Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

That’s how long it’s been since the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law.  Today is the 19^th anniversary of the day then-President Clinton made the FMLA the very first bill he signed.  An entire generation has grown up with the FMLA in place, giving many workers the ability to take job-protected leave to recover from illness or care for a sick family member or new baby.

In that time, workers have used FMLA leave more than 100 million times.  The law’s impact has been massive and overwhelmingly positive.  It’s meant parents could take job-protected time off to help their child, spouse or parent recover from serious illnesses; workers could take time to recover from heart attacks, cancer or other serious health conditions; and tens of millions of moms and dads could take time off to bond with new babies.  The FMLA meant those workers kept the health insurance they had, and had jobs to go back to.

It was a groundbreaking advance, the first national law ever to help this country’s workers meet the dual demands of work and family.  It very quickly proved the doomsday-predicting, nay-saying opponents wrong while transforming our workplaces, changing our culture, and making family friendly workplaces a shared national goal.

Since the FMLA became law, we’ve seen some further progress.  The law was expanded to help military families a few years ago. And this past week, the Obama administration enhanced the military family provisions to allow military family caregivers to take leave before, during and after their loved ones’ deployment.  That was a terrific step forward, and we applaud the administration for this smart, compassionate move.

But workers in this nation need even more, and it’s time for Congress to step up to the proverbial plate.  Only about half of workers are eligible for the unpaid leave the FMLA provides.  We need Congress to expand access to the FMLA by passing the Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act (HR1440) which would amend the law to cover businesses with 25 or more employees, instead of those with 50 or more employees, as is the case now.  We need Congress to pass the Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act (HR2364/S1283) which would expand the definition of family member to allow FMLA leave to care for a domestic partner, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent.

And we need paid leave.  A Census Bureau report issued last November underscored the urgent need for a national standard of paid family leave.  It found that use of paid leave among first-time mothers has been largely stagnant for nearly a decade, and the divide based on socioeconomic status is striking. Two-thirds of first-time mothers with a bachelor’s degree or higher take paid leave, according to the report, compared to only one in five mothers without a high school diploma. We know that those who don’t take paid leave don’t have access to it – and they and their families suffer as a result.

It’s time for a national paid leave standard, so all workers can access some wages when they need time out of the workforce.  A study conducted by the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, released just a few weeks ago, provided conclusive evidence of what a good idea that is.  Commissioned by the National Partnership with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the new report offers conclusive evidence that providing paid family leave to workers leads to positive economic outcomes not just for working families, but also for businesses and the public.

There’s no reason to wait.  This year, with candidates for office at all levels creating a public conversation about jobs, let’s all speak out and send a clear message that it’s time to put family friendly policies in place. That means expanding the FMLA and adopting a national standard for paid family leave.  Now.

To take action and send Congress a message, sign our petition for paid leave at www.paidleave.org/petition. Please share this link widely on Facebook and Twitter!

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

On Wednesday morning, at an event sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) described for the first time sweeping new legislation that he plans to introduce this spring: the Rebuild America Act. This welcome and badly needed bill aims to help restore economic growth and rebuild the middle class by addressing inequality and creating good jobs.

It is a powerful legislative package that working Americans need. Senator Harkin has long been a champion for workers and for all who struggle to find good jobs, to meet the dual demands of work and family, to overcome discrimination, and to pay for food, housing, health care, child or elder care and other necessities. That has long been evident in his work as a member – and now Chair – of the powerful Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Senator Harkin is a key sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, which would give most workers the right to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days a year to use if they get sick or face domestic violence, or if a family member needs care. So it is no surprise that, as he described his upcoming legislative package, he pointed to paid sick days as a key measure that can strengthen families and our workforce. “Today’s workers are caring for children and aging parents. They need jobs that support them and allow families to care for each other,” Senator Harkin said. He expressed concern for those in the “sandwich generation” who care for children and older relatives at the same time; too often, he noted, they fall out of the middle class and into hardship and poverty.

Senator Harkin said that his Rebuild America Act will include the Healthy Families Act, which now has support from more than 100 members of Congress and more than 200 advocacy groups nationwide. It will also include measures to raise the minimum wage, protect workers’ right to stand together, and fund investments in education, child care and infrastructure.

Panelists Heather Boushey of the Center for American Progress, John Schmitt of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution echoed Senator Harkin’s themes. “A strong middle class is not in opposition to a strong economy,” Boushey said. “We need to invest in families with things like child care and paid sick days…. Most other countries offer a rich basket of benefits [to their employees], including paid sick days and paid family leave. Parents are able to care for their children… it’s not only good for people, but also good for the economy.”

Senator Harkin closed his remarks by saying, “For three decades, our economy has been held back by failed trickle-down economics. It’s time for percolate-up economics. The middle class is the backbone of this country. It’s time for Washington to have the backbone to defend it.”

The National Partnership applauds Senator Harkin for including paid sick days as a crucial protection for working families. We look forward to the day when he introduces the Rebuild America Act, and pledge to work hard to help advance it. I hope you will join us.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Retail is the nation’s second-largest sector and one of the fastest-growing industries in the country. We all depend on it – and on the retail workers that help us every day by ringing up our purchases, stocking store shelves and greeting us as we enter our favorite stores. It also plays an important role in our economy. Yet, according to a new study from the Retail Action Project and City University of New York’s Murphy Institute, workers in the retail industry too often face poverty wages, few benefits and unpredictable schedules – with significant disparities by gender and race.

The study, Discounted Jobs: How Retailers Sell Workers Short, is the result of a direct survey of frontline retail workers. It looks at responses from hundreds of non-union workers in New York City who work at large retail stories and national chains, ranging from high-end fashion to off-brand clothing retailers.

According to the study, average wages among retail workers are 52 percent lower than the citywide average in New York – and there are significant gaps for women and workers of color. The median wage among hourly workers is $9.50. For women, it’s only $9.00, compared to $10.13 for men. And for African Americans and Latinos, the median wage is $10.00 and $9.00, respectively, compared to $10.50 for whites.

Low wages can have a significant impact on the economic security and well-being of these workers and their families, especially when nearly 60 percent of retail workers are not full time and half say they need more hours. Just as threatening is a widespread failure to provide basic workplace protections like paid sick days, paid time off and access to health insurance.

The study found that only 44 percent of retail workers have paid sick days – and only about half of those workers have ever used a paid sick day for fear of employer retaliation or job loss. Just 46 percent have any paid time off. And 71 percent don’t receive health insurance through their retail job. In general, the study found that full-time workers are more likely to have access to these policies but, again, women and workers of color are less likely to be hired full time.

Scheduling is yet another challenge for these workers as they try to be loyal, available employees while caring for their children and families. Only 17 percent have a set schedule. More than half know their schedules only a week in advance. More than 40 percent must be on call, and almost half say their schedules change without their consent. Here, too, the problem is worse for workers of color. Unpredictable, erratic schedules often affect workers’ child care obligations, pursuit of education, ability to make medical appointments and more.

These findings are beyond troubling for working families and for our economy. As the report concludes, “The retail workforce is at a crossroads that mirrors the broader trends in the national economy… Implementing straightforward and sensible policies, such as a living wage and paid sick days legislation, would create a baseline for dignified work.”

At the National Partnership, we couldn’t agree more. These policies are common-sense prescriptions for retail workers – and all workers who struggle to provide for their families with low wages and few benefits. That’s why federal paid sick days and paid leave standards, fair pay and workplace flexibility are so important. We hope this report will be a wake-up call for all employers and legislators who need to make these policies a priority.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

At a time when working families are struggling, the economy is in trouble, and the need for family friendly workplace policies is high, a groundbreaking new study demonstrates that paid leave is good for working families, businesses and our economy. Pay Matters: The Positive Economic Impacts of Paid Family Leave for Families, Businesses and the Public makes a strong case for the national paid leave standard the country needs.

This new study was conducted by the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and commissioned by the National Partnership with generous support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The study looks at how access to paid leave affects workers’ labor force participation, wages and reliance on public assistance. And the findings are striking, particularly for women.

According to the new study, after a child’s birth, women who take paid leave are more likely than those who take no leave to be working nine to 12 months after the child’s birth. And those women who take paid leave for 30 days or longer are more likely to see wage increases in the year after a child’s birth. Mothers’ increased attachment to the workforce and rise in income can have a lasting effect on their families’ financial health, especially in the nearly two-thirds of U.S. households where women are their families’ sole or co-breadwinners.

Additionally, and particularly important during tough economic times, the study reveals that, with controls for other relevant factors, both women and men who take paid leave are significantly less likely to rely on public assistance or food stamps after a child’s birth. At a time when governments are struggling with deficits and working families are struggling to stay afloat, this is an incredibly important finding. It shows that giving workers’ access to paid leave can save precious government and taxpayer resources while giving families the stability they desperately need.

Pay Matters makes clear that access to leave is important for working families, businesses and the public – and that the difference between paid and unpaid leave is significant. Sadly, only about one in 10 workers in the United States has access to paid family leave through their employer, and fewer than two in five have access to personal medical leave through employer-provided short-term disability insurance. A handful of states – California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island – provide for personal medical leave with some wage replacement. And only California and New Jersey have implemented paid family leave programs.

What these states have done is an important first step, but the vast majority of workers are still struggling without any paid leave. These are new mothers and fathers who can’t bond with their new children, adult children who can’t assist their ill elderly parents, pregnant women who lose their life savings when they are put on bed rest, and more.

As the report recommends, it’s time for a national standard – not a patchwork of policies. That’s why we are so pleased that members of Congress are working on a proposal that would guarantee paid leave on the national level. It’s badly needed, it’s sound policy and it’s cost-efficient. It’s also the right thing to do for working families, for businesses and for our economy.

We hope and expect that this study, and those that follow, will make the case for a national paid leave policy clear to all legislators. There couldn’t be a better time to make it a priority.

Read the full report here.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Some things are simply unthinkable. Congress failing to protect the basic benefits that are keeping women and families afloat is one of them.

If lawmakers fail to extend unemployment benefits by December 31^st, families around the country will be devastated. More people will lose their homes; more children will be hungry; and more parents will be unable to clothe and care for themselves and their kids this winter. In January alone, nearly two million unemployed workers will stop receiving critical support. At least six million people will be cut off during 2012, including people in more than 20 states who are currently eligible to receive unemployment insurance because they are caring for an ill family member. A bad situation will get appreciably worse. And the road to recovery from this recession will be even longer and more arduous.

Women in particular will suffer. Women are now the sole or co-breadwinners in the majority of U.S. households, so it is especially alarming that the unemployment rate among women who maintain (or head) families is at 12 percent. Some five million women over age 20 are currently unemployed. And many of those who are employed are one sick day or one child’s illness away from being unemployed because they don’t have job-protected paid sick days or paid leave to meet their families’ inevitable health needs.

How do we stabilize and support these women and their families? It starts with extending unemployment benefits. The Census Bureau reports that unemployment benefits kept more than three million families from falling into poverty in 2010. When it takes unemployed workers an average of 8 months to find a job in this economy, letting this critical support expire would be irresponsible – and unforgivable. It would undoubtedly hurt women and families, and it would hurt our economy.

Helping working families and the nation recover starts with the extension of these benefits. But it is also essential that we create jobs and establish workplace standards like paid sick days and paid leave that allow workers to keep the jobs they have, particularly when illness strikes. We simply cannot afford to force working mothers and fathers to make impossible choices between job and family when they get strep, a child has the flu or a spouse is injured.

Congressional action to support families by extending unemployment benefits in tough times is not new, and it is far from rare. Lawmakers have taken this step routinely over the last 50 years whenever the unemployment rate was above 7.2 percent. And it’s higher than that now. Passing this important measure shouldn’t be the subject of debate, it shouldn’t become yet another political football, and it shouldn’t come down to the wire.

Let’s all tell lawmakers: Extend unemployment benefits, and adopt basic standards that let workers care for their families while holding their jobs. Women and families are counting on them to do that now.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Health reform has underscored the imperative to increase access to health care, improve quality and reduce costs. According to a thought-provoking new report released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) this week, paid sick days can – and should – play a significant role in reaching these goals.

Paid Sick Days and Health: Cost Savings from Reduced Emergency Room Visits finds that, regardless of workers’ access to health insurance, there are undeniable connections between the ways in which private sector workers use the health care system and whether they have access to paid sick days. And these connections can result in significant costs for working families’ health, their financial security and the effectiveness of the system overall.

Currently, more than 40 percent of the private sector workforce – and more than 80 percent of the lowest-wage workers – don’t have paid sick days. These workers often can’t afford to lose income or risk their jobs by taking unpaid time off to get the medical care they need. They are left with no choice but to use expensive emergency rooms to get primary care for themselves or their families during non-work hours, or to delay getting care until their health problems worsen and they need care for more severe conditions – at even greater costs.

IWPR’s findings demonstrate that the barrier that prevents workers without paid sick days from getting timely, affordable care is a huge and costly problem for workers, their families and our nation. According to the report, workers with paid sick days are less likely than those without to use hospital emergency rooms or to delay care for themselves or family members. They also report better health. The analysis reveals that if all workers had paid sick days, 1.3 million emergency room visits could be prevented each year. The country would save an astounding $1.1 billion in health care costs annually. And more than $500 million of these savings would be to public programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare and Medicaid.

Emergency room use is a significant source of rising health care costs, according to the report. In fact, emergency room use has risen 30 percent in the last decade. Controlling these costs could benefit our health care system in important ways. And, as IWPR concludes, increasing workers’ access to paid sick days is a “low-cost route to reining in emergency department costs – while simultaneously improving health.” In other words, paid sick days are a win-win.

With this new report, IWPR has pinpointed a modest, common sense way to increase access to health care and reduce costs. Congress should take note of the new data and the growing support for paid sick days in states and cities across the country and move quickly to pass the Healthy Families Act. By doing so, it will increase access to paid sick days, promote the health of working families and save money for taxpayers and the government. There couldn’t be a better time to take this essential step.

Read the full Institute for Women’s Policy Research report here.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

One of the biggest threats to the well-being of our nation’s women and families is poverty. Right now, more than 46 million Americans live below the poverty line, which is a little more than $22,000 for a family of four. And with high unemployment, job scarcity and insecurity, and increasing prices for basic necessities, millions more find themselves on the brink every day.

To address this growing poverty problem, Half in Ten – an exciting project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the Coalition on Human Needs, and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights – released a new report this week on where the country stands in key areas affecting families’ economic security, and where we need to go to cut poverty in half in the next 10 years.

The report, Restoring Shared Prosperity Strategies to Cut Poverty and Expand Economic Growth, focuses on the importance of creating good jobs, strengthening families and promoting economic security. It sends a powerful message about what the nation’s families need. And we couldn’t agree more.

At the National Partnership, we know that quality jobs that offer fair pay and paid sick days are critical to the economic well-being of families, so we were pleased to see that access to these basic workplace standards are among the benchmarks used in the report to measure the nation’s progress. In fact, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Center for American Progress President John Podesta and Half in Ten Director Melissa Boteach all identified access to paid sick leave as a key indicator of poverty reduction at the report’s launch event.

For families already on the brink of poverty, a few paid sick days can have devastating consequences. And low-income working parents are much less likely than parents with incomes over 200 percent of the poverty line to have any form of paid leave.

As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said:

“Basic workplace supports like paid sick days, paid leave and flexibility allow working people to keep their jobs while providing for their families – ultimately enabling them to lift themselves out of poverty or prevent it altogether. There could not be a better time to implement the report’s recommendations and reduce barriers to employment and job security. We applaud Half in Ten for prioritizing these policies and raising awareness of the immense challenges facing working people and their families.”

The policy prescriptions outlined in Half in Ten’s new report are critical to ensuring America’s families can live free from poverty – and standards like paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, and fair pay can immediately alleviate some of the challenges faced by millions. We look forward to next steps and supporting the campaign as it continues.

To read the full report and state fact sheets, visit http://halfinten.org/indicators/resources.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

It is an exciting day for Seattle workers. After a tireless campaign that brought together workers, business leaders, lawmakers and advocates like never before, Seattle City Council members voted 8-1 in support of a strong paid sick days standard for the city.

As National Partnership President Debra Ness said after the vote: “Momentum for paid sick days is building, and public support is strong across the nation. Seattle has created a model that demonstrates that workers and businesses have shared interests and can work together to ensure workers’ access to paid sick days. It is a welcome change from the scorched-earth opposition we have seen from organized business interests in other places – and it is a wise course.”

Mayor McGinn is expected to sign the bill, making Seattle the third city to have a job-protected paid sick days law. Then, nearly 190,000 workers will be able to rest easier knowing that they will no longer have to make the tough decision between a paycheck and the health of their loved ones.

Passage of this bill is more evidence of the growing momentum and public support for paid sick days in this country. Congratulations to the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce and the workers, businesses and lawmakers who made this possible. Thanks to your hard work, we are another step closer to the national paid sick days standard all working families and our communities need.

UPDATE: Seattle Mayor McGinn signed the bill on September 23, 2011.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Connecticut recently became the first state to pass a law offering many workers the right to earn paid sick days. Now new poll results released by the National Partnership for Women & Families for Labor Day reveal that a majority of the state’s voters look favorably upon the law – and the lawmakers who voted for it:

“[T]he issue of paid sick days brings together a consensus coalition of voters from across the political spectrum,” Hart Research concluded […]. “An overwhelming share of voters believes that paid sick days laws protect working families and balance the needs of employees and employers. Moreover, the survey results show that paid sick days has significant potential as a mobilizing issue during campaigns and elections, and particularly energizes hard-to-reach constituencies.”

Learn more about the poll results in our news release.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Roughly four million women give birth in the United States every year – and most choose to breastfeed (74 percent). After all, the nutritional value of breast milk is well documented. Numerous studies show that breastfeeding protects mothers and children from a range of acute and chronic health conditions. But with two-thirds of today’s working women returning to work within three months of giving birth, the lack of supportive workplace policies and laws is forcing too many nursing mothers to quit breastfeeding early – or never start.

The good news is that several recent measures provide support for many working mothers who choose to breastfeed, and more improvements could be on the way. The bad news is that not enough working women and employers know about them. Here are the most recent developments:

• On the federal level, a little-known provision in the new health reform law can do a tremendous amount to eliminate barriers to breastfeeding for many working mothers. Under the law, millions of women who are paid on an hourly basis and protected by basic provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act – those who work in industries like retail, food service and factories where private space is scarce and time is closely monitored – are guaranteed a safe, private place and reasonable break time to pump at work. The law is expected to increase the number of new mothers who breastfeed by 165,000 every year…as long as women know about this new right.

• In late January, the Surgeon General issued a Call to Action on breastfeeding that raised awareness about the important health, emotional, economic and environmental effects of breastfeeding. It included concrete steps and strategies that health care providers, employers, insurers, policymakers, researchers and the public can take to help eliminate the barriers that keep mothers from breastfeeding – including barriers in the workplace. It also includes a call for employers to adopt paid leave policies, which are another critical support for working mothers. The Call to Action is a blueprint for the reforms we need and it should be heeded.

• And just last month, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended that breastfeeding support and equipment be covered by insurance plans under the preventive care provisions of health care reform at no cost to consumers. The Obama administration accepted the recommendation, so a year from now we expect significantly more mothers to have access to breastfeeding equipment.

Despite this recent and promising progress, the work to help all mothers who want to breastfeed do so is not yet done.

Right now, the Department of Labor is figuring out how best to implement the reasonable break time provision in health reform so that nursing mothers who don’t work in an office or at a fixed location – such as bus drivers, mail carriers, law enforcement officers and emergency medical technicians – can find private places to pump at work. The National Partnership for Women & Families is collecting comments, ideas and best practices from workers, organizations and researchers with experience or expertise in this kind of policy. You can help by sharing your insights here.

Recognizing that the health reform provision only covers hourly, non-exempt working women, the Obama administration directed all federal agencies to extend the right to all nursing mothers. We would like to see employers in the private sector follow suit. Just yesterday, Senator Merkley (Ore.) and Representative Maloney (N.Y.) introduced the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. The law would be an important step in ensuring private employers offer a time and place to pump to all nursing mothers, while also protecting women from workplace discrimination for breastfeeding, reducing some of the costs, and ensuring equipment is safe and effective.

We applaud the administration and other supportive policymakers for advancing breastfeeding rights. Particularly in the workplace, protections for nursing mothers are an important factor in working women’s economic security and the health of their families.

We have seen a lot of progress recently. Let’s take the next steps to make it possible for every new mother to breastfeed.