

The National Partnership for Women & Families leads the national paid sick days coalition. The nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group is dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.

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UPDATE, 6/7/2012: Senate Bill 521 was signed by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on June 7th and is now law.

UPDATE, 5/30/2012: Senate Bill 521 passed the Louisiana House 90-4 on Thursday, May 31st. It is now in the hands of Governor Bobby Jindal. If Governor Jindal doesn’t veto the bill, it will become law. Contact the governor today to make sure he knows what is at stake for Louisiana families and the importance of stopping this dangerous bill.

As Older Americans Month Draws to a Close, Let’s Not Forget the Older Adults and Caregivers Who Need Us

Published on May 29, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

May is Older Americans Month, a time to honor and show appreciation for the older adults in our lives and our communities. But it’s also a time to reflect on their needs and the needs of their caregivers. Older adults – both those still in the workforce and those cared for by working adult children or professional caregivers – would benefit greatly from family friendly policies that honor workers’ commitments at home and on the job. Paid sick days and paid family and medical leave insurance are chief among these policies.

An increasing number of older adults are working well past traditional retirement age. Today, about 30 percent of adults over age 65 are employed. The economy and deflated retirement savings have forced many to stay in the workforce. Yet our workplace policies have not adapted. Older adults are more likely than others to suffer from health conditions, including chronic conditions that require regular care, but many older workers don’t have access to paid sick days or paid leave, which would allow them to take the time they need to protect their health without risking their income. It’s a losing situation for older adults and the employers who depend on them.

To make matters worse, our workplace policies also don’t reflect the increasing number of workers who are serving as family caregivers to older adults. There at least 43.5 million caregivers of adults who are over 50 in the United States. And most of them have paying jobs in addition to their caregiving responsibilities. These caregivers need access to workplace supports like paid sick days that allow them to care for their own health and the health of their loved ones without risking their jobs. They also need access to paid family leave insurance so they are able to care for seriously ill parents or spouses without jeopardizing their financial stability.

But family caregivers aren’t the only ones providing the care our nation’s older adults need. Professional caregivers, or direct care workers, often provide 24/7 care to our loved ones, but they face poor working conditions, few workplace protections and low wages. They tend to our ill and aging population, too often without paid sick days to care for their own health. To meet the demands of an aging population, we need a caregiver workforce that is better paid, better respected and better trained. Direct care workers need paid sick days and family and medical leave insurance so they can take care of themselves and their own families.

The population of older adults in the United States is expected to swell to 20 percent of the population, or 72 million people, by 2030 – making policies like paid sick days and paid family and medical leave insurance more important and urgent than ever before. Older adults and those who care for them will face ever-growing challenges unless our public policies are updated to reflect demographic realities.

To be a nation that truly honors older Americans and those who care for them, we need a new commitment to family friendly policies that support workers, caregivers and individuals who need care. As Older Americans Month draws to a close, let’s remind members of Congress and lawmakers at all levels that passing paid sick days and paid leave standards are increasingly important steps in giving the older adults in our lives the support they need and deserve. The time is now.

New Study Shows It’s Time to Invest in Paid Leave for U.S. Workers and Families

Published on May 4, 2012 in Vicki Shabo and Work & Family. 1 Comment

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

It is no secret that millions of women are both breadwinners and caregivers for their families, the country is rebuilding its economy, and – at the same time – many federal and state lawmakers are trying to figure out how to reduce spending. That’s why it couldn’t be timelier that a new study from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Center for Women and Work, reveals the power that public policies can play in helping families when they need it most, while benefitting businesses and our economy.

The report, Policy Matters: Public Policy, Paid Leave for New Parents, and Economic Security for U.S. Workers, was commissioned by the National Partnership with generous funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. It is the first study to quantify the role that public policies play in enabling new parents to take leave when a child arrives. It shows, quite strikingly, what we have long suspected: New parents are more likely to take leave in connection with the birth of a child when they live in a state where public policies provide access to paid leave; at the same time, access to paid leave through paid leave insurance programs helps reduce workers’ dependence on government assistance.

According to the report, women who live in states that have some kind of paid leave program – either through temporary disability insurance or paid family leave insurance – are twice as likely to take paid leave following the birth of a child than women in states without these policies. In California, where a paid family leave program has provided paid leave to new parents and family caregivers since 2004, both women and men are more likely to take paid leave following the birth of a child than women and men in other states.

These findings may seem obvious but, when combined with other research results, the impact is considerable. We know from prior research that when workers are able to take paid leave, it leads to positive outcomes for their families, businesses and the economy. Paid leave enables new parents to take the time they need for their health and the health and development of their children while strengthening new mothers’ attachment to the labor force and their post-birth earnings. Paid leave also increases worker loyalty and decreases turnover. And, as this study and a prior Rutgers study show, when mothers take a short paid leave following the birth of a child and then return to work, they are less likely than mothers who keep working do not take leave to rely on public assistance and food stamps the year after birth. At a time when state budgets are stretched thin, giving workers access to paid leave offers clear savings for governments and taxpayers.

But in order to realize these benefits, workers must have access to paid leave. Unfortunately, workers in only a handful of states have a guarantee of paid leave in connection with childbirth; only about half of new mothers can take any form of paid leave to recover from childbirth and care for a new child; and only about one-tenth of workers have access to paid family leave through their employers to bond with their babies. That’s why this study is so important. It shows that the positive outcomes of paid leave could be experienced on a much larger scale, by more families, businesses and our economy, if policymakers made access to paid family and medical leave more universal. The study even shows the role that public policies can have in shaping culture by making it more acceptable for workers to take the time they need.

Policy Matters makes a strong case for public policies that improve access to paid leave. Fortunately, lawmakers and leaders are beginning to recognize the benefits and power of adopting such policies.

The Obama administration, for example, has proposed a state paid leave fund that would award competitive grants to states interested in establishing paid family and medical leave programs. The fund would foster state innovation, and could spur the enactment of more state paid leave programs and increase workers’ access to paid leave. It would be a great step forward for the country… but still only a start.

What the country really needs is a national standard to ensure that all workers have access to paid leave, no matter where they live. And that’s why we are so pleased that key members of Congress are working on a proposal to create a national paid leave insurance program. This would be a powerful, lasting way to increase access to and use of paid leave for working families – and the nation would benefit in many ways.

This study and others like it make a compelling case to establish a national paid leave program for parents and other family caregivers. It should be a priority now. It’s time for lawmakers to take note and take action on common sense policies that will help families, businesses and our economy.