A Broken Promise: Agency-Based Voter Registration in New York City
Executive Summary Voter registration is the number one barrier to the vote. An estimated 51 million eligible citizens,...
Voter registration is the number one barrier to the vote. An estimated 51 million eligible citizens, more than 24 percent of the electorate, could not cast a ballot on Election Day in the 2012 presidential election solely because they had not been registered. Registration and voting rates are particularly low for families with annual incomes below $20,000, voters of color, naturalized citizens, and those with limited English proficiency. Civic engagement levels are even worse in New York State. Fewer New Yorkers registered to vote and cast a ballot in the November 2012 general election than the national average.
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One proven method of increasing voter participation, particularly among underrepresented citizens, is voter registration at public agencies (“agency-based registration”). Well-administered voter registration programs established at public assistance agencies pursuant to federal law have helped register 15 to 20 percent of agency applicants. In 2000, New York City sought to expand voter registration opportunities at municipal agencies by enacting Local Law 29 (“the Pro-Voter Law”), which required 18 city agencies and, under certain circumstances, their associated subcontractors, to offer voter registration forms to all persons submitting applications, renewals, or recertification for agency services, or notifying the agency of a change of address. The law included each of the City’s 59 community boards as well. The last and only evaluation of the Pro-Voter Law, undertaken by the New York City Council over a decade ago, found that agencies were failing to offer voter registration.
In 2014, the Center for Popular Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Citizens Union of the City of New York, and the New York Public Interest Research Group formed the Pro-Voter Law Coalition and launched a new initiative to assess the agencies’ compliance with the law and opportunities to enhance the law’s impact. The Pro-Voter Law Coalition submitted Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests to each of the 18 city agencies; met with the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee at the New York City Campaign Finance Board; and, along with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Make the Road New York, launched field investigations at 14 city offices subject to the Pro-Voter Law to measure their compliance with the law.
The FOIL responses and field investigations revealed widespread agency failure to implement the Pro-Voter Law. Specifically, they found:
Inconsistent adherence. Documents provided by the 12 agencies that responded to FOIL requests indicated scattered and inconsistent attention to the Pro-Voter Law; Noncompliance in a majority of interactions. In 84 percent of client interactions, agency officials failed to comply with the Pro-Voter Law’s requirement to offer voter registration application forms; Failure to provide language access. Agency failures extended to bilingual voter registration mandates. Specifically, only 40 percent, or 2 out of 5 agency clients whose primary language was not English were given translated voter registration applications; and No training of agency staff. All 11 of the agency employees who responded to training inquiries admitted that no agency staff receive regular training on voter registration procedures.These findings are particularly significant given that over 30 percent, or 18 of 59 citizen clients interviewed at the agencies required to comply with the Pro-Voter Law’s mandates reported they were not registered to vote.
Agency failure to comply with the Pro-Voter Law marks a lost opportunity to increase New York City voter registration rates and, by extension, voter participation in the city. Expanding opportunities for New Yorkers to register to vote at municipal agencies will require a concerted commitment by the Mayor, City Council, and municipal agency heads. The Pro-Voter Law Coalition is joined by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the League of Women Voters of the City of New York, Common Cause New York, and Make the Road New York in issuing the following 12 recommendations to help ensure that every eligible city resident is registered to vote when interacting with city agencies subject to the Pro-Voter Law.
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Activists urge Harvard to stop investing in Boston hedge fund that holds Puerto Rico debt
Activists urge Harvard to stop investing in Boston hedge fund that holds Puerto Rico debt
“As one of Baupost’s most significant outside investors, Harvard can exercise some influence on the hedge fund’s...
“As one of Baupost’s most significant outside investors, Harvard can exercise some influence on the hedge fund’s operations," said Julio López Varona, a member of Hedge Clippers. “They have a big endowment; their investment sets a tone.”
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Woman who confronted Jeff Flake on elevator: We connected because he's a father, I'm a mother
Woman who confronted Jeff Flake on elevator: We connected because he's a father, I'm a mother
The woman who confronted Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona in an elevator Friday about his upcoming vote for...
The woman who confronted Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona in an elevator Friday about his upcoming vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said the senator's decision to force a new investigation into the judge's past showed that "people who have the responsibility of making decisions for our country can actually listen to their conscience."
Ana Maria Archila told "CBS This Morning" Monday that in the interaction, which went viral on Friday, she and the senator were able to establish a human connection: "I connected to him because he's a father, I am a mother. This is not just about us today, not just about the politics of this moment; this is about the lives of the people we love so much."
Read the story and watch the video here.
Fed Leaves Interest Rates Unchanged
WASHINGTON — One of the longest economic expansions in American history remains so fragile that the ...
WASHINGTON — One of the longest economic expansions in American history remains so fragile that the Federal Reserve said on Thursday it would postpone any retreat from its stimulus campaign.
Janet L. Yellen, the Fed’s chairwoman, described the decision as a close call and said the central bank still expected to raise interest rates later this year. The Fed has kept its benchmark interest rate close to zero since late 2008, when the nation’s economy was at the depths of crisis.
“The recovery from the Great Recession has advanced sufficiently far and domestic spending has been sufficiently robust that an argument can be made for a rise in interest rates at this time,” Ms. Yellen said at a news conference.
But, she said, “heightened uncertainties abroad,” including the Chinese economy’s weakness, had persuaded the bank to wait at least a few more weeks for fresh data that might “bolster its confidence” in continued growth.
The Fed’s decision, announced after a two-day meeting of its policy-making committee, had been widely expected by investors in recent weeks.
Fed officials spent most of the summer suggesting that they wanted to raise rates in September, only to lose confidence as signs of slowing global growth weighed on markets.
The 10-year Treasury note yield fell 0.11 percentage points to 2.189 percent. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index dropped 0.26 percent to 1,990.20.
There were signs, however, that the Fed might hesitate only briefly. It separately released economic projections showing 13 of the 17 officials on the Federal Open Market Committee still expected to raise the benchmark rate this year.
The Fed has said it is moving toward raising rates because it expects economic growth to continue, reducing unemployment and eventually raising inflation; on Thursday, Ms. Yellen said that outlook had not changed.
“There’s a tendency among some to think that they’re always going to get cold feet, and I thought Yellen really as much as possible discouraged that kind of thinking,” said John L. Bellows, a portfolio manager at Western Asset Management.
The policy-making committee still has scheduled meetings in October and December, and Ms. Yellen said a rate increase was possible at either meeting.
One official, Jeffrey M. Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, in Virginia, voted to raise rates at the September meeting, the first dissent this year. The economic projections suggest that Ms. Yellen faces more disagreements at the Fed’s October meeting, given that six officials predicted the Fed would raise rates at least two times this year, while four said that they expected no increases.
The latest postponement was welcomed by liberal activists and economists who argue that the recovery remains incomplete. Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, introduced legislation on Thursday directing the Fed to push the unemployment rate below 4 percent. While the bill has no chance of winning approval in the Republican-controlled Congress, Mr. Conyers addressed a rally organized by the Center for Popular Democracy outside an office building where Ms. Yellen spoke, joining in a chant of “Don’t raise interest rates.”
Critics expressed concern that the Fed has adopted increasingly ambitious goals for its stimulus campaign. “There is always a reason to chicken out,” said Dean Croushore, a professor of economics at the University of Richmond. “The Fed will lose credibility over time, as it fails to follow its own prior announcements about when it will increase rates.”
Ms. Yellen, asked about the efforts to put public pressure on the Fed, which have mounted in recent months, dryly observed, “We have been receiving advice from a large number of economists and interested groups.”
She denied that outside pressure had influenced the Fed’s decision. She also said it had not been influenced by concerns about a potential government shutdown, which could disrupt growth, though she said that it “would be more than unfortunate.”
The Fed’s decision is probably a “mixed blessing” for the global economy,” Eswar S. Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell, said in an email. Instead of new pressures, investors must deal with continued uncertainty.
A Fed increase, for example, might have prompted investors to pull money out of countries like Turkey or Brazil, damaging their economies, and reduced demand for imports from Europe and other developed countries. But the decision to stand pat also could weigh on Europe in the short term if it causes the euro to rise against the dollar, making things harder for exporters.
The American economy is outpacing the rest of the world, and Ms. Yellen said on Thursday that the Fed did not yet see evidence that growth was slowing.
Fed officials say they believe that labor market conditions have nearly returned to normal. In the new round of economic projections, officials estimated unemployment would stabilize next year at 4.8 percent, just below the August level of 5.1 percent.
Officials also remain confident that inflation will rebound, although perhaps a little slowly because of the recent downturn in the prices of oil and other commodities. Since the financial crisis, inflation has remained consistently below the central bank’s 2 percent annual target, lately rising just 0.3 percent over the previous year.
Fed officials argue that a tighter labor market will lead to higher inflation as employers are finally prodded to pay higher wages. But, Ms. Yellen said on Thursday, that will happen more slowly than the unemployment rate might suggest, because people not counted among the unemployed — like those who have stopped looking for work or have taken part-time jobs — may start looking again as conditions improve.
James A. Wilcox, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, said that it was difficult to find evidence for a strong connection between inflation and employment, particularly over the last decade. Inflation fell less than expected during the recession, and it has increased less than expected in the aftermath.
“The events of the last 10 years have caused a lot of rethinking and stomach acid within the Federal Reserve and the research community,” Dr. Wilcox said.
Recent history has reinforced the more basic point that it takes a lot to change the underlying pace of inflation. That stability has allowed the Fed to press its stimulus campaign, but Dr. Wilcox said it also provided a good reason for the Fed to be wary of allowing inflation to climb, because reversing the trend could be very painful.
“If the heat builds slowly, and it can only be turned down slowly, then you have to move ahead of time,” he said. “That’s why there’s sympathy for the idea of starting to raise rates relatively soon.”
Given the weakness of economic growth, however, Ms. Yellen reiterated on Thursday that the Fed planned to raise rates more slowly than its past practice. Fed officials expect the benchmark rate to reach 2.6 percent by the end of 2017.
In June, they predicted the rate would reach 2.9 percent. Officials also expect the rate to reach a new plateau of about 3.5 percent, less than the June prediction of 3.8 percent and significantly below the level once regarded as normal. Such a low plateau would limit the Fed’s ability to respond to economic downturns.
The Fed has already held its benchmark rate near zero much longer than it once expected. It announced in 2012 that it would keep rates near zero at least until the unemployment rate fell below 6.5 percent. That threshold was crossed in April 2014.
Last winter, when the Fed ended its bond-buying campaign, officials pointed to June as the most likely moment for “liftoff” from the so-called zero bound.
Some officials have made clear they are not inclined to wait much longer.
Stanley Fischer, vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned in late August that officials would not be able to postpone a decision until all doubts were resolved. “When the case is overwhelming,” he said, “if you wait that long, then you’ve waited too long.”
Ms. Yellen echoed that warning on Thursday. “We don’t want to wait until we’ve fully met both of our objectives to tighten monetary policy,” she said.
The Fed’s hesitation on Thursday echoed events of two years ago, when investors expected the central bank to announce at its September 2013 meeting that it was tapering its bond purchases. The Fed demurred, citing uncertainty about economic conditions.
Instead of September, it acted in December.
Source: New York Times
Activists went all out to save Obamacare. Now they’re fighting for opioid recovery funds.
Activists went all out to save Obamacare. Now they’re fighting for opioid recovery funds.
It’s Phil Krauss’ first time protesting on Capitol Hill. He’s an advocate who kicked heroin three years ago when he was...
It’s Phil Krauss’ first time protesting on Capitol Hill. He’s an advocate who kicked heroin three years ago when he was 32 years old. He’s new to organizing but he’s surrounded by veterans, many who were just at the Russell Senate Office Building two months ago trying to save the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
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Volatile Schedules Exacerbate Inequality
New York Times - July 23, 2014, by Carrie Gleason - Across the economy, workers are either employed for too few hours...
New York Times - July 23, 2014, by Carrie Gleason - Across the economy, workers are either employed for too few hours or far too many in an ever-changing workweek that demands 24/7 availability, without guarantees of equal treatment or employee input.
The volatile work schedules of today erode earning potential, push workers out of the work force, and exacerbate inequality, especially for women and workers of color who are more likely to work part-time jobs. For a fair paycheck, these workers need wages and hours with dignity.
Workers, especially women, are coming together to say we need a voice in how much and when we work — so we can raise our families and join the middle class. Tiffany Beroid, who worked at Walmart, and Melody Pabon, who works at the clothing store Zara, both had fluctuating part-time schedules that made it impossible to keep their kids in stable childcare and plan their own schooling.
Ms. Beroid dropped out of school for a semester because Walmart cut her hours when she requested a new schedule. Ms. Pabon took her son out of formal childcare because her part-time job didn’t pay enough to cover the cost. Ms. Beroid and Ms. Pabon are part of the movement to restore a fair workweek, organizing at their jobs and sharing their stories on Capitol Hill at the introduction of the federal Schedules that Work Act.
This legislation would set standards for low-wage occupations. It would require two weeks notice of schedule changes, notification of minimum work hours and extra pay for on-call shifts or for workers who are sent home early. It would also give workers the right to request reasonable scheduling accommodations for serious health conditions, caregiving responsibilities and school.
While companies have a choice in how they schedule employees, the personal stories we've heard show that we can’t count on companies to do the right thing on their own. Along with the federal legislation, a new bill in San Francisco would provide new protections for part-time workers.
These proposals would create a new baseline of legal protections to ensure equity in the hours we work.
Source
Protesters ask Fed to delay at Jackson Hole summit
About 50 demonstrators gathered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, holding signs reading "whose recovery is this" and "how many...
About 50 demonstrators gathered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, holding signs reading "whose recovery is this" and "how many jobs do I have to work to be middle class?" Surrounded by the protesters, Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz also lent his voice, saying "this is not the time" to tighten policy.
"We are not algorithms in your computers. We are real people with real bills and real responsibilities," said Rod Adams, a protester who added that he makes $10.10 per hour.
The Fed's plans to abandon its yearslong near-zero interest rate policy have taken a turn recently amid stock market volatility fueled by concerns about the Chinese economy. The U.S central bank in recent months said it saw a strengthening labor market, describing job gains as "solid" after its July policy meeting.
Two former top Fed officials told CNBC that the central bank needs to evaluate how best to boost conditions for workers. Based on the last few years, easy policy may not necessarily fuel wage and job gains, noted former Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser.
"It's very important that we look beyond what's happening now and are looking to the long run," he told CNBC from Jackson Hole on Thursday.
While the central bank takes worker concerns "very seriously," it needs to evaluate how best to boost employment and wages, said Randall Kroszner, a former Fed governor. He added that it cannot base its decision on the fundamentals of another economy.
"You can't have Fed policy responding to every bump and wiggle that are coming out of the markets," he told CNBC from Jackson Hole.
He added that a rate liftoff in September of December of this year could make sense without a "negative downward shock" to inflation.
What does it mean to be an American?
The climate in the U.S. hasn't changed much since that incident four years ago. Fulbright still fights for the same...
The climate in the U.S. hasn't changed much since that incident four years ago. Fulbright still fights for the same causes, helping people in marginalized communities, but she has taken a more policy-based approach. Fulbright is the Texas state coordinator for Local Progress, a project under the New York-based nonprofit Center for Popular Democracy.
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Donald Trump: Evictor-in-chief
Landlord-in-chief Donald Trump wants to evict 800,000 people from the U.S. On September 5th, the Trump administration...
Landlord-in-chief Donald Trump wants to evict 800,000 people from the U.S. On September 5th, the Trump administration announced it intends to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Many DACA recipients, employed in the construction industry, built the very buildings that made real-estate moguls like Trump rich.
Everyday, the people of New York City are fighting landlords and their racist policies. This past couple of weeks have been no exception. On Wednesday, Aug. 30, thousands turned out for a march to protect DACA. It was organized by 15 different community organizations, including 32BJ SEIU, Working Families Party, Make the Road New York, New York Immigration Coalition, United We Dream, Tenants and Neighbors, Churches United For Fair Housing (CUFFH), New York Communities for Change, Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), VOCAL NY, the Women’s March, and the Center for Popular Democracy. Thousands in cities and municipalities around the country also rallied and marched to defend DACA.
Read the full article here.
Newark, NJ Passes Earned Sick Days Bill by 5-0
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2014 NEWARK CITY COUNCIL PASSES PAID SICK DAYS BILL...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2014
NEWARK CITY COUNCIL PASSES PAID SICK DAYS BILL
IN 5-0 VOTE, NEWARK BECOMES 2ND CITY IN NJ TO GUARANTEE SICK DAYS
Passage of sick day laws in NJ’s two largest cities back to back spells major momentum for the issue statewide
The following statement can be attributed to Andrew Friedman, Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy:
“The rapid spread of paid sick days from city to city across the country shows that the public is strongly supportive of policy that improves the lives of working families. Progressive coalitions are leading the way, hand-in-hand with elected officials who are committed to a robust economy that creates good jobs and expands our country’s middle class.”
Contact:
TJ Helmstetter, the Center for Popular Democracy 973.464.9224, tjhelm@populardemocracy.org
Rob Duffey, NJ Working Families Alliance (973) 273-3363, rob@njworkingfamilies.org
Background:
In a move to protect Newark’s public health and bolster its economy the City Council adopted an ordinance that would allow all private-sector workers to earn paid sick days. The legislation passed by a vote of 5-0, and if signed by Mayor Luis Quintana the ordinance will make Newark the 2nd city in New Jersey and the 7th city in the nation to enact an earned sick days law.
“Tonight is a tremendous victory for 38,000 workers who will never again have to choose between their paycheck and their health or the health of their family,” said Kevin Brown, State Director of SEIU 32BJ. “By extending the right to earn sick days to every single worker in the city, Newark’s earned sick days law will be one of the most comprehensive in the nation. Lawmakers in Trenton and around the state should take notice.”
The Newark bill will allow private-sector workers to earn 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. Those that work in businesses with 10 or more employees can earn 5 paid sick days per year; workers in businesses with nine or fewer employees would be eligible to earn 3 paid sick days per year. In addition, employees directly in contact with the public would be eligible to earn 5 sick days regardless of company size, and the days can be used to care for themselves or family members.
“When I caught the flu last winter I knew I couldn’t go to work and risk infecting my clients,” said Tamika Hawkins a professional home health care provider who lives in Newark and a member of New Jersey Communities United. “But without pay I fell behind on my bills and even received a shutdown notice from the electric company. This law will make a big difference for me and other hard-working people in Newark, and I’m proud that our city is now a leader in this fight.”
Nearly one quarter of adults in the US have been fired or threatened with job loss for taking time off to recover from illness or care for a sick loved one, and the absence of paid sick days disproportionately affects low-income individuals. For a low-income family without paid sick days, going just 3.5 days without wages is the equivalent to losing a month’s groceries.
As of 2010 Newark's poverty rate exceeds 30%.
“Through our community organizing work we are actively engaging residents on the issues they care most about and workplace issues frequently rise to the top of community concerns,” said Trina Scordo, executive director of NJ Communities United. “We have found that low-wage workers in particular fear losing their jobs if they call in sick to take care of themselves or their children. Passing earned sick days is especially important for residents working in direct care, retail, fast food, or any other industry where workers are in frequent contact with the public. There’s no question that paid sick days improves the lives of working families and the fabric of our communities.”
Health professionals praised the legislation for including special public health protections, including ensuring that workers in regular contact with the public are able to earn a full five sick days.
“By passing this legislation, Newark will join Jersey City as a city in our state that looks to protect workers, consumers, families, and the community as a whole from the spread of contagious illness and from ensuing health care costs,” said Elmer, RN and President of the Health Professional and Allied Employees Local 5089. “Providing earned sick days is a modest policy that will have a big impact."
Advocates also touted the economic benefits of the legislation. Last week the Time to Care Coalition delivered a letter from over 20 New Jersey economists to the Newark Council urging them to support the law, saying it will bring tangible benefits to the local economy. On Tuesday a report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research confirmed that the city and local businesses will actually save money because of the legislation. Studies of earned sick days laws passed in San Francisco and Seattle showed no negative impact from earned sick days on local economies, and both cities outpaced neighbors that lacked earned sick time protection.
“Workers coming to work sick actually costs our nation $160 billion annually, far more than the cost of workers staying at home to recover,” said Karen White, Director of the Working Families Program at the Rutgers Center for Women and Work. “When sick workers stay home, the spread of disease slows and workplaces are healthier and more productive. And by letting workers earn sick days businesses put money in the pockets of low-income workers who go out into the marketplace and spend it on goods and services. It’s a win-win for workers, employers, and local economies.”
Support for the law has been overwhelming. The New Jersey Working Families Alliance delivered 10,000 postcards from Newark voters urging the City Council to pass the law, and earlier today New Jersey Citizen Action delivered a letter from over 60 organizations around New Jersey in support of the legislation. A September poll from Rutgers-Eagleton showed a commanding 82% of Essex County residents supported the policy.
“Working families are looking to their elected officials to show leadership in this fight for what should be a basic worker’s right, and today the Newark City Council stepped up,” said Bill Holland, executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance. “After tonight’s vote there’s no denying it: the national momentum for earned sick days laws has broken through to New Jersey in a big way.”
The legislation comes just two months after Jersey City passed the first earned sick days law in New Jersey. Five other cities – Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Seattle; New York City; and Portland, Oregon – have taken action to help boost the economy by making sure workers can hang on to critical income when ill. On Tuesday Washington, D.C. expanded their existing paid sick days laws to cover all workers. In New York City, paid sick days legislation was a powerful determinant in the outcome of this month’s Democratic primary for mayor, as voters were less likely to vote for Speaker Christine Quinn after she blocked action on paid sick days for three years. Campaigns for statewide sick days laws are moving forward in Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon and elsewhere.
Looking forward, advocates pointed to a statewide bill introduced this spring by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt and Senator Loretta Weinberg that would cover all of New Jersey’s 1.5 million workers who currently lack paid sick days. The bill is being championed by the statewide Time to Care Coalition.
“While tonight’s vote is a huge victory for working families, there are still over a million New Jerseyans who lack the basic security that earned sick days provide,” said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, Executive Director of New Jersey Citizen and spokesperson for the Time to Care Coalition. “In the coming year we’re going to build on the momentum from our victories in Jersey City and Newark and make New Jersey a leader in this nationwide fight for fairer, healthier, and more prosperous communities.”
Coalition members that supported earned sick days in Newark and Jersey City include the Time to Care Coalition, Center for Popular Democracy, SEIU 32BJ, the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, New Jersey Communities United, the ACLU of New Jersey, the Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU, the New Jersey NAACP, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, AFT, New Jersey Citizen Action, CWA District 1, and AFSCME Council 1.
Additional reaction to Earned Sick Days Passage:
"A healthier and more productive workforce benefits everyone. This Newark ordinance is a win -win for employees, businesses, and our whole economy," said Corinne Horrowitz, business representative of the New Jersey Main Street Alliance.
"Paid sick days is a human rights issue. Families must be able to take care of their love ones without thinking about how they will pay their bills for taking a sick day off," said Virgilio Oscar Aran, Executive Director of Laundry Workers Center.
"This is a proud day for Newark," said Udi Ofer, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey. "No one should be forced to choose between protecting their health and their job. This new requirement of paid sick days will give Newarkers fundamental protections to keep their families healthy and their jobs secure. We commend Councilman Anibal Ramos for his leadership and the Newark Municipal Council for its passage of this critically important policy. We look forward to continuing to work with allies and lawmakers across the state to ensure all New Jerseyans have the basic protections Newark workers will now have."
“Low income workers should have the same worker benefits as others," said Raymond Ocasio, executive director of La Casa de Don Pedro. "We all can get sick, and having sick days through the Newark Earned Sick Days Ordinance and access to health care under the Affordable Care Act will only make us all better off.”
“This is a great day for Newark and for its working caregivers. We know that nearly 2 out of 3 workers ages 45 to 74 have caregiving responsibilities for an aging or other adult relative. And caregivers without earned sick days have historically been forced to make some really hard choices. Now, as a result of this measure, if they or one of their close family members get sick, they won’t have to choose between keeping their jobs or taking the time to get well or care for loved ones,” said Dave Mollen, AARP New Jersey State President.
"This Earned Sick Time ordinance is designed for my patients who must choose between taking care of themselves and preventing the spread of viruses or making sure they don't lose a day's wages or even their job," said Dr. Ahmed Yousaf, Vice President for the Committee of Interns and Residents-SEIU. "Because of the realities of urban life, the health of one can very quickly affect the health of all of us. By moving this bill forward, the Council is standing up for the health of all Newarkers."
"Newark's passage of paid sick days reflects a turning point for these policies in this country," said Ellen Bravo, executive director of Family Values @ Work, the national network of 21 city and state coalitions, including the Time to Care Coalition in New Jersey, working on these issues. "In 2013 alone, the number of cities who have passed paid sick days has more than doubled, underscoring the overwhelming public support and momentum for common-sense policies that value families at work. We applaud our member coalition in Newark, which moved quickly to implement legislation that will grant 38,000 workers with access to paid sick days, including 'carving in' workers involved in direct service food, home care and child care, and which will pave the way for similar victories in Trenton and beyond."
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