Work and Family
Although the “traditional” family—a father who works outside the home and financially supports the children and a mother whose work is keeping the house and raising the children—has been disappearing for more than a generation, our workplaces and government policies have not kept pace with America’s new reality.
Most children are growing up in homes with both parents working or with single parents. One-third of workers don’t have access to paid sick leave, and only 42 percent have paid personal leave. What’s the impact on public health when working people can’t afford to take sick days during a flu epidemic? Who takes care of a sick child? Who’s home to fix dinner and help with homework? Who can dedicate time to a sick elderly parent?
The recession and jobless recovery have complicated life further for working families, when having to leave work for a family emergency could lead to long-term unemployment.
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Unified workers at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Lansing, Michigan, voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to form a union with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, making it the first of the restaurant chain’s 3,000 locations to organize.
On Wednesday, members of SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local 28, Laborers Local 79, Steamfitters Local 638, community supporters and other union workers rallied in front of the Tribeca Film Center, calling on self-professed union man Robert De Niro to stop cutting corners on workplace standards by us
Workers at the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop in Union Square spent the last four months laying the groundwork to unionize their store.
Approximately 30,000 NYSNA nurses have union contracts expiring on December 31, 2022, or in early 2023. This is the first time in New York state that so many private and public sector nurses will be bargaining for critical improvements to their profession and their patients at the same time.
Unionizing TV Commercial Production Department workers, backed by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union and the Stand With Production Movement have met heavy resistance to their organizing efforts from the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP).
TIME Union workers have voted unanimously to ratify a new contract, a historic agreement that covers all TIME editorial employees without any divisions among the print and digital sides of TIME or TIME for Kids. The deal was finalized on July 21and ratified this week.
Last week, the New York City Central Labor Council launched its first Common Sense Economics workshop. Participants were engaged in hands-on activities and learned about local campaigns like the CUNY Rising Alliance.
For more than 10 years, Staten Island Ferry workers have been fighting for a new contract with the New York City Department of Transportation. This means that their wages and benefits have not changed since the last contract expired in 2010. This is unacceptable.
This week, City Hall announced they successfully settled their suit with Chipotle, resulting in a historic $20 million settlement. The City’s complaint alleged nearly 600,000 violations of New York’s Fair Workweek law.
Teamsters Local 804 this week announced a donation of $188,000 to two hospitals serving New York’s children. The donations result from a class-action lawsuit against UPS, which illegally deducted money from employees’ paychecks for the company’s charity program.