Month: May 2013

Our family leave conversation: Urgent & incomplete

There is a growing conversation in Oregon and across our country about family leave — because the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 is insufficient in two key ways: it’s unpaid and doesn’t cover all workers. Family Forward Oregon’s Executive Director Andrea Paluso wrote this guest opinion piece to raise awareness about the failings of what we (don’t) have now, and to make sure that anyone thinking about a pathway forward on family leave is working toward a paid program.

Unequal Pay? Unhappy Hour!

June 10, 2013 is the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act by then-President John F. Kennedy. At that time, women earned $0.58 to a man’s $1. Today? A whopping $0.78. Improvement, yes. Enough of one? Hell no.

Join us for an (un)happy hour  to mark this important date & celebrate the passing of SB 744, an Oregon bill that requires a state-specific pay inequity study and recommendations to close the gender wage gap. Recommendations which we plan to see through.

Who CAN afford unpaid leave?

A recent report from the Center for American Progress about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) — released on the law’s 20th anniversary in February, 2013 — is a must read because it reminds us that when this law was passed in 1993 it was just a first step towards what was needed then — and now: paid family leave for every working American.  Not unpaid leave available to — but not financially possible for — just 60% of working Americans.

Good News: Equal Pay Bill Passes!

Today the Oregon House of Representatives voted 59-0 to pass Senate Bill 744, which requires the state Council on Civil Rights appointed by Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) to study wage inequality in Oregon and report findings to the Legislative Assembly.  This report will provide a clear
understanding of the barriers to wage equality in our state and include concrete, state-specific recommendations for improvements.

Domestic Worker Rights Bill Moves Ahead

On Tuesday, May 7, 2013 the Oregon House of Representatives voted 32-28 to pass a domestic workers’ rights bill sponsored by Rep. Sara Gelser (D-16). The bill, which has now had a first hearing in the Senate, would require people who employ domestic workers to:

How to Make the U.S. a Better Place for Caregivers

In 2012, Anne Marie Slaughter write an article in The Atlantic (Why Women Still Can’t Have It All) that exploded on and off the internet, igniting a national dialog about the state of women in the United States, specifically around women and work and family and changes that are needed to make work work for […]

Photo Gallery | Mother’s Day of Action

On May 8, 2013 a group of Oregon mothers – and others! – gathered in our state capitol in Salem to deliver flowers and Mother’s day cards to all 90 of our state legislators and the Governor.  Why?  Because that’s what we get every year on Mother’s Day — yet we need far more than flowers to survive and thrive as mothers (click here to see an online version of the card we delivered and here for a fact sheet that spells out what moms need and why we need it).  Here are some great pics of our first (and very floral) Mother’s Day of Action:

On Ending Maternal Poverty in Oregon

In The Oregonian’s Mother’s Day issue, FFO Executive Director Andrea Paluso wrote about our high maternal poverty rates and how we can reduce them. The solutions to maternal poverty are known. In fact, the majority of developed countries around the world have made major progress in addressing maternal and child poverty — the U.S. lags far behind. 

Our Mother’s Day Card…for Oregon Legislators

On May 8, 2013 we delivered flowers and Mother’s Day cards to all 90 Oregon state legislators, 30 Senators and 60 Representatives in the House.  It wasn’t just any Mother’s Day card, it was one we specially created to say what we went to Salem to say.  Click here to open it yourself!

Caring Across Generations

This Mother’s Day, we’re partnering with Caring Across Generations, a national organization that is working to change the way America cares for seniors, supports people with disabilities, and values caregivers and in-home care workers.  Caring for family members is one of the tenets of our work, and the struggle to do it well while staying economically […]