PathWays PA Policy Blog

All month, we’re partnering with the Women and Girls Foundation , Pittsburgh United , MomsRising , Women's Law Project , and the Family Care Act to co-host What Workers Should Know, a webinar series in the age of COVID-19. We’ll provide practical advice on how to navigate the current job crisis. Every Tuesday at 1 PM, join our live Zoom meeting to learn what’s happening in Pennsylvania, what help is available and what policies can help turn things around. 5.12.20: Paid Sick Leave and Paid Family Leave : For the first time in our country’s history, Congress passed a law providing paid sick days and emergency paid leave to some workers. Join the Family Care Campaign for a discussion of the new laws; who can access them and how; and ideas on what we can do to cover all workers in the future. Join Marianne Bellesorte and Heather Arnet, from the Family Care Campaign, for an overview of the new and existing laws at the local, state, and federal levels and to learn about what you can do ...

As COVID-19 wreaks havoc across the globe, Philadelphia workers are experiencing devastating - and potentially long lasting - economic hardship. On Thursday, March 26 at 6 pm, join hundreds of impacted Philadelphia workers and elected City Hall officials for a virtual town hall to hear more about the impact of the coronavirus on retail, restaurant, healthcare, education, and domestic workers - and proposed solutions to the financial devastations we face. Workers will be joined by City Councilmembers and the Mayor’s Office for this video (Zoom) town hall. Join us to make sure that ALL Philly workers receive the support they need during this difficult time! Here’s how you can get the word out! RSVP here in English ; RSVP aqui en espanol Share on social media and your listservs using this toolkit Keep signing and sharing our petition We’re all in this together - see you at the virtual town hall to make sure workers demands are met and our families and communities are safe.

As more people are being diagnosed with COVID-19 (coronavirus) in our area, and as our schools and businesses begin to make plans for people to remain home to slow the spread of the disease, it's important to remember the role that paid sick days and paid family leave can play during a public health emergency. Workers needs paid sick days in the best of times, but when there are issues of public health, that time is needed more than ever. The same is true of paid family and medical leave, in order to be sure that people who need more time to recover - and their caregivers - can do so without risking their jobs. After you follow CDC recommendations for handwashing and other safety measures , here are some steps you can take to help everyone access the time they need. Sign a letter to Congress asking them to support legislation around paid sick days for public health emergencies Take a look to see what kind of paid leave laws already exist where you live Reach out to yo...

It's another action packed week, and we don't want to miss anything that's going on. So here are some short takes on big topics: Families Belong Together: As of September 12, the federal government was housing 12,800 detained migrant children - according to the New York Times , this is the highest number ever recorded. Not only are more children being held, but fewer are being released, and children are now staying in detention for an average of 59 days . Meanwhile, the Administration is continuing to advocate for the long-term detention of children - in this case, with their families. Take Action : Call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121. Here's a sample script: "Hello, my name is ________ and I live in (your zip code). I'm calling to ask you to create a plan to end the detention of immigrant children. Nearly 13,000 children are currently detained." Support organizations like Project LifeLine that work on behalf of immigrant children in det...

Click here to enlarge This afternoon, Governor Wolf announced the 2018-2019 budget, along with some of his policy initiatives for the year. In his budget speech , he proposed an additional $125 million for K-12 education and a new program, called Community Health Choices, designed to help seniors receive care in their communities instead of in facilities. The budget summary  also calls for an increase in the minimum wage, modernization of the Equal Pay law, and the passage of a statewide paid sick days bill. The chart pictured here shows selected line items from the Governor's budget. Basic Education, Pre-K Counts, and the Children's Health Insurance Program are among the programs set to get an increase, while Adult and Family Literacy and County Assistance Offices see a slight decrease in funding. A number of programs, including Mobile Science and Math Education, Job Training and Special Education, Regional Cancer Institutes, ALS Support Services, and the New Choices/Ne...

Today I had the opportunity to present materials on paid leave and financial resources at a cancer navigators meeting. We're putting these materials online so more people can access them. Special thanks to PathWays PA (in particular Paula Staton) and Family Values @ Work for their research and support! Laws that help patients and caregivers at work Financial Resources for patients and caregivers Resources for staff and counselors to share Put the FMLA to Work for You (PS- please remember that bit.ly links have to be typed exactly as they are, including capitalization, to work!)

CityHealth has published a national report offering the first-ever assessment of how our nation’s 40 largest cities fare when it comes to policies that can make real, lasting impacts in people’s everyday quality of life. All recommendations are based in evidence, backed by experts, and have a track record of bipartisan support. Philadelphia received an overall silver medal for its health policy decisions including paid sick days and universal pre-k. You can see the full list of cities here and look to see where Philadelphia can improve to earn a gold medal.

The FAMILY Act was introduced to Congress in March of this year. Under this bill, workers would have access to paid sick time. This recompense can help families in a great deal of ways. The way one would apply for “caregiving days” would be through the Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave, which is established in the Act. This Office would then deem eligibility for benefits. In order to be eligible, one must meet multiple requirements. One must be insured under Social Security and held a job in the past 12 months before applying. The “caregiving” must have occurred from 90 days before to 30 days following the application. Monthly recompense can range from $580 to $4,000, depending on one’s income. The amount of benefits is a percentage of one’s wages, therefore a part-time or lower tier employee can still receive assistance, however their assistance may be of a lower monetary value than a full-time employee. The bill covers gaps that FMLA creates. Many who qualify for time un...

Two in three kids will get sick every year and require at least one day off from school. However, 52% of parents do not have access to paid sick time to care for their children. So what does that mean? That means that children go to school sick. This releases a slew of health issues. Other children, educators, and administrators are now in contact with highly infectious diseases. In addition, the child will probably not recover within the regular time frame. Studies show that healthy children are more focused and have fewer behavioral problems. There are many terrible accounts from educators about children coming to school sick. “I work at an elementary school. I have seen many children come to school so sick they could hardly stand, some even with fevers. When we would offer to send them to the office, the children would often cry and beg not to be sent home because they had already been told by their mom or dad that they could not miss work because they could not afford it. Kids ...

Women make up half of America’s workforce. Two-thirds of America’s caregivers are female. Does the math not add up? Wait until you see the numbers on their access to sick time. 43% of female workers in the private sector do not have any paid sick time. 54% of working women have no paid time to care for themselves or their children. 82% of women earning under $8.25 an hour do not have one minute of sick time. When mothers try to care for their children, 42% find that they are unable to because they must work. Only 27% of daughters could take care of their parents. One in five women say that either they or someone they know has been fired or disciplined for taking time off to either recover from an illness or injury or to care for a family member. The hardest hit are women of color. More often than not, colored families have a woman as their main breadwinner. Many low-income families are of color, and 3.5 days of missed pay could mean a month without groceries. Job loss is devastati...

Nearly one in four American working mothers need to return to work within two weeks of giving birth. With that starting statistic in mind, let us take a look at what this means for most mothers.  Women who are forced to return to work before they are ready face a great deal of challenges. Many face depression and other mental issues. Physical challenges exist for these women as well. In one case, a mother was forced to pump breast milk in her car during her lunch break because her factory job did not have a lactation room. New children also feel the pain from lack of maternity leave. Without being around their mothers, many children do not develop socially and emotionally as well as an infant who created a stronger bond with his/her mother. So what is the solution? Paid family leave time. Currently, only 13 percent of working people in America have access to paid leave. The benefits to paid family leave are astounding. A 20% drop in infant mortality rate and an increase in ...

New Numbers on Paid Sick Days The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released new information on statistics in reference to earned sick time. Here are the findings: 69% of workers have access to paid sick time. This means that 43 million working Americans still do not have the ability to earn sick time. Of workers whose salaries are in the bottom 10 percent, only 22% of them have access to the time, whereas 86% of workers whose salaries are in the top 10% can take advantage of such time. The discrepancy between managers and service workers is astounding, with 81% and 39% respectively. However, the crusade has been advancing with a few victories. Thanks to advocates, businesses, coalitions and lawmakers in the Northeast, especially New York City and some major cities in New Jersey, laws have recently been passed that now allow an additional 1 million people to use time. Paid sick time among union members has also increased in the passing months. Want to get involved? Contact your loc...

New light has been shed on the debate over paid sick time. Thanks to the CDC and Small Business Majority's recent polls, new statistics about employers’ opinions on earned sick time have been made public. Here are the findings: The Center for Disease Control estimated that 60% of employed men and women had access to paid sick time. Approximately 89% of men and women in the public administration sector received sick time, whereas in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fishing, only 23% of employees earned time. Small Business Majority's poll displayed that 50% of small business owners support an updated bill. A 54% majority of micro-businesses are for reform. 29% of small businesses offer flexible home-workings schedules and 71% of employers state that they would permit workers to take time for their children's school activities. In addition, approximately 52% of small businesses offer their employees vacation time. Small business owners rely on a bond between the...

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) have updated their  turnover calculator  for employers. In many cases, employers often don't understand just how inefficient employee turnover can be. Businesses incur costly expenses through the processes of searching for and assimilating their employees into the workforce, not only due to the actual cost of details such as background checks and training, but also due to the loss in productivity while new employees learn their jobs. Because of this, many businesses have realized that it is in their interest to improve work place conditions and implement worker protections to reduce turnover - protections such as earned sick days and paid family and medical leave. Still, 39 percent of workers still lack paid sick days while an incredible 87 percent of civilian workers do not have access to paid family leave. Without worker protection, employees can lose their jobs if th...

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) highlighted some important statistics  on the relationship between paid sick leave and preventive health care. Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect in 2010, health care access has opened up to numerous Americans, including low-income earners who were previously uninsured and women seeking preventive care . Unfortunately, too many Americans simply do not have the time to actually receive these services. More than 40 million workers in the U.S. (39 percent) have no paid sick days and nearly 95 million workers (87 percent) have no paid family leave. 80 percent of low-wage workers earning $15,000 or less per year have no paid sick days. Work protections such as paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave are crucial for preventive health care, which in turn is key for healthy and safe lives. Routine health checkups and screenings can help prevent or detect early on diseases and other health problems, but a 2015 study ...

The Managing Director's Office has just released the paid sick days poster that must be shown at all workplaces in the city of Philadelphia beginning on May 13, 2015. You can download your copy  here. You can also download more materials about the earned sick days law from The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces  FAQ page. If you have questions about earned sick days, contact the coalition at  earnedsickdays@gmail.com  or contact the city at  paidsickleave@phila.gov . For all information, please keep in mind that it is correct to the best of our knowledge, but it is not exhaustive and should not be taken as legal advice. It is possible that additional provisions or rules from the law, not described here, may apply to your specific circumstances. The City of Philadelphia is responsible for regulating and enforcing this law, and will make final decisions on its interpretation. Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 2/13/15 - W...

It's been a long road, but together, we did it. Yesterday morning, Philadelphia City Council passed an earned sick days bill with a vote of 14-2. And this afternoon, Mayor Nutter signed it into law. Philadelphia is now the 17th city to pass earned sick days. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, 200,000 workers will be able to start earning the time they need to care for the families they love. Please take a moment to share your support for earned sick days using social media with the hashtag # PHLSickDays . And then take one more moment to  thank  the Councilmembers who voted yes and the Mayor who signed it into law. We are looking forward to working with you as the new bill rolls out. Please keep an eye on  www.phillyearnedsickdays.com  and let us know how you think people can learn more about the bill by emailing us at  policy@pathwayspa.org . Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 2/12/15 - Join Us for the #PHLSickDays Vote...

This is the last morning people in Philadelphia will wake up without a #PHLSickDays law on the books. Join us at City Hall starting at 9:45 for our press conference followed by the City Council session. If you can't be there in person, you can listen to the Council session on 900 WURD or watch at  http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=T01340&video=40960 . Thank you to everyone who made today possible! Check back on Twitter at @Earnedsicktime for updates throughout the day! Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 2/3/15 - Ahead of City Council Hearing, Philly Working Families, Business Owners Call for Passage of Earned Sick Days Law 2/2/15 - Join Us for a Hearing on Earned Sick Days at City Hall! 1/23/15 - NEW DATE! Join us on February 3 for the Hearing on Earned Sick Days in City Council!

Ahead of City Council Hearing, Philly Working Families, Business Owners Call for Passage of Earned Sick Days Law Comes on the Heels of President’s State of the Union Call for Cities and States to Take Action on Paid Sick Days Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia working families, business owners, advocates and experts urged the City Council to pass a paid sick days bill to ensure Philadelphia workers can succeed as caregivers and providers ahead of a Public Health and Human Services Committee hearing . This comes on the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union call for cities and states to take action on paid sick days. “The City Council has an important opportunity to heed President Obama’s call and pass an earned sick days law to help Philadelphians succeed as caregivers and providers,” said Marianne Bellesorte, Vice President of Policy, Strategy, and Communications at PathWays PA and a leader of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces. “Passing this bill is not ju...

Philadelphia could be the next city to win paid sick days! Here's the sobering truth of what's at stake: For a family without paid sick days, just 3.5 days of missed work because of illness is the equivalent to an entire month's groceries for the average family. That's bad for families, and it's bad for the city's economy. PathWays PA has been leading the charge for earned sick days in Philadelphia since 2010, and recently served on the Mayor's Task Force on Paid Sick Leave. Join MomsRising and PathWays PA by raising your voice and sharing your thoughts with Philadelphia City Council members! Share your story! Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 1/23/15 - NEW DATE! Join us on February 3 for the Hearing on Earned Sick Days in City Council! 12/11/14 - The Importance of FAMILY 9/19/13 - #OurAmericanStory: Low-Income Families Share Their Stories to Bring National Attention to Poverty Issues