Earned Sick Days: Moms to Deliver Apples-O-Grams
MEDIA ADVISORY
May 11, 2011
CONTACTS: Gretchen Wright or Molly Tomlinson, MomsRising, 202/371-1999
Lauren Townsend, Philadelphia Campaign for Earned Sick Days, 215/939-7621
Craig Robbins, Action United, 215/917-1701
Earned Sick Days: How About THEM Apples?
Moms to Deliver Apples-O-Grams with Messages from Philadelphians
and More Than 700 Personal Letters
In Support of Earned Sick Days Legislation
Action United, MomsRising and the Philadelphia Campaign for Earned Sick days will join moms and children to deliver “Apple-o-grams” – apples with messages from local families –and more than 700 letters to the Philadelphia City Council Members urging them to support a bill that would allow workers to sick days at:
9:15 AM, May 12
4th Floor, Outside of Council Chambers
City Hall
Philadelphia
Speakers include:
• Councilman Bill Greenlee
• Marianne Bellesorte, Moms Rising
• Linda Montgomery, Action United
• Elizabeth Lassiter, RN from Strawberry Mansion
• Philadelpia moms who support earned sick days legislation
Each Apple-o-gram will include apples and a booklet with personal messages from local families and stories about the need for earned sick days. MomsRising.org, an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization that supports family-friendly policies, helped generate these messages through e-outreaches to its Pennsylvania members.
The Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill No. 08074) would allow workers the opportunity to earn one hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked, up to 56 hours in a calendar year. The bill unanimously passed out of a committee on March 1, 2011. If the bill is passed, Philadelphia will become the fourth city in the country to pass earned sick days legislation so that workers can care for themselves or a sick family member.
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Action United is a membership organization of low and moderate income Pennsylvanians working to build power through organizing communities to win changes on the issues that are important to them.
The Philadelphia Campaign for Earned Sick Days is a project of the Philadelphia Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces. The Coalition is made up of 80 organizations supporting the need for earned sick time in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
MomsRising.org 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 health care for all, toxic-free environments, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. Established in 2006 and now celebrating its fifth anniversary, 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. In 2010, Forbes.com named MomsRising's web site as one of the Top 100 Websites For Women.
