With Maryland’s legislative session in full swing, advocacy groups plan to hold a rally in Annapolis on Monday to push lawmakers to pass paid family and medical leave.
The Time To Care Act of 2022 would create a family and medical leave insurance program, allowing employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid time off from work to care for new children, respond to a medical a family member or take care of themselves.
Myles Hicks, executive director of Maryland Rise, one of more than 100 companies and organizations in the Time To Care Coalition, said workers should take time off without it affecting their ability to pay their bills.
“Too many Marylanders face the impossible decision of having to choose between family health issues or choosing to go to work and get a paycheck,” Hicks said. “This legislation would ensure that if you’re faced with a health issue, that you take that time and don’t have to sit down and say, ‘Dude, if I’m not going to work, I’m not going to have paid.’ “
Opponents argued that most large private employers already offer paid leave and said the measure would be a burden on businesses. Employees would receive a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $1,000 per week in partial salary replacement.
Among registered voters in the state, 88% support a paid family leave program.
Tammy Bresnahan, advocacy director for AARP Maryland, said the pandemic has amplified the need for workers such as nursing home workers and caregivers to receive benefits such as paid time off.
“What this bill would do is keep them in the workforce,” Bresnahan explained. “They would at least have the option to go back to work because it’s protected when they’re under FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) but they would have a bit of a salary replacement so they don’t have to. [become] poor themselves. »
Nine states and Washington DC have paid family and medical leave laws. The bill was introduced in the House and Senate and went through hearings in both chambers this month. The legislation was introduced in the last session, but never went to committee.
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Repeatedly performing the same move on the job can increase workers’ risk of injury, and now a bill in Olympia aims to protect them with training in best practices.
A 2003 initiative prohibits the Department of Labor and Industries from putting in place regulations to prevent repetitive motion injuries. House Bill 1837 would repeal it.
Trudi Hobbs, a school custodian for the Othello School District in southwest Washington and a member of the Washington Public Schools Employees, testified in support of the measure. She said she sacrificed her health to serve the children in her district.
“I’ve been employed in my district since 1993, you know, almost 30 years,” Hobbs explained. “And I would like to be able to finish my service with my district in good health, because right now it’s not looking very good.”
Hobbs said she suffered several injuries on the job, including a torn shoulder and a knee injury that required surgery. The measure would allow for ergonomic training, so that workers learn to perform physical tasks without injuring themselves. Opponents say the bill would lead to rules that are costly and too burdensome for businesses.
Hobbs acknowledged that the legislation is unlikely to affect her as she could retire soon, but noted that it will help workers down the road. She also pointed out that guards and other workers have been essential during the pandemic.
“I just think we need a little help to do our jobs smarter, and there has to be help on the horizon,” Hobbs insisted. “And I hope the 1837 House Bill is part of that response.”
The bill garnered support from education and health care unions like Hobbs’ Public School Employees and Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1948, as well as statewide unions. Opposing groups include the Building Industry Association of Washington and the Washington Food Industry Association. The bill is currently in the Rules Committee.
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More than 60% of New York State is considered a “childcare wasteland.” But some state initiatives could make care available to more families as they continue to recover from the pandemic.
Some $70 million in grants are being made available to new child care programs in New York City that do not have enough open program spaces.
Democratic Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, who represents Tompkins and Southwest Cortland counties, spoke about what fuels the limited slots.
“Revenues for child care providers, child care workers, are so low that child care centers are also struggling to regain capacity,” Kelles said. “And that has been an ongoing problem.”
According to the governor’s office, applications to apply for grant funding will open in mid-April. Kelles is also co-sponsoring a bill that would expand child care assistance for some New Yorkers even if they no longer meet the income threshold.
Portions of every region of New York are designated child care deserts. But Kelles said another issue within the sector is the direct cost to families, which she says her bill will address.
“Child care can represent between 25% and 30% of a person’s income,” Kelles said. “It’s very difficult for people without support to overcome if you’re technically low-income, if not impossible.”
The child care subsidy legislation is currently under review by the state Senate Committee on Children and Families.
Nicole Mason – president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research – noted that better access to child care would also allow more women to participate in the labor force and also fill jobs. other shortcomings.
“The pandemic has revealed that we still have a long way to go,” Mason said, “to ensure working women and families get the support they need.”
She said measures such as the Build Back Better Act would help increase short- and long-term economic stability for families, in part by extending the Child Tax Credit.
The US Senate has yet to vote on the federal plan.
Disclosure: The Institute for Women’s Policy Research contributes to our fund for reports on policy and budget priorities, living wages/working families, women’s issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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As Colorado school districts struggle to keep their doors open due to understaffing, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute suggests states should tap billions in unspent COVID relief funds to make investments long overdue in the educational workforce.
David Cooper, report author and senior policy analyst at EPI, said raising salaries will be key to bringing back and retaining high-quality teachers and support staff.
“Compensation in public schools is pretty low, especially for support staff,” Cooper said. “People like bus drivers, janitors, food service workers – staff who are essential to keeping schools running and providing safe and healthy learning environments.”
Public school bus drivers and teacher’s aides earn about $500 a week, while food service workers earn just $331.
Colorado lost nearly 15% of its bus drivers between 2019 and 2021 and nearly 7% of its teachers, a figure the report says could jeopardize student achievement and the long-term success of schools. .
Cooper admitted that if lawmakers used COVID relief funds for education, it would amount to a one-time investment and not cover ongoing costs, including increased salaries.
But he said the public health emergency has made it very clear that the economy cannot function if schools are not open.
“If people don’t have a place to send their kids so they can go to work, where they know those kids will be safe and learn something,” Cooper said, “the rest of the economy won’t so we have to spend whatever it takes to make sure schools can run effectively, otherwise we are shooting ourselves in the foot.
The current loss of K-12 workers follows even greater losses after the Great Recession that have never been fully recovered.
Cooper said this moment of crisis for schools across the country could mark a turning point, if public officials are ready to get the ball rolling with billions in unspent relief funds.
“But the truth is, most states have been cutting public education spending per capita for a long time,” Cooper said. “So this may be the boost lawmakers need to start generating new revenue to support education for the long term.”
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