Ask Congress to support the FAMILY Act!

This year, there’s a real prospect that Congress will take up the federal paid leave bill - the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act). FAMILY is expected to be introduced in February, and to bolster its chances, we’re trying to get as many sponsors as possible by the introduction date. We need your help to reach Congress.

We need the FAMILY Act because we need a program that reaches all of us. Newborn or newly adopted children need time to bond with their parents, but those who aren't parents still have parents or partners or other loved ones who occasionally need care. At some point, each of us will likely require time to heal. And those who deploy to the military may need help meeting their family responsibilities. The FAMILY Act covers all these situations. We know that members will be offering some amendments to make it even more effective in reaching those who have the least access to paid leave.

It has been truly amazing to stand with you over the years in our collective fight for working families in Pennsylvania. Let's continue working to make paid family leave a reality.

Take Action:

• Call Congress at 202-224-3121 and enter your zipcode to be connected to your Representative.
• Here's a sample message: "Hi, my  name is _______, and I live in the Congressperson's district. I am calling to ask Representative ___________ to cosponsor the FAMILY Act, which lets everyone earn paid family leave at work to care for themselves of a loved one."
• Additional talking points:
• Across our nation, there's one thing families, voters, political leaders and candidates of all stripes agree on: the United States needs paid leave. It's about time we make sure everyone, regardless of where they live or what kind of job they do, can be there for family. 
• We need a program that reaches all of us. Newborn or newly adopted children need time to bond with their parents. Even those who aren't parents have parents or partners or other loved ones who occasionally need care. At some point, each of us will likely require time to heal. And those who deploy to the military may need help meeting their family responsibilities.
• FAMILY draws on the successful programs that already exist in multiple states. It speaks to the need of individuals and families for time to care. It will help businesses, especially small ones, keep people employed and cut down on costs for hiring and training new employees.
• The FAMILY Act will benefit our entire nation by making families stronger and more secure. Paid leave is critical to the success of a strong health care system, so people can take the time they need for treatment. It's a vital piece of the infrastructure needed for all of us to succeed.
• Right now only 17% of private sector workers get paid leave through an employer. This reality hurts families, hurts public health and hurts business viability. Many small employers would love to offer paid leave but can't afford to do so on their own - that's why the majority of small businesses surveyed support the FAMILY Act.

Implementation Day is June 28! Join us in a Tweetstorm!

Did you know that 14 of the 50 paid leave laws (paid sick and safe days and paid family and medical leave) passed in the US have anniversaries on July 1? And this July 1st Rhode Islanders start earning paid sick and safe days!

Join us in celebrating these anniversaries and the implementation of all paid leave laws in a tweetstorm on June 28 from 2-4 EST! Check out a few sample tweets below.

In addition to the tweetstorm, Family Values @ Work and Main Street Alliance have been working together to hold events and place opeds across the country on June 28. We’ll keep you updated on what events are happening near you and where you can find opeds as they are published.


On 7/1/02, CA #PaidFamilyLeave took effect. Now 40+ cities/states have #paidsickdays and  #paidfamilyleave. Take the time you need #WeEarnedIt

Is your city or state on the list of places with #paidsickdays? Check here: https://bit.ly/2LpQa6G #WeEarnedIt

#SmallBiz owners know that sick employees on the job costs our economy $218 billion each year. That’s why we support #PaidSickDays

#SmallBiz owners support the FAMILY Act and #PaidFamilyLeave to help us and our employees balance work and family without breaking the bank.

On July 1, an additional 100,000 Rhode Island workers can start earning paid sick time to take care of themselves and still be able to care for their families. To learn more visit www.economicprogressri.org/RIPaidSickLeave #WeEarnedIt #PaidSickDays

Choosing between your health and a paycheck is a thing of the past! Philadelphia’s #paidsickdays is in effect: https://goo.gl/tLY8QP #WeEarnedIt

Join Our Campaign for Paid Family Leave!

The PA Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces (led by PathWays PA and the Women and Girls Foundation) is beginning a statewide campaign to secure paid family leave for all workers across the commonwealth - and we want you to be involved!

Please fill out the form below to show your support for the campaign. We look forward to working with you to engage women and men across this state in this important campaign to support workers, businesses, and families. You can also share this link with other organizations who you think should be involved.

We hope you will join us at 2 PM on October 4, 2016, for our first all-coalition conference call! Please email Emma@wgfpa.org if you are able to attend.

https://goo.gl/forms/D9Jm9ObJCUlDtWBs1

Why Paid Family and Medical Leave is a Growing Priority for Small Business

Register here!

Small business owners spend their days concentrating on their particular specialties, but there's one thing they have in common: they all have to contend with a host of similar workforce issues. One topic making big news lately is paid family and medical leave. This event will include a panel of local business leaders to discuss specific policy proposals under consideration at the national level and how they will impact small businesses. We also will hear stories from local small employers who support these policies.

Winnie Stachelberg, Vice President Center for American Progress (Moderator)
Ken Weinstein, Owner Trolley Car Diner
Mercy Mosquera, Owner Tierra Colombiana
Joseph Gidjunis, Owner of JPG Photography
Marianne Bellesorte, Vice President of Advocacy,
PathWays PA

A question and answer period will follow the discussion.

Register here!

Jessica's Story - Why We Need Paid Family Leave

In August 2013, I found a lump in my breast. It came out of nowhere. I have no family history, I don’t have the BRCA gene. But, at age 29, I had an eight month old baby - and stage II breast cancer.

Over the next six months, I took FMLA and (unpaid) administrative leave from my work so I could juggle treatment and motherhood. After six rounds of chemo, a bilateral mastectomy, and 6 weeks of radiation treatment, I returned to work – only to learn three months later that the cancer had spread to my bones. My company said I needed to wait at least another three months to be able to use FMLA again, but that was time I didn’t have. After going back on administrative leave, I was later forced to terminate my employment.

I’m coming up now on my two years since my second diagnosis. My cancer has stayed in my bones, which is good, but with Stage IV cancer, treatment is always changing. I’m at the hospital for chemo every three weeks, plus scans, plus doctor’s appointments – it’s been impossible to go back to work. I get Social Security, but it is not nearly what I was making before. My husband works, but living on one income is almost impossible in this country. And he doesn’t get any paid sick days, so it’s very hard for him to take time to help me when I am sick.

Being younger and having this happen to you – we never had a chance to build up a savings account or 401K. We were planning to buy a house, and we had to use all those savings for medical bills. Sometimes it feels like we are totally scrambling and losing everything because of something I couldn’t control.

It would have meant everything to have paid family leave, or for my husband to have it now. We wouldn’t have to worry so much about cutting things for our daughter. Eloise is 3, but she can’t go to preschool because we have to pay medical bills. If my job had paid family leave, maybe I wouldn’t have had to choose between treatment and my job. I wanted to find a way to continue to work. Even if I had paid family leave just that first time I was diagnosed, maybe we would have had enough money to buy a house. We could have had child care. Our savings could still be intact.

People ask me all the time “Well, don’t you have insurance?” They don’t realize that you’re still paying out of pocket for lots of tests, lots of treatment, and a lot of your time is spent out of work and in doctor’s offices. Insurance is great, but it can only take you so far. I want to work, not to be on disability. I want to have the option of maintaining a normal life while living with chronic – yes, eventually it will be terminal, but so far it’s been chronic – illness. I would love to continue to work because my family would be in a much different financial situation and I had a really good job.

I just don’t you think you should have to go bankrupt because you’re sick.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Last month, the Department of Labor released a report on what it costs to not pass paid leave policies in the United States. Currently, only 12% of workers have access to paid parental and family leave, and about four in ten get paid medical leave through short term disability. For new and adoptive parents, people dealing with a life-threatening diagnosis, or people involved in accidents, the lack of long term paid leave is devastating to their pockets and to their lives.

Here are some of the findings:

Children have better health outcomes when their parents have paid leave:

• Increased birth weight, decreased premature births, and decreased infant mortality are all associated with access to maternity leave.
• Mothers who choose and are able to breastfeed and have maternity leave tend to have better breastfeeding outcomes.
• Children with serious or chronic illness have better physical and emotional health outcomes when their parents have access to fully paid leave. Parents also report that their emotional health is better and they have a decreased likelihood of financial problems during that time.
• Fathers who take two weeks or more of parental leave are more likely to be actively involved in their child's care nine months after birth - including getting up in the night with a child, feeding, and changing diapers.

Businesses save money through paid leave policies:

• Paid maternity leave in particular and paid leave in general reduces turnover costs and increases retention, saving businesses the money spent on replacing valuable members of their team.
• Offering paid leave makes it easier for companies to compete for talent internationally.

Our economy is better off with paid leave policies:

• Paid maternity leave increases female participation in the labor force, which in turn supports economic growth for our country. DOL estimates indicate that if women aged 25-54 participated in the labor force at the same rate as Canada or Germany (which offer family policies including paid leave), 5 million more women would be in the labor force, generating $500 billion more economic activity each year.

Families are financially better off with paid leave policies:

• 60% of workers without fully paid leave put off bills, used savings, and/or cut their leave short to make ends meet.
• 84%  of workers with unpaid/partially paid leave put off spending, which hurts their families and our economy.
• Mothers with access to paid leave are more likely to be employed following childbirth, In fact, access to paid leave policies can increase the number of hours worked. Work benefits a family in the short-term, of course, but it also gives women more of a safety net in retirement thanks to increased savings and more time under Social Security.
• Paid maternity leave is associated with increased pay for women with children, which helps close the pay gap.
• Women who have and use paid parental leave are 39% less likely to receive public assistance in the year following childbirth.

Finally, some of the cost of doing nothing can't be measured in numbers. As the report points out, women are being sidelined in business while men are denied opportunities at home. 

To read the full report, visit https://www.dol.gov/featured/paidleave/cost-of-doing-nothing-report.pdf.

Labor Day News: Paid Sick Days For Federal Contractors!

As workers across the country celebrated Labor Day yesterday, President Obama issued a new executive order to add even more joy to the festivities. Under his instructions, more than 300,000 federal contractors who do not currently have paid sick days will be able to earn sick time to care for themselves and their family members. You can see more about the executive order at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/07/fact-sheet-helping-middle-class-families-get-ahead-expanding-paid-sick.

But that's not all! In addition to the release of a new report, The Cost of Doing Nothing, President Obama also called on Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act and the FAMILY Act, which would let workers earn paid sick days and paid family leave.

If you support these measures, you can contact your members of Congress and let them know! MomsRising has letters for the FAMILY Act and the Healthy Families Act. You can also use http://www.wetweet.org/ to tweet to legislators and those running for office about the issues that matter most to you!

Paid Sick Leave for Preventive Health Care and Healthy Lives

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) highlighted some important statistics on the relationship between paid sick leave and preventive health care.

Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect in 2010, health care access has opened up to numerous Americans, including low-income earners who were previously uninsured and women seeking preventive care. Unfortunately, too many Americans simply do not have the time to actually receive these services.

More than 40 million workers in the U.S. (39 percent) have no paid sick days and nearly 95 million workers (87 percent) have no paid family leave. 80 percent of low-wage workers earning $15,000 or less per year have no paid sick days.

Work protections such as paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave are crucial for preventive health care, which in turn is key for healthy and safe lives. Routine health checkups and screenings can help prevent or detect early on diseases and other health problems, but a 2015 study found that women without paid sick leave were 12 percent less likely to undergo breast cancer screening than women with paid sick leave.

A similar trend was found with attention to prenatal care. Additionally, about half of Americans who qualify for unpaid job protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) defer or choose to forgo care altogether because the financial cost of taking unpaid time off is too great.

21 jurisdictions have now passed earned sick days laws, but the need for such minimum standards continues.

Two Quick Updates on Paid Sick Days Across the Country

• A survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that 78% of Americans favor requiring companies to offer paid family leave for childbirth or adoption. The same study shows that 81% of Americans favor requiring companies to offer paid sick days to full-time employees to use when the employees or their immediate family members are ill. 
• A Better Balance has published an updated list of cities and states with earned sick time laws.

New Study Stresses Need for Modern Workforce with Changing Workforce Demographics

The Economic Opportunity Institute is citing a new study from the University of New Hampshire that indicates recessionary periods serve to increase the proportion of wives in the workforce. Tracking workforce participation since 1988, this data shows the proportion of wives earning income has increased nearly 10% over the last 25 years, including those with children.

The study, "Recessions Accelerate Trend of Wives as Breadwinners", details the need for workers to be able to care for their families and not worry about making ends meet or losing their job. It goes on to say that paid sick days are essential for those few days each year when we catch a cold or our child wakes up with a fever.

In conclusion, the author of the study explains that life events requiring weeks or month of time away from work – an aging parent, a new child, a serious health condition – show the need for family and medical leave insurance: to provide economic security when it’s most important for a worker to be with loved ones.  These policies increase productivity and employee retention, thereby making businesses stronger.

Working Parents’ Lack of Access to Paid Leave and Workplace Flexibility

Most workers whose employers offer paid sick days are able to take them in order to
stay home and provide care for ill family members. Others with access to workplace
flexibility can work from home or otherwise change their schedules in order to stay home with a sick child. But all too often this is not an option for working parents because they do not have access to paid sick leave or workplace flexibility. This can place parents in a precarious situation when their children fall ill—something which can happen quite frequently.

Unlike every other advanced economy, the United States does not guarantee workers the right to paid sick days or paid parental leave after the arrival of a new child. Other economies such as Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland are excelling while guaranteeing leave benefits for workers.

Read the Full Article

Read the Entire Report from
the Center for American Progress

The Elephant in the Room-The Gender Gap, Women's Wages and Politics

The U.S. ranks a low 22nd among nations, according to the 2012 Global Gender Gap Index, which measures the gap between men and women in four categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Women's wages in the U.S. are stuck at 77 cents to a man's dollar for full-time year round work, with mothers and women of color experiencing a gap that's larger still. The U.S. ranks a low 80th of all nations in terms of women's representation in our national legislature. Only four percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women. The U.S. lags behind more than 150 other nations on paid family leave and earned sick days policies, both of which are critical to the economic security of women and their families.

Read the full Article Here
by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner