News Roundup

A Step Foward: The Paid Family Leave Act

"On May 2, New Jersey joined California and Washington as the only states to have enacted laws providing paid family leave benefits to employees. The Paid Family Leave Act, Assembly Bill No. 873 (the "PFLA"), amends New Jersey's Temporary Disability Benefits Law, N.J.S.A. 43:21-25 et seq., and provides to qualifying employees a total of six weeks paid leave in any 12-month period, to be paid at two-thirds the employee's regular weekly salary with a cap of $524 per week."

• http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.jsp?id=1202423698240

All in the family

"Up until the mid-1900s, extended families lived close to one other - often in the same house. Fast-forward to our quick-paced, dual-career lifestyles and an ever-changing economy, and it's no surprise to see that nuclear families often struggle to survive on their own. For many families, the most obvious - and logical - solution is to get mom or dad to pitch in, even if it's just a couple of days a week."

• http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080812/LIFESTYLE01/808120306/1030/LIFESTYLE

Gimme a Break!

"In France, every employee - from bricklayer to civil servant, and right down to the lowliest pot-scrubbing plongeur - is entitled to 30 paid vacation days every year.  Throughout Scandinavia, the minimum is 25 days; in other European Union countries, every wage slave gets at least 20, by law.  In Canada and Japan, it's 10 days; in New Zealand and Australia, it's 20.  As for the United States? Nada.  That's right, not a single vacation day is mandated for workers in America, making us the only industrialized country in the known universe that doesn't oblige employers to give their workers time off for leisure."

• http://www.nypost.com/seven/08112008/jobs/gimme_a_break__123978.htm

With no paid sick leave, workers face grim choice

"In every war there is collateral damage, and in the legislative battle to pass the long-delayed state budget, one of the casualties last week was a bill that would have provided paid sick leave to workers.  What that means is that for the next year, at least, millions of California workers will face two choices when they're sick: go to work and risk spreading their disease to their co-workers, or stay home and risk losing their pay or even their jobs.  It's not a pretty choice."

• http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/calbreath/20080810-9999-1b10dean.html

There's a case to be made for telecommuting

"A former vice president of human resources at Kyowa Pharmaceutical in Princeton, Bill Kane was faced with a dilemma when an employee requested to work from home.  She made a very compelling case that she needed a day -- Fridays -- to focus on reports, paperwork and other administrative matters. Doing that from home, she said, would be more efficient because she would not constantly be interrupted. The company had never previously allowed employees to work from home, but it allowed her to work from home one day a week on a trial basis. It worked so well the company not only made the arrangement permanent, but also adopted a telecommuting policy allowing others to do so when it was appropriate."

• http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/?/base/columns-0/1218342941223290.xml&coll=1

Military Family Leave Denied

"One local woman says she quit her job after being told she could not take time off to see her husband.  He was overseas serving our nation in Iraq.  If you take one look around the Stonebraker home, you can see they're a proud military family.  Stephanie lives in Rosedale taking care of their child while her husband Josh is off serving our nation in Iraq."

• http://www.wthitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8818206&nav=menu593_2

Rethinking retirement: Economy, desire to work are keeping Americans in workplace longer

"Ruby S. Johnson's co-workers presented her with a chair for her birthday this month. It's cushioned. It swivels. And it should help make her comfortable for the rest of her working days - which could be a long time yet. "My grandmother was 114 when she died," Johnson says. At 93, Johnson is an extreme example of a maturing trend: working older.  She's not delaying retirement. She's forgoing it.  "I always want to work," Johnson says as she deftly tears off lengths of heat-resistant tape to insulate coils of copper wire that will be used in power equipment. For 57 years, Johnson has worked full time at MTE Corp., in Menomonee Falls. She says it's not only a living but a place to go every morning, with people to see."

• http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=781328

Obama Leads, Pessimism Reigns Among Key Group

"Democratic Sen. Barack Obama holds a 2 to 1 edge over Republican Sen. John McCain among the nation's low-wage workers, but many are unconvinced that either presidential candidate would be better than the other at fixing the ailing economy or improving the health-care system, according to a new national poll."

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301969.html

Hovering Above Poverty, Grasping for Middle Class

"Low-wage workers in the United States are gripped by increasing financial insecurity as they inch along an economic tightrope made riskier by pervasive job losses and rising prices. Many struggle to pay for life's basics -- housing, food and health care -- and most report having virtually no financial cushion should they stumble."

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/02/AR2008080201672.html

California Voters Say 'Yes' to Paid Sick Days

"Fiona Ma, San Francisco Assemblywoman and author of AB 2716, has reason to celebrate, and she may be joined at her celebration by the 5.4 million workers in California who don't currently have paid sick days. Ma's bill, which would make California the first state in the nation to allow for paid sick days, passed the Assembly and has moved on to the Senate. A recent poll, administered by the California Center for Research on Women and Families (CCRWF) shows that 73% of California voters are in favor of the bill."

• http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/blog/california-voters-say-%e2%80%98yes%e2%80%99-to-paid-sick-days

Are we turning into France? Hawaii's 4-day work week

"In the latest work-family balance experiment, Hawaii adopted a four-day work week for some state employees on Monday, the Honolulu Advertiser reported.  A four-day week is nothing new; I've known a few folks who appeared to adopt their own without telling The Man, but this effort is notable for its scope, 101 employees, and its sponsor, Hawaii state government. Hawaii will try it as a pilot project for the next three months."

• http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/family/archives/145632.asp?source=rss

Stimulating Motherhood

"Imagine what $168 billion could accomplish for our families if we committed to a real economic stimulus package—one that stimulates parenthood, rather than a fleeting solution to a problem that is here to stay. We need well-rounded and educated kids to help solve the problems that we are creating for the future. Building a family-friendly America is possible, if we look to long term, community-oriented solutions, rather than near-sighted political gimmicks that may seem appealing at first, but ultimately do more harm than good."

• http://www.momsrising.org/node/989

Telecommuters get no lovin' from their ISPs, study finds

"Gas prices are soaring, roads are congested and you've gotten kind of hooked on Days of Our Lives. Sounds like it's time to telecommute.  But good luck trying to use your virtual private network, or VPN, while sending e-mail and surfing the Web. According to a Forrester Research study released Wednesday, telecommunication companies don't focus on consumers who work from home. As a result, those workers suffer slower Web speeds, slower customer service and security issues they otherwise might not face if they were working at the office."

• http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/08/telecommuters-g.html

Work-related e-mails eating into precious holiday time

"MOST IRISH executives spend up to five hours of precious holiday time answering work-related e-mails, according to a new survey.  The survey - conducted appropriately enough by e-mail - assessed the work patterns of 1,035 Irish managers and discovered the vast majority took care to ensure work e-mail would be available to them during their break.  The findings come as a separate survey found that almost nine out of 10 Irish families will take at least one holiday this year."

• http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0812/1218477338092.html

Two into one won't go:  Cambridge survey shows new doubts over working mothers

"Support for gender equality appears to be declining across Britain and America amid concern that women who play a full role in the workforce do so at the expense of family life, research from Cambridge University suggests today.  It found both women and men are becoming more likely to believe the family will suffer if a woman works full-time.  The conclusion was based on analysis of social attitude surveys over the past three decades by Jacqueline Scott, the university's professor of empirical sociology. She said the "shine of the super-mum" was wearing off."

• http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/06/equality.gender

Plan to free your mind from work

"While many Canadians are fortunate enough to be able to take a week or two off to spend time with family and friends at the cottage, camping or even enjoying some of what our cities have to offer in the summer, vacation time also calls for the setting of boundaries with respect to business calls and e-mails. But for many, advising them to turn off the PDA on summer vacation is just not reasonable, practical or even possible.  Realistically, many workers have to keep a tether to the office through telephone or e-mail while on vacation. For others, a sense of responsibility to their employers makes extended vacation periods more guilt inducing than pleasureful. So instead of aiming to completely divorce yourself from work, summer vacation can be an excellent opportunity to exercise your ability to balance work commitments with a much deserved break. You can make the best of this balance by reflecting on what is important to you and truly recharging your batteries with some clear-headed planning for the fall."

• http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=702696