what children need from their parents’ employers ellen bravo multi-state working families...
TRANSCRIPT
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What Children Need fromTheir Parents’ Employers
Ellen BravoMulti-State Working Families Consortium
Presentation for BUILD ConferenceNovember 16, 2006
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Being a Good Family Member Can Cost You Your Job
Not enough time to care: children suffer
Affects many, but especially low-wage
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Time to Care More than balance:
basics More than stress: crisis Race as well as class Consequences for kids Affects women most,
but low-wage men, too.
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Background: 1978 Pregnancy
Discrimination Act: can’t fire women for
being pregnant – but you don’t have to hold their jobs.
pregnancy like other temporary disabilities – but most women work for firms with no short-term disability plans.
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Problems with FMLA
Nearly half the private sector workforce isn’t covered
Doesn’t cover siblings, same-sex partners
Doesn’t cover routine illness
It’s unpaid.
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Background: Sick Days Half the workforce –
and ¾ of low-wage workers - have no paid sick days.
Many who do can’t use them to care for sick family members.
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Background: 1996 “Welfare as we know it” is
ended -- by those who’ve never known it.
What low-wage women used for family leave
TANF is modeled on low-wage jobs – which forced many onto welfare.
Cut rolls, not poverty
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Attitudes, Assumptions ‘Aha’ moments in
Across the Boundaries study of low-wage workers:
“Do you have any idea what my life is like?”
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Institutional Policies and Practices
Lack of Policies“If the kids are sick, there’s no
place for them to go. The child care center called and said I had to get my daughter. I was fired.”
-DeNice, rural county outside Eau Claire, WI
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Problem Policies Cont’d
Lack of Flexibility:
Not allowed to make up time Rigid use of personal days
At the fringes:
Even “best list” companies fall short
Policies for managers only (e.g., lactation)
Depends on manager discretion
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Problem Practices Cont’d “Objective” requirements affecting
women differently Example: no tolerance for lateness
Based on stereotyped view of “ideal worker” as someone with car, phone, back-up
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Reality for Low-Wage Workers
“I had 4 jobs - I drove a school bus, delivered newspapers, worked with the Girl Scouts, and sold Tupperware. None of the jobs had benefits.
I had to make hard choices about supporting my kids instead of spending time with them. When my toddler was sick, I took her with me on the bus.”
- Julia, Milwaukee
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Affects Men As Well Low-wage men,
especially men of color, have least flexible jobs
Many more would be good fathers if not punished at work
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Impact on Parents – and Kids
Work can’t pay if it doesn’t last – and it can’t last if it jeopardizes kids.
Cost of starting over.
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Impact on Children Lack of bonding time for
infants Kids go to day care
sick. Kids send themselves
to school sick. Health and learning
problems become disabilities.
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What’s at Stake for Low-Wage Workers
High cost of being poor Ability to keep a job,
build assets Well-being of children
and families – job churning contributes to highest child poverty rate in industrialized world
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Guarantee for All Some smart
employers will do this on their own.
Not all – like asking 2-year-olds to determine when they need a time out.
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Solutions: Public Policy Changes
Family Flexibility Make leave more
accessible Make leave more
affordable Guarantee paid sick days Keep consideration for
chronic conditions Expand definition of
family
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Multi-State Working Families ConsortiumEight state coalitions: California,
Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin
Collaborating for more effective action, raise public awareness.
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Where We Are Now: Opportunities Reframe the Debate
Values: caring, responsibility, opportunity
Who really values families
Put kids in the center rather than the fringes.
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Making Progress in the States
Winning forms of paid leave
expanding TDI to include family leave:
California New Jersey New York
creating new form of social insurance:
Washington Massachusetts
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Making Progress in the States
Making progress on guaranteeing protection:
Sick days:
San Francisco, Madison Massachusetts All of us
Family Care: Maine
FMLA for school/day care activities:
Georgia Wisconsin
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Increased Collaboration
Connecting the dots:
Labor . Women . Children’s groups . Progressive employers . Family physicians . Faith-based . Disabilities groups . Chronic disease . Alzheimers Associations . AIDS groups . Mental health organizations . PTAs . Principals . School boards . Social workers . Cities/counties groups . Citizen Action . Welfare rights/anti-poverty groups . Aging groups . Foster children . Work-family researchers . Legal groups . Parents of adult disabled . Adoption groups . Immigrant advocates . Groups in communities of color . Human Rights groups . Non-profit associations . Insurers . Women’s business associations . AAUW . YWCA . Planned Parenthood . MomsRising
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Lay the groundwork for policy change.
Redefining issues – linking what happens to kids, families with what happens to parents at work.
New Opportunities