United Way study finds working families struggling to get by, By Jenny Staletovich, November 11, 2014, Miami Herald: “Almost half the residents of Florida, including much of the state’s glitzy southern half, are barely getting by, living below the federal poverty level or struggling to pay for food, housing, childcare and other basic needs, according to a United Way study released Tuesday. Dubbed the ALICE report, the study looks closely at the working poor — those people squeezed between the nation’s poorest and its middle class, often overlooked and living paycheck-to-paycheck. Statewide, about 2.1 million households fall into the category, the report found. In Miami-Dade County, the rate is even higher: 21 percent of households live below the federal poverty level and an additional 29 percent can’t afford a ‘survival budget…'”
Tag: Working families
Working Households and Basic Needs – Michigan
Report: 4 in 10 Michigan households struggle to make ends meet, By Emily Lawler, August 31, 2014, MLive: “Jessie Robinson got her paycheck last week, and started the process of deciding which bills to pay. ‘I am constantly going through all of the bills and figuring which stuff is going to be turned off first and paying those bills first,’ Robinson said. Her family is one of 40 percent of households in the state that despite working, doesn’t have enough money to pay for basic needs according to a new report from United Way. The report measures the state’s 2012 ‘ALICE’ households; an acronym for those that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed…”
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. . .”