ACTIVITY IN THE STATES

The Multi-State Working Families Consortium is made up of labor-community coalitions in 11 states and national policy and data experts, collaboratively advocating for policies that provide paid time to care.

By working together, the Consortium strives to strengthen each individual state’s efforts to advocate for paid sick days and for family leave insurance policies while also raising the level of public discussion nationally and support for various policies at the federal level.

CALIFORNIA
The Work and Family Coalition, comprising unions and advocacy groups, successfully advocated for a package of family bills. One – SB 727 – will expand California’s Paid Family Leave law to cover grandparents, siblings, parents-in-law and grandchildren. A second – AB 537 – will expand the state version of FMLA to cover grandparents, siblings, parents in law and grandchildren. A third bill – SB 836 – will prohibit discrimination against workers based on family responsibilities. Focus now is on getting Governor’s support. Contact: Brenda Muñoz – Work and Family Coalition; Brenda@working-families.org, www.working-families.org

COLORADO
In Colorado, 9to5 has built a work-family coalition that is engaged in grassroots organizing, media outreach, and building support for public education and state policy efforts to: * Provide time off work to parents to attend children’s school activities; and * Guarantee workers paid sick days. The coalition also works to bring Colorado voices into national efforts to protect and expand FMLA, win paid sick days, and to include work-family issues in local community benefits campaigns. Contact: Linda Meric – 9to5, National Association of Working Women; (303) 628-0925; Lindam@9to5.org, www.9to5.org

GEORGIA
The Georgia Job/Family Collaborative, made up of more than 30 local and statewide labor, community and women’s organizations is building public support and awareness for the Parent Protection Act. The bill will provide up to 24 hours unpaid, job-protected leave per year to: * Attend school conferences, or * For the employee’s own medical appointments, or to take a child, parent or spouse to medical appointments, such as checkups or immunizations. Contact: Cindia Cameron, Organizing Director 9to5 and Co-Chair – GA Job/Family Collaborative; Cindia@9to5.org, www.gaworkingfamilies.org

ILLINOIS
Women Employed is building a statewide coalition in Illinois to develop a Family Leave Insurance Program (FLIP) for workers who need to take a temporary leave when they get sick or to care for a family member, but cannot afford to take an unpaid leave. The proposed Family Leave Income Program (HB 1683) will provide maximum four weeks paid family and medical leave per year, shared financing by employers and employees at 75 cents per employee per week, and payout 67% of wages up to $380. It applies to employers of one or more. Contact: Melissa Josephs - Women Employed, mjosephs@womenemployed.org, www.womenemployed.org

MAINE
Maine coalition is working to guarantee equal access to FMLA for gays and lesbians by including domestic partners and their children in the definition of family. Maine is also advancing An Act to Care for Working Families so that more Maine workers can take care of themselves and their families when illness strikes. This paid sick day bill would guarantee up to 9 paid sick days accrued at one hour per 30 hours worked in establishments with 25 or more employees. The Maine Women’s Lobby is also monitoring attempts to change existing law such as the Family Care Act and an attempt to weaken Maine's Family Medical Leave Act. Contact: Sarah Standiford – Maine Women’s Lobby, exec@mainewomen.org, www.mainewomen.org

MASSACHUSETTS
An Act to Establish Paid Sick Days would provide up to 7 paid sick days a year for all employees in the state to care for the illness, injury, or health condition, or to attend a routine medical appointment, for employee's self or employee's child, spouse, parent, or parent of spouse. Paid sick days may also be used by an employee to address the psychological, physical or legal effects of domestic violence. Contact: Ingrid Nava – Boston Legal Services, inava@gbls.org

NEW JERSEY
In New Jersey, Senate Bill 2249 was introduced in October 2006 by Senator Steve Sweeney. A companion bill (A-3812) was introduced in the Assembly in December 2006. Both bills extend the State's existing temporary disability insurance (TDI) system to provide workers with family temporary disability leave benefits to care for members of the worker’s family unable to care for themselves, including sick family members and newborn and newly adopted children. The bills provide up to 12 weeks of TDI benefits (two-thirds wage replacement up to maximum of $502 in 2007) for a worker taking leave to care for a sick child parent, spouse, or partner, or to bond with a newborn, adopted, or foster child. S-2249 was approved by the Senate Labor Committee by a 3-1 vote on February 5, 2007 and has moved to the Budget/Appropriations Committee for consideration. Governor has given vocal support. Contact: Karen White – Time to Care Coalition, kswhite@rci.rutgers.edu;www.njtimetocare.rutgers.edu

NEW YORK
Legislation to expand New York’s Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program to include paid family leave was introduced by Assemblywomen Cathy Nolan and Susan John; it passed. Governor Spitzer has expressed strong support as the bill moves to the Senate. The measure would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new baby or a newly placed adopted child, or for a seriously ill family member, including a spouse, parent, in-law, sibling, child or domestic partner. Benefits – in line with current TDI benefits in New York – would be half of weekly wages up to a maximum of $170 a week. The proposal calls for the extension of benefits to be paid for by an increase in employer contributions. Contact: Donna Dolan – NY Paid Family Leave Coalition; donna@timetocareny.org; www.timetocareny.org

PENNSYLVANIA
PathWaysPA, a nonprofit organization serving women and children in Pennsylvania, has begun work on bringing paid sick days legislation to the state. They propose legislation under which workers earn one hour of paid sick days for every 35 hours worked (workers in small businesses would earn one hour for every 55 hours worked). PathWaysPA is building a coalition to work on this campaign, which so far includes ACORN and the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. They have also made paid sick days a legislative priority in their report with the Working Poor Families Project, which was released in January 2007. In addition, paid sick days have been made part of the agenda for Prescription for Prosperity Coalition, with PathWaysPA taking the lead on this piece of the plan. In March 2007, PathWaysPA began its Postcards for Progress Campaign, which will bring the needs of working families in Pennsylvania (including paid sick days) to the Governor and other state legislators. Contact: Marianne Bellesorte – PathWaysPA; mbellesorte@pathwayspa.org; www.pathwayspa.org

WASHINGTON
Washington has become the second state in the nation to assure paid family leave for all parents to care for a newborn or newly adopted child. SB 5659, as passed by the legislature in April 2007, establishes a new family leave program. Beginning in October 2009, parents of newborns and newly adopted children will be able to take up to five weeks off work with a benefit of $250 per week, pro-rated for part-time workers. All employees will be eligible to collect benefits after 680 hours of work (the same standard as UI). Workers in companies with more than 25 employees who have been with their employers for at least a year and 1250 hours will also have job protection for the five weeks of benefits and a one week wait period. Initially the bill included other family and medical leave benefits as well, and was funded through an employee-paid payroll tax. As passed, the bill established a taskforce of legislators and citizens, including business and labor representatives, to recommend a funding source for the program before the legislature reconvenes in January 2008. A statewide Family Leave coalition, including labor, senior, women, child, health, business and other groups, backed the legislation with an outpouring of grass roots support. Contact: Marilyn Watkins, Economic Opportunity Institute; Marilyn@eoionline.org

WISCONSIN
9to5, National Association of Working Women in Wisconsin co-chairs the Keep Families First Coalition, a statewide group of faith-based, community and labor organizations focused on a variety of work/family issues. The coalition is currently reaching out to decision-makers and leaders in Milwaukee to support legislation requiring employers to provide paid sick days to workers. The efforts could result in a legislative vote or a city-wide referendum vote next year. The coalition is also getting a Time Off for School Activities bill introduced which would allow parents to use up to sixteen hours of Family Medical Leave time to attend activities and conferences at their children's schools. The coalition is working with Milwaukee area schools to engage and include low-income families in its legislative program. Contact: Amy Stear – 9to5, National Association of Working Women; amys@9to5.org

The Consortium began in 2003 with funding from the Annie E. Casey and Ford Foundations. 9to5 serves as fiscal sponsor. For more information, contact Ellen Bravo at bravo@uwm.edu.