Paid Sick Time Victories in the Midwest
More workers in the Midwest are winning the right to paid sick time! In September, Saint Paul became the second city in Minnesota to pass a paid sick time law, and we were delighted to help draft the legislation. Saint Paul joins Minneapolis in ensuring that workers in the twin cities receive paid sick time to care for personal or family health needs. More recently, Cook County joined Chicago and passed a paid sick time law that will apply throughout Illinois’ most populous county. A Better Balance submitted testimony in support of the Cook County bill. We are thrilled that the Saint Paul and Cook County paid sick time laws both include a family definition that includes all loved ones, continuing the momentum for recognizing that families come in all shapes and sizes. We congratulate our partners on the ground in Illinois and Minnesota on these big victories!
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Paid Family and Medical Leave Findings Symposium
On September 27, Staff Attorney Molly Weston Williamson traveled to D.C. for the Department of Labor’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Findings Symposium. The event brought together lawmakers, researchers, and advocates from across the country to hear about results from recipients of the Department’s grants to study potential paid family and medical leave programs at the city and state level. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez also moderated a panel featuring key business leaders, including 2014 ABB Distinguished Corporate Citizen Tom Nides.
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On September 29 and 30, advocates and government officials came together in San Francisco to share strategies and ideas for outreach, education, and enforcement of paid sick time laws across the country. Contributing to the success of the conference, Preston Van Vliet, ABB/FV@W National Campaign Organizer for the LGBTQ Work Family Project, presented on the plenary panel “New Directions in the Paid Sick Days Movement.” He spoke passionately about the need for expanded definitions of family in all of our leave laws, making a strong case for allowing workers to care for those related to them “by blood or affinity.” Sherry Leiwant, ABB Co-President, ran a workshop, “Imagining Your Ideal Paid Sick Days Law” on crafting a perfect paid sick time law.
Addressing Male Caregivers with the Columbia Law Feminist Society
On September 29, Senior Staff Attorney Phoebe Taubman spoke at a luncheon organized by the Columbia Law Feminist Society to address the topic of men and caregiving. The event was well attended by a diverse group, reflecting students’ keen interest in the subject from both professional and personal perspectives. In addition to addressing the legal rights of male caregivers and ways for them to combat stigma at work and in social situations, the group discussed strategies for men who do not intend to be primary caregivers to be more involved parents.
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On the Road to Parenthood
On October 5, A Better Balance participated for the third year in a row in the New York City LGBT Community Center’s “On the Road to Parenthood” series—a program for LGBT community members who are beginning to think about parenthood. Jared Make, Senior Staff Attorney, and Marcella Kocolatos, Law Fellow, presented information on the workplace rights of LGBT parents in the New York City metropolitan area, with a focus on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, New York’s new paid family leave law, paid sick time, and pregnancy nondiscrimination protections. They also gave general tips on how to discuss these topics with employers, and answered questions from community members at various stages on the road to parenthood.
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