On May 12th, advocates and officials from across New York State gathered to celebrate passage of the strongest paid family leave law in the country. The law, enacted earlier this year as part of the state budget, will provide 12 weeks of job protected paid family leave to workers in New York regardless of the size of their employer. ABB Co-President Dina Bakst introduced Governor Andrew Cuomo, a critical leader in the fight for paid family leave. The governor praised ABB’s work, thanked the entire paid family leave coalition for their efforts, and emphasized that New York’s leadership will boost the paid family leave movement around the country. Governor Cuomo also spoke passionately about the concrete personal impact this law will have for working New Yorkers, saying “paid family leave will change people’s lives.” In honor of his invaluable contributions to the passage of paid family leave, Governor Cuomo received the “Champion for Working Families and Children” award from the New York Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign.

This month, under the leadership of Elizabeth Gedmark, Director of the Southern Office, ABB opened a new office space in Nashville, Tennessee, where Elizabeth and new Staff Attorney Cara Suvall will continue ABB’s efforts to build partnerships, raise awareness about the needs of Southern women and families, and replicate our successful model for advocacy to empower communities. Please join us in welcoming Cara, as well as the Southern Office’s summer legal intern, Lauren Barter.

Last fall, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council launched the Young Women’s Initiative to identify gaps in services for young women ages 12 to 24, with a focus on women of color. On May 16th, the leaders and organizers charged with crafting policy recommendations to address racial, gender, and other disparities released their findings. Among a variety of other recommendations, the #SheWillBe reportemphasizes the need to expand outreach to low-wage workers regarding their rights to paid sick days and pregnancy accommodations in the workplace. ABB proudly joined fellow advocacy groups on the steps of City Hall to celebrate this important step towards improving the lives of young women and girls in New York City.

On May 18th, ABB Co-President Dina Bakst joined Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), Carmelyn Malalis, and Executive Director of the New York City Commission on Gender Equity, Azi Khalili, to discuss legal protections for pregnant women and caregivers in New York City. After opening remarks from the panelists, participants broke into discussion groups to ask questions about recent guidance from the CCHR on pregnancy discrimination, and learn more about new amendments that prohibit discrimination in employment based on caregiver status, and housing discrimination based on status as a survivor of domestic violence.  Participants discussed ideas for outreach and community education in all three areas.

On May 6th, ABB attended the White House and the Department of Labor’s Worker Voice Regional Summit. Various local leaders spoke, including Gale Brewer, Manhattan Borough President, and Cecilia Muñoz, the Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, delivered keynote remarks.

Among various issues affecting workers, participants discussed New York’s Paid Family Leave law in a breakout group led by Eric Williams of the New York State Paid Leave Coalition. Workers from the region shared their thoughts on how to educate the public about the law, and asked questions about how the law will work when it goes into effect in January 2018.