Respect your elders. Many of us have been given that advice by our parents, grandparents, teachers and mentors for as long as we can remember. So why don’t our public policies better address the needs of our country’s seniors and their families, and why do some lawmakers seem poised to dismantle the policies that older Americans rely on?
It’s Equal Pay Day. Today, we recognize that women have had to work nearly a quarter of the year to make the same amount as their male counterparts did last year. On average, women who work full time in the United States are still paid $10,622 less per year than full-time working men.
It’s fitting that the landmark pay discrimination case, Wal-Mart v. Dukes, is being argued before the Supreme Court today, Tuesday, March 29th. Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year women must work to match the amount paid to men in the previous year, falls on a Tuesday.
18 years. That’s how long the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been in place. It was the first bill President Clinton signed into law and it remains one of the proudest accomplishments of his presidency.
We often talk about the importance of a for families’ economic security and our public health — but paid sick days are also an issue of basic fairness.
A few weeks ago, voters sent a clear message: They want Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to address the issues facing working families. But when Senators took their first vote after returning to Washington, they missed the chance to do just that. Yesterday’s vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act was a failed opportunity and a real disappointment for all of us who care about fairness, women’s progress, and economic security for working families.
It is well-documented that the wage gap hurts women and their families by denying them the fair wages that would help them pay for essential items like groceries, gasoline, and rent or mortgage payments. But the pay gap hurts women long after they have left the workforce, too.
Sunday was National Grandparents Day – and this year, we can do more for our grandparents than send candy or flowers. Let’s take action to improve the health and economic security of our grandparents — and all of America’s grandparents.
Owning your own home has long been a central part of the American Dream. It’s as American as baseball, apple pie and mom. But according to this column in the New York Times, a lot of moms and moms-to-be are getting short shrift.
Today the Obama Administration issued a rousing call to action on two of the most important priorities for working women and families — equal pay for equal work, and strong work-family policies.
They’ll be talking about you and me, when Vice President Biden hosts an event focusing on some of the issues that matter most to women’s economic security: equal pay and work-family policies.
On Sunday, people around the country will be finding a way to show our fathers what an important role they play in our lives. So it’s ironic that this week Congress missed a chance to show the American people that it understands that dads—and moms, too—deserve policies to help them meet work and family needs.
“Can’t you just use the bathroom?”
At night after the kids are in bed, most working couples have “kitchen table” talks. Who’s going to meet with a teacher, or stay home with a sick child? Who can take mom to the doctor on Friday? Which bills can we pay this week?
