Lawmakers aim to help people balance work, family, By Jake Grovum, July 9, 2015, Stateline: “After years of focusing on Great Recession job losses, increasing economic inequality and ashrinking middle class, lawmakers in many states this year turned to a related front: trying to make life a little easier for Americans struggling to balance work and family obligations. Their focus on issues such as paid leave, predictable shift scheduling and protections for pregnant workers reflects a sobering fact: Years after the recession ended, many Americans still do not feel economically secure. Many families fear that without safeguards, a medical emergency or family obligation that pulls them away from work could mean financial disaster…”
Tag: Sick leave
Paid Leave
New momentum on paid leave, in business and politics, By Claire Cain Miller, June 22, 2015, New York Times: “Oregon this month became the fourth state to pass a bill requiring that companies give workers paid sick days to care for themselves or family members. Chipotle said this month that it would begin offering hourly workers paid sick days and vacation days, joining McDonald’s, Microsoft and other companies that have recently given paid leave to more workers. And in a speech meant to preview her presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton put paid leave at the center of her platform. No one, she said, should have ‘to choose between keeping a paycheck and caring for a new baby or a sick relative.’ Long a pet Democratic cause that seemed hopelessly far-fetched, paid leave suddenly seems less so…”
Maternity Leave
US doesn’t mandate paid maternity leave. Obama says it’s time to change, By Mark Trumbull, June 23, 2014, Christian Science Monitor: “A White House Summit on Working Families Monday focused attention on a workplace policy where the US stands in a league of its own: America is the only advanced economy without a legal provision for paid maternity leave. President Obama said it’s time to change that as well as other policies in a bid to make the American workplace better for families. He also called for steps to expand paid sick leave, flexible work schedules, and access to affordable child care. News coverage Monday played the summit as an event keyed closely to Democratic Party election themes – with messages that can help galvanize sought-after female voters in key congressional races. . .”