May e-Exchange
THE MOMSRISING e-EXCHANGE“A Dialog Among Organizations Working to Build a Family-Friendly America”
Circulation: 185
May 17, 2007
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CONTENTS
B. Focus on the States: Paid Family Leave and Paid Sick Leave Gaining Traction (and a win!)
- Naptime Activists: Mojo Mom
- Mother: The job. (Multi-media art)
- 14 Thousand for 14 Million: The After School Alliance
D. Recent Books and Other Publications
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A. JOIN US! Let's use Motherhood and Apple Pie to help Protect Mothers in Pennsylvania from Employment Discrimination
Can your organization help with this project? The more, the merrier! And, we promise this project will be both fun and effective! Yes, MomsRising members --and people from other key organizations -- will actually be converging on the Pennsylvania state capitol, apple pies in hand. (Funny what one has to do to get attention for common sense fair treatment.) The message is: Mothers just want a fair piece of the pie. And, specifically, we want to get a law passed in Pennsylvania (and then in other states as well) protecting mothers from discrimination in job interviews. Over 300 pies will be given to all the state legislators as part of a lobbying effort for HB and SB 280, which will put a stop to maternal profiling in hiring. No more asking job applicants 'Are you married?' 'Do you have children?'
You may recall the story of Kiki Peppard, the single mom who hit a maternal brick wall, hard, while looking for a job in Pennsylvania twelve years ago. Nobody wanted to hire a single mom, and a few of the potential employers went as far to tell her so, despite the fact that Kiki had great qualifications and references. Ever since, Kiki has been working to get a law passed in Pennsylvania protecting mothers in job interviews. Last year she was buoyed by the support of many organizations: 9 to 5, Pennsylvania NOW; Mainstreet Moms; AFSCME; Mothers and More; Pennsylvania Commission on Women; Parents Action for Children; Women and Girl's Foundation; and the Women's Law Project.
Despite growing momentum in the latter part of 2006, the legislation died yet again in committee. This year it is clear we must take some attention-grabbing steps to get the bill moving. Our MomsRising PA team is organizing a media event that will do just that -- Motherhood and Apple Pie!
We hope that you, our aligned organizations, will help us put a spotlight on Pennsylvania and get this legislation passed once and for all. A victory in Pennsylvania will lay the groundwork for change in other states as well. Here’s how you can help:
- Have your organization endorse the passage HB 280 and SB 280. We want to show overwhelming support for the passage of this bill. Last year there were ten organizations on board. This year we want to have twice that number so that the legislature sees that support is building!
- Can you email your PA membership to invite them to sign the constituent petitions? MomsRising members will be delivering these petitions along with the pies. If you’d like, we can send you a draft email to forward to your members.
- Let us know if you can join us for a strategy planning phone meeting. If you tell us you are interested, we will set a date soon and contact you.
For more information, contact Cooper Munroe (coopermunroe@mac.com) or Emily McKhann (emilymckhann@mac.com). Please help us make 2007 a winning year for mothers in PA!
*IF YOU HAVE A SUBMISSION FOR THIS “CALL TO JOINT ACTION” SECTION OF THE e-EXCHANGE, PLEASE SEND IT TO mary@momsrising.org.
We won! Family Leave Insurance passed in Washington State, providing parents with paid time at home when they have a new arrival to their families. With our Governor's signature, on May 8th, Washington became the second state in the nation (after California) to have a policy that brings essential support to families. Thanks to the work of the ever-so-active Washington MomsRising members in the past few months, and the deep work for many years by our primary policy partner organization, The Economic Policy Institute, as well as some heavy lifting by the unions and the Washington Family Leave Coalition, we all did it! Read more about this policy and how this big win came about at our website. Action is popping in other states as well for both paid family leave and for paid sick days legislation. The following list was compiled by the Multi-State Working Families Consortium which is made up of labor-community coalitions in eleven states working on leave policies. For more information on the Consortium, contact Ellen Bravo at bravo@uwm.edu. *A big, "Thank You!" to Netsy Firestein, of the Labor Project for Working Families, and a key member of the Multi-State Working Families Consortium, for pulling together this list. CALIFORNIA There are three work/family bills in the state: SB727 would expand the Paid Family Leave law (PFL) to allow workers to get paid leave to care for seriously ill grandparents, siblings, parents-in-law and grandchildren. AB537 would expand the state version of Family and Medical Leave (unpaid leave) to care for grandparents/children, siblings, in laws and adult children. SB836 would prohibit discrimination against a worker because of their family responsibilities. Send support letters to: (SB727 and SB836): senator.kuehl@sen.ca.gov (AB537): assemblymember.swanson@asm.ca.gov Sample letters at www.equalrights.org More info: Work and Family Coalition: info@working-families.org COLORADO 9to5 has built a work-family coalition that is engaged in grassroots organizing, media, gathering stories and building ally support for public education and state policy efforts to provide parents time off work to attend children's school activities and to guarantee workers paid sick days. We also work to bring Colorado voices into national efforts to protect and expand FMLA and win paid sick days, and to include work-family issues in local community benefits campaigns. Join us to speak out for paid sick days and parental leave for school activities. Contact: Linda Meric, 9to5, National Association of Working Women, (303) 628-0925, Lindam@9to5.org GEORGIA The Georgia Job/Family Collaborative is building public support and awareness for the Parent Protection Act. The proposed state legislation will provide up to 24 hrs/year of unpaid, job-protected leave to attend a child’s school conferences or for the employees own medical appointments, or to take a child, parent or spouse to medical appointments, such as checkups or immunizations. Get involved! Contact the Job/Family Collaborative at www.gaworkingfamilies.org, 404/222-0037 or workingfamilies@bellsouth.net ILLINOIS A Family Leave Income Program (FLIP) was introduced that would allow for 4 weeks paid family and medical leave, shared financing between employers and employees at 75 cents per employee per week, payout 67% of wages up to $380/wk.The Coalition is looking for employee and employer supporters to share their stories, and is continuing to send postcards to legislators Contact: Melissa Josephs, Women Employed, MAINE Maine is advancing LD 1454 an Act to Care for Working Families to establish a basic standard of paid sick days for Maine workers when illness strikes. This legislation would guarantee up to 9 paid sick days accrued at 1 hour per 30 worked in establishments with 25 or more employees. We had a successful public hearing on the bill and we are awaiting a committee vote. Also, LD 375 expanding FMLA coverage to domestic partners, had a very positive vote out of committee and is headed for a vote in the Senate. Submit a letter to the editor to your local paper about the importance of paid sick days, sign a petition, and contact your legislators urging support of LD 1454. Contact Sarah Standiford at exec@mainewomen.org for more information. MASSACHUSETTS The Mass Paid Leave Coalition is supporting An Act to Establish Paid Sick Days that would establish up to 7 paid sick days a year. The bill would permit all employees in the state to care for the illness, injury, or health condition, or to attend a routine medical appointment, for the employee or their child, spouse, parent, or spouse’s parent. Paid sick days may also be used by an employee to address the psychological, physical or legal effects of domestic violence. Call or email the offices of Speaker Sal Dimasi, 617/722-2500, Rep.SalvatoreDiMasi@hou.state.ma.us and Senate President Terry Murray, 617/722-1500, Therese.Murray@state.ma.us. Tell them why this bill is so important to you, your family and all workers in the Commonwealth. Contact: Ingrid Nava, Greater Boston Legal Services,inava@gbls.org NEW JERSEY New Jersey legislators are currently considering S2249/A3812 which extend the State's existing temporary disability insurance (TDI) system to provide workers with family leave benefits to care for sick family members or to bond with newborn or newly adopted children. The bills provide up to 12 weeks of TDI benefits (two-thirds wage replacement up to maximum of $502 in 2007) for a worker taking leave to care for a sick child parent, spouse, or partner, or to bond with a new born or adopted child. Take action! Contact your State Legislators, Governor Jon Corzine, Senate President Richard Codey, and Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts and urge them to support S2249/A3812 and ensure both its quick passage through both houses without any amendments, and its enactment into law. For more information, visit the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition web site at www.njtimetocare.rutgers.edu. NEW YORK Working Families Time to Care Act legislation to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new baby or a newly adopted child, or for a seriously ill family member, including a spouse, parent, in law, sibling, child, grandparent or domestic partner has been introduced by Assembly Member Cathy Nolan (A7130). A Senate companion is expected soon. Benefits - in line with current TDI benefits in New York would be 12 of weekly wages up to a maximum of $170 a week. Call or email your legislator now and urge them to support the Working Families Time to Care Act. More information at http://www.timetocareny.org. Up to date take action connection at www.workingfamiliesparty.org/takeaction. PENNSYLVANIA PathWaysPA, a nonprofit organization serving women and children in Pennsylvania, has begun work on bringing paid sick days legislation to the state. In March 2007, PathWaysPA began its Postcards for Progress Campaign, which will bring the needs of working families in Pennsylvania (including paid sick days) to the Governor and other state legislators. Contact: Marianne Bellesorte, PathWaysPA, mbellesorte@pathwayspa.org www.pathwayspa.org WISCONSIN 9to5, National Association of Working Women in Wisconsin co-chairs the Keep Families First Coalition, a statewide group of faith-based, community and labor organizations focused on a variety of work/family issues. We are launching a campaign to gain employer provided paid sick days for all Milwaukee workers. Our efforts could result in a legislative vote this year or a city-wide referendum vote next year. Our kick-off is June 5th and we will be engaging volunteer activists in constituent visits with elected officials, community house parties and a referendum petition drive in support of paid sick days. Join us in this exciting, historic campaign! Contact Amy Stear, amys@9to5.org, (414)274-092 *For another compilation of information on states’ work on paid family leave and paid sick leave, see the National Partnership for Women and Families web site. The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that uses public education and advocacy to promote fairness in the workplace, quality health care, and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family. For more information on the web states information, contact Rachna Choudhry at rchoudhry@nationalpartnership.org. Naptime Activist from MojoMom: MojoMom.com is about creativity, connectivity, and action. Through the MojoMom.com website, blog, pod cast and book, the mission is to provide support and inspiration to help each woman answer the question, "Who am I, now that I am a Mom?" Leadership and activism are important components of this process. MojoMom.com has launched a new partnership with MomsRising to provide "on-ramps to activism" for women who might not already think of themselves as activists. The Mojo Mom Party Kit is a free downloadable guide to throwing a "Moms' Night Out with a Purpose." The first two sessions focused on strengthening friendships and support networks. The third session, "Becoming a Naptime Activist," presents the MomsRising house gatherings as an ideal Moms' Night Out. The goal is to inspire a wide variety of women to hold Motherhood Manifesto documentary house gatherings, and to capture the attention and imagination of women who have just an hour or two to devote to action--the audience of "naptime activists." Mother: The Job: Mother: The Job creates multi-media art and entertainment “message products” centering on the economic value of mothers’ work, embracing mothers in the work place and at home. Their integrated products include film, sculpture, photography, and community collaboration projects, designed to inspire change in social policy and policy in the work place, and to promote family/work balance. Mother: The Job will be first displayed in early May in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will also screen their film “Add Day” at the New York City MAMAPALOOZA Creativity and Lifestyles Conference (May 17-20), in partnership with Women’s Media Center. This film is a 17 minute b/w short of mothers hands at task. They welcome inquiries regarding bringing their work to other cities: www.motherthejob.org. 14 Thousand for 14 Million: The Afterschool Alliance: 14.3 million children are alone and unsupervised after school. The Afterschool Alliance has lauched a 14 thousand for 14 million challenge -- an effort to inspire 14,000 women to sign a national petition in support of quality, affordable afterschool programs for all who need them. Afterschool programs keep children safe, inspire them to learn and provide critical support to working families. To sign on, go to http://www.afterschool2010.org/join.cfm. For more information on the effort and afterschool, go to www.afterschoolalliance.org. *MomsRising is working to put more and more content on our blogs. If you’ve read any of the below books and want to contribute a “Guest Blog” book review, or just want to contribute a “Guest Blog” in general, please email Kristin@momsrising.org. Taking On the Big Boys: Or Why Feminism Is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation by Ellen Bravo Striking a Balance: Work, Family, Life by Robert W. Drago The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics By Riane Eisler February, 2007 (pdf) http://media.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2007/feb/childreport.pdf 'Hidden Price Tags' of Lower Taxes Are Reduced U.S. Child Health, Life Prospect. Every Child Matters February, 2007 http://www.everychildmatters.org/homelandinsecurity/Release.html The Labor Project for Working Families A toolkit on organizing, bargaining and legislating for worker controlled flexibility. http://www.working-families.org/organize/flexpack.html (Place information on your publications, conferences and media coverage here and let us know if you’d like us to include a recent publication of yours in the next e-Exchange by emailing Mary@momsrising.org.) _______________________________________________ About the MomsRising e-Exchange: The e-Exchange is a project of MomsRising.org which is building an on-line, grassroots, trans-partisan movement to improve our country’s treatment of mothers and families. The purpose of the e-Exchange is to provide linkages among some of the nation’s strongest women's organizations, family advocacy groups, mother’s organizations, child advocacy groups, unions, health care organizations, parenting groups, and faith-based organizations as well as academicians, researchers and writers who are all working to better the lives of mothers and families. To see a list of organizations aligned with MomsRising, please visit the MomsRising.org web site and click ‘About MomsRising.’ We encourage you to send us information to place in future e-Exchanges. And please forward the e-Exchange to others who might want to subscribe. To submit an entry or to subscribe, contact: Mary@momsrising.org.
B. WHAT'S UP WITH THOSE STATES? Paid Family Leave and Paid Sick Leave Gain Traction (and a win!)
C. SPOTLIGHT ON: Naptime Activists, Mother: The Job, and 14 Thousand for 14 Million
D. RECENT BOOKS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS
