Work and Family
Although the “traditional” family—a father who works outside the home and financially supports the children and a mother whose work is keeping the house and raising the children—has been disappearing for more than a generation, our workplaces and government policies have not kept pace with America’s new reality.
Most children are growing up in homes with both parents working or with single parents. One-third of workers don’t have access to paid sick leave, and only 42 percent have paid personal leave. What’s the impact on public health when working people can’t afford to take sick days during a flu epidemic? Who takes care of a sick child? Who’s home to fix dinner and help with homework? Who can dedicate time to a sick elderly parent?
The recession and jobless recovery have complicated life further for working families, when having to leave work for a family emergency could lead to long-term unemployment.
More about this issue:
TIME Union workers have voted unanimously to ratify a new contract, a historic agreement that covers all TIME editorial employees without any divisions among the print and digital sides of TIME or TIME for Kids. The deal was finalized on July 21and ratified this week.
Last week, the New York City Central Labor Council launched its first Common Sense Economics workshop. Participants were engaged in hands-on activities and learned about local campaigns like the CUNY Rising Alliance.
For more than 10 years, Staten Island Ferry workers have been fighting for a new contract with the New York City Department of Transportation. This means that their wages and benefits have not changed since the last contract expired in 2010. This is unacceptable.
This week, City Hall announced they successfully settled their suit with Chipotle, resulting in a historic $20 million settlement. The City’s complaint alleged nearly 600,000 violations of New York’s Fair Workweek law.
Teamsters Local 804 this week announced a donation of $188,000 to two hospitals serving New York’s children. The donations result from a class-action lawsuit against UPS, which illegally deducted money from employees’ paychecks for the company’s charity program.
Last month, CJNY's LI Regional Director, Mariah Dignan, spoke with students at William Floyd HS in Mastic Beach about the importance of union career pathways and the integral role labor will play in offshore wind development in NYS.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on this week’s Senate victory for working people:
Today the Senate passed legislation that will transform the lives of working families at every level, and we urge the House of Representatives to pass this bill swiftly and send it to President Biden’s desk.
New York City’s neglect for its Staten Island Ferry mariners, who have been working for the last 11 years without a contract, impacted other working New Yorkers this week when the system suffered service disruptions due to understaffing caused by the NYC Department of Transportation's failure to