A Better Balance

Programs: Most significant activitiespaid sick timea better balance has provided extensive legal advice and support for efforts to secure paid sick days guarantees and paid family leave throughout the country. In new york city during this period we organized a coalition that helped obtain legislation securing paid sick days guarantees for 3. 4 million workers. We provide ongoing legal support to states and localities working on paid sick days issues, providing legal support during this fiscal year to organizations in alaska, arizona, california, colorado, connecticut, florida, maine, maryland, massachusetts, minnesota, missouri, montana, new hampshire, north carolina, oregon, pennsylvania, and vermont. We have developed model policies including model family definitions that insure inclusiveness for all families. Promoting workplace fairness a better balance is working to promote family economic security through (1) protections for pregnant and caregiving workers, particularly low-income, marginalized populations; (2) well-designed family leave policies; and (3) developing policies for increased workplace flexibility and protections against scheduling abuses . Our accomplishments in each of these areas are described below. (1) low-wage working women, especially single mothers, are particularly at risk of losing income or even their jobs in their effort to fulfill family responsibilities and that risk is especially acute during pregnancy. Abb has been actively involved in a range of work at the local, state, and federal levels to change policies that address the limitations of current laws protecting pregnant and caregiving workers. A new york times op-ed in january 2012 inspired congressional action, leading to the pregnant workers fairness act. In new york city, abbs legal work led to enactment of a pregnant workers fairness act that insures that women can receive reasonable accommodations to keep them on the job while pregnant and new mothers are afforded time to recover from childbirth and express breast milk in the workplace. Abb has been working throughout the country, litigating cases, publishing articles and reports and providing legal support to those in states and localities who are trying to improve the legal landscape for pregnant and caregiving workers. (2) paid family and medical leave barely exists in the united states. The only federal protection, the family and medical leave act (fmla), applies only to businesses with over 50 employees, limits access for part-time workers, and guarantees only unpaid leave, which severely restricts its use, especially among low-income workers. A better balance provides legal support to coalitions throughout the country working on this issue and is one of three organizations leading the effort to make family leave a reality in new york state, helping educate the public and key constituencies about this issue. We have formed a strong coalition that includes other womens rights, health, lgbt, and labor groups and have created fact sheets and a collection of stories by workers who lost income or jobs because of a lack of leave. (3) today, women make up half of all workers on u. S. Payrolls, and two-thirds of mothers are the primary or co-breadwinners, many of whom need some control over their work schedules in order to stay in the workforce. However, an overwhelming majority of workers fear marginalization or, even worse, retaliation, for requesting changes in their work schedule. Scheduling problems are particularly prevalent in the retail industry, where workers are often uncertain of their schedule until the last minute and are even sent home without pay if managers determine they are not needed. Abb is working in coalition with other groups to address the issue of uncertain scheduling by developing and proposing policies that protect rather than undermine these workers. Representation of workers and outreach and education on legal rights. Abb runs a clinic that serves workers who are having problems at work due to their family responsibilities, pregnancy or lack of leave. We mainly serve workers in new york tennessee, kentucky and georgia, but also receive calls on our hotline from workers outside these regions. We published a book, babygate that gives information to pregnant and new parents about their rights in each state. In new york city have prepared brochures, flyers and other informational materials in english and spanish and done extensive trainings and outreach to insure that workers know about their rights under new laws in new york city protecting pregnant workers and paid sick time rights.