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.

More about this issue:

Dec 13, 2024 | News Story

Climate Jobs New York celebrated this week as new legislation took effect that will create an ambitious and impactful program to install solar power on public buildings.

Dec 13, 2024 | News Story

On Friday, December 6, the New York Metro Area Postal Union, the largest local in the American Postal Workers Union, dedicated the opening of the Josie McMillian Training and Conference Center located on the first floor of the New York Metro Area Postal Union building at 350 West 31st Street in N

Dec 13, 2024 | News Story

Governor Hochul can make New York a leader in protecting the public and its workers by signing the LOADinG Act (S. 7543-B Gonzalez/A. 9430-B Otis).

Dec 6, 2024 | News Story

REI SoHo ski shop workers unionized with the RWDSU walked off the job on a ULP strike on Wed, Dec 4, and remain on the picket line. Ski shop workers are required to melt plastic and wax to repair skis, up to 8-15 pairs a day at the peak of ski season.

Dec 6, 2024 | News Story

Unionized editorial staff at Forbes – who ordinarily would be staffing the launch of the magazine’s most important issue of the year, “30 Under 30” – have walked off the job.

Dec 6, 2024 | News Story

Service technicians at a Mercedes Benz dealership on Manhattan’s far west side rallied with union allies on Monday to put pressure on the dealership’s owner to agree to a first collective bargaining agreement.

Dec 6, 2024 | News Story

Staff at The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on unionization with Local 2110 UAW.

Dec 11

Wednesday, Dec 11, 10AM-1PM, Zoom: Join us to hear about how AI can improve and enhance safety in the workplace, how we can incorporate a labor response to autonomous technology, and the impacts of generative AI on classroom learning and teachers' work.

Dec 11

Wednesday, December 11, 12PM: In New York and around the country, buildings account for the highest proportion of emissions produced. To reduce emissions at the speed that science demands, we need approaches to heating and cooling beyond retrofitting individual buildings.

Nov 27, 2024 | News Story

Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at WNET THIRTEEN have unanimously ratified a new two-year collective bargaining agreement.