[NOW Actions] Help Working Families Strike a Balance

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Support NOW's Work \|	June 1, 2007	\| Tell a Friend

Action Needed

Background

All NOW Actions

More about mothers' and caregivers' economic rights

Help Working Families Strike a Balance

Encourage Your Representative to Co-Sponsor The Balancing Act By June 13

Most working families struggle to balance the competing responsibilities of work and family -- whether it's finding affordable quality child care or taking time off to care for an elderly relative, or any of the many other concerns facing today's caregivers. Recognizing the many difficulties facing caregivers, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) introduced a bill in Congress called, appropriately, The Balancing Act, H.R. 2392. This bill aims to "improve the lives of working families by providing family and medical need assistance, child care assistance, in-school and after school assistance, family care assistance, and encouraging the establishment of family-friendly workplaces."

Action Needed:

When it was introduced on May 17, The Family and Workplace Balancing Act had 57 original sponsors. We must find at least 100 more to have any hope of moving this important package of measures designed to help people balance their work and family obligations.

Help us recruit sponsors by sending a message to your representative.

When you use our online system, it will provide a sample message based on whether your representative is already a co-sponsor. We encourage you to add a personal message to this email that underscores the need for this legislation. The House Education and Labor Committee's Workforce Protection subcommittee has set a tentative date of June 13 for hearings on the issue of balancing work and family. We need to round up a healthy collection of sponsors for H.R. 2392 before then!

Contact your representative NOW

Background:

The Balancing Act, which was originally introduced in 2005, provides assistance for working families through increasing the number of workers eligible family and medical care leave expands child care for young children and incentives for child care providers; preschool, in-school, and after school nutrition and education programs; requires parity for temporary and part-time workers in job benefits, including pension and health care plan coverage; and encourages business to permit employee telecommuting.

In a nutshell, the Balancing Act would:

help states provide paid leave for those caring for young children and elderly relatives. Also, it extends current unpaid Family and Medical Leave Act protections to employers with 15 or more employees, for additional family responsibilities, and is pro-rated for part time employees;
increase child care options for working families;
funding for after school programs and universal pre-kindergarten;
improve nutrition with reduced or free meals at school; and
encourage more friendly and flexible workplaces, including equitable treatment and benefits for part-time and temporary workers.

The Balancing Act is an important companion to other work/family policy initiatives, including The Healthy Families Act (S.910/H.R. 1542), which would provide for paid sick leave for more workers, and a soon-to-be introduced bill to provide for paid family leave.

Ask your Representative to sponsor the Balancing Act

Other Ways to Take Action: