Keeping Massachusetts Healthy By Killing Germs and Saving Paid Sick Days

MEDIA ALERT

June 17, 2010

CONTACT: Gretchen Wright, 202/371-1999

Keeping Massachusetts Healthy By Killing Germs

and Saving Paid Sick Days

Massachusetts Moms to Deliver San-O-Grams to Legislators

Urging Support of Paid Sick Days Bill

Massachusetts moms are making a heroic effort to save the paid sick days legislation pending in the House Ways and Means Committee. Massachusetts MomsRising members will be delivering san-o-grams (small bottles of hand sanitizer with messages attached) to the members of the House Ways and Means Committee and House Speaker Robert DeLeo urging them to get An Act to Establish Paid Sick Days (HB1815/SB 688) out of Committee and to the House floor for a vote. Moms and their kids will meet before delivering the san-o-grams at:

10:45 AM, Tuesday, June 22

Grand Staircase

Massachusetts State House

Boston

HB 1815/SB 688 would ensure that all Massachusetts workers can earn a minimum of seven paid sick days annually to take care of their own health needs and those of family members. Currently, almost half (47 percent) of private sector Massachusetts workers do not have even a single guaranteed paid sick day.

The hand sanitizer bottles being delivered read “Even supermoms can’t fight off all germs; we need paid sick days.” MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization that supports family-friendly policies, generated the messages by reaching out to their members across the state.

This spring, MomsRising members helped move the legislation through the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing when they delivered to committee members toy ambulances with messages attached urging the committee to vote on the legislation before the legislature ends its formal session on July 31.

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MEDIA NOTE: MomsRising Campaign Director Marianne Bullock will be available on-site for comment on the action and the legislation.

MomsRising is an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to achieve economic security for all families in the United States. MomsRising is working for paid family leave, flexible work options, affordable child care, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes so many mothers. MomsRising also advocates for healthcare for all, toxic-free environments, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on Issues that are critically important to America’s families.