PathWays PA E-Newsletter - March 7, 2011
Last week, Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Public Health and Human Services unanimously passed a bill supporting earned sick days for all workers in Philadelphia. With this passage, the bill now moves to consideration by the full City Council.
Members of City Council are already hearing from people opposed to the bill. If you support earned sick days, they need to hear from you as well!
In Philadelphia, two in every five workers have no opportunity to earn paid sick time, meaning they must "choose" between the jobs they need and the families they love. When people have no choice but to work sick, they risk infecting others, especially since the people most likely to be without earned sick days are those that handle our food and those that work with vulnerable populations (like children, the elderly, and the sick).
If you support sick time for all workers, please let City Council know.
What else can you do?
- Contact the members of the Committee to thank them for their vote and remember to thank the sponsors of the bill, Councilman Clarke and Councilman Greenlee.
- Call Your City Council person
- Sign a Petition
- Share Your Story
- Look for more updates on the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces blog.
Federal Policy Update
Preserve Women's Jobs - Stop Cuts to Training, Child Care and Other Important Programs
The House continuing resolution will cost women jobs and make it more difficult for them to get the education, training and supportive services they need to be able to work and improve their families' economic security. Wider Opportunities for Women and other organizations are working to defeat HR 1 and similar proposals must in the months ahead.
Please send your organization's name as it should appear to Jill Hamadyk. Names will be added as received for various distributions in the coming weeks since a short-term continuing resolution has left these issues still unresolved. Please respond as soon as possible. Please contact Susan Rees with any questions.
Federal Budget Sign-On Letter Addresses Housing Cuts
Congress is making decisions about the federal budget right now that will have a huge impact on continuing to meet the housing needs of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania believes that while we must address the deficit, we must oppose these disproportionately large cuts to housing, homeless and community development programs. PA stands to lose $190,591,063 in HUD funding costing an estimated 4,557 jobs. This approach will harm the economy - at least that's what Goldman Sachs, Moody's Analytics and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke say.
The Housing Alliance is also conducting an outreach and education campaign so that our elected leaders also understand the full LOCAL impact of this proposal. But they can't do it without you. Please add your organization's name to their sign-on letter no later than Tuesday, March 8th at 5:00 p.m.
The Housing Alliance is also aggregating information about who we are as an industry. To participate, please send Liz Hersh an email with the following (if you signed the Governor's letter, they already have this info for you so no need to send it a second time):
- Number of your full time employees
- Number of units you provide
- Number of people you serve annually
- An example of what will be lost if these cuts occur, 100 words or less
Letters will be hand-delivered to DC on Thursday, March 10th. Please let Liz know if you would like to join The Housing Alliance for the DC trip - the more the merrier!! They have meetings SCHEDULED with every single congressional office and both Senate offices.
State Policy Update
Coming Soon: Pennsylvania's Budget
It's that time of year again - time for the Governor to release his budget for the Commonwealth. Governor Corbett will release his first budget on Tuesday, March 8, and PathWays PA will be following it every step of the way. You will begin seeing our Budget E-Alerts in your inbox starting on Wednesday, March 9, as we look at what the budget means to families throughout Pennsylvania.
On March 14, The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will hold its annual budget summit in Harrisburg at the Harrisburg Hilton from 9 AM to 3 PM.
Their experts will give an in-depth look at the state and federal budget plans and what they mean for communities and families across Pennsylvania.
Workshop sessions will include a communications training on how to talk about public services and the government, a budget training for grassroots activists, and panels on Medicaid funding, privatization efforts and what's next for education. View the full agenda here.
Registration is free and lunch is included. Register today!
Information/Events
Training and Education Fair
Women, Get Started on a New Career in the Green Economy
On Wednesday, March 23, 2011, a Training and Education Fair for women will be held at the Community College of Philadelphia, Center for Business and Industry, 1751 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
The program will inform women of green training programs offered by the Federation of Neighborhood Centers, Metropolitan Career Center, Community College of Philadelphia, and People for People. The program is generously funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration and supported by the Women's Bureau.
For more information, please call The Federation of Neighborhood Centers at 215.989.3566 ext. 1104.
Workshops for Immigrant Professionals in Engineering and Healthcare
Pathways to Success workshops for immigrant professionals are fast approaching. The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians is delighted to be partnering with the New York-based World Education Services and Drexel University for these exciting events.
Space is limited, and these free, one-time workshops provide an invaluable overview of the US job market. Presenters include Welcoming Center, WES, and Drexel representatives, as well as Human Resources staff from local employers.
Topics will include:
- How to get international credentials evaluated
- When it makes sense to apply for occupational licensing
- Why to consider additional credit or non-credit courses at an American university
- What to expect in a US professional job interview
- How to prepare yourself as a candidate for professional jobs
March 7 (for healthcare professionals), 5:30-8:30 pm
March 8 (for engineers), 5:30-8:30 pm
Where: Drexel University, Nesbit Hall (3215 Market St., Philadelphia)
Who: Immigrant professionals with:
- Legal work authorization
- A bachelor's degree or higher, from a college or university outside the US
- An interest in building a successful American career
Questions? E-mail Amanda Bergson-Shilcock.
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