MomsRising.org to Deliver Orange-Grams to State Legislators

MEDIA ADVISORY
May 7, 2008

CONTACT: Gretchen Wright, 202/371-1999

MomsRising.org to Deliver Orange-Grams to State Legislators

MomsRising.org, the online grassroots organization for moms and everyone who has a mom, will deliver Orange-Grams (oranges with messages affixed to them) to the California Assembly to urge legislators to support paid sick days legislation:

Noon, Wednesday, May 7
North side of the State Capitol (on L Street)
Sacramento

The Orange-Grams include messages from California residents encouraging their legislators to support AB 2716, which would guarantee all workers in the state a minimum number of paid sick days. Workers at businesses with ten employees or fewer would earn up to 40 hours (five days) of paid sick leave each year and workers at businesses with more than ten employees would earn 72 hours (nine days) each year. Workers would earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

MomsRising.org gathered the messages through online outreach to its California members. The central message of the campaign is “orange you going to pass paid sick days soon?” Among the messages from members are:

“As a Pediatric Nurse, I know the importance of parents being able to have paid sick days so that they can stay home with an ailing child! No one else comes close to making a child feel better quicker!!!” -- Marcia in San Carlos

“As a teacher, I experience daily the consequences of children in school sick just because their parents have to work instead of taking care of them ... and then the whole class gets sick! You don't want that for your children, and we don't want it for ours!” -- Barbara in Poway

“I'm a doctor and I'm glad I get paid sick days. I wish my patients did too!” -- Elizabeth in Mountain View

Almost 6 million California workers do not get a single paid sick day. The proposed legislation would also cover victims of domestic violence who could use paid sick days to care for their physical, psychological, and legal needs.

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MomsRising.org is an online grassroots organization that is working for paid family leave, flexible work options, excellent childcare and healthcare for all children, and to stop the wage and hiring biases that penalize so many mothers today. MomsRising.org has more than 130,000 members across the United States and more than 27,000 in California.