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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This week, 20 school safety agents - members of Teamsters Local 237, received Excellent Performance of Duty awards for being among the first on the scene to help save lives and restore calm following the October 31st attack in Battery Park City.
This week, Local 802 launched the Emerging Artists Project, a new grant program and tool designed to support musicians who most need it.
Dear Affiliates:
Thank you for all you’ve done this year for our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico.
Today, the Worker Institute at Cornell and the Murphy Institute convened a conference entitled “Janus and Beyond: The Future of Public Sector Unions” to address attacks on labor, and how we keep members engaged.
Last year, the Bakery, Confectionary,Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM) called for a boycott of Mexican-made Nabisco products, in protest of Mondelez’s (the parent company to Nabisco) policy of outsourcing of U.S. based, union-made products (Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Ritz) to Mexico.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This year and every year, be sure to purchase union-made products as you shop at union grocery stores.
Tour of Shame Rally
Join union leaders, scholars, and activists for a one-day conference to discuss the implications of the Janus v. AFSCME case for workers and organized labor, possible immediate outcomes, and strategic options for combatting the attack on public sector unionism.
This time last week, reporters and editors at New York City local news sites DNAinfo and Gothamist were celebrating after voting to unionize with Writers Guild of America, East in an NLRB-conducted election.