NELA Members,
Lauren McFerran, Labor and Pensions Policy Director for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) wanted me to pass along that Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will convene a hearing of the HELP Committee on Thursday at 10:00 A.M. to examine ways to help Americans balance the demands of their jobs and their families.(See press statement below.)
The hearing underscores Senator Harkin's bill, The Rebuild America Act, that includes a litany of measures aimed at boosting income for low-wage workers, most notably raising the minimum wage significantly and pegging it to inflation. It also would require employers to offer their workers paid sick days, make more white-collar workers eligible for overtime pay that they're currently exempted from, and give more workers the right to join a union.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Best,
Eric
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Justine Sessions / Kate Cyrul
May 7, 2012
(202) 224-3254
Mother’s Day Hearing: HELP Committee to Discuss Ways to Help the Middle Class Balance Work and Family
WASHINGTON—As families prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will convene a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday at 10:00 A.M. to examine ways to help Americans balance the demands of their jobs and their families. As millions of Americans in the “sandwich generation” care for both their children and their aging parents, the committee will discuss the changes that have occurred in the workforce and the family over the last several decades, the state of public policies aimed at supporting working families, and ways to help build security and opportunity for families by providing meaningful supports at work and in society. The hearing will include discussion of the family-friendly policies proposed in Harkin’s recently introduced Rebuild America Act, comprehensive legislation aimed at restoring the American middle class.
HEARING: "Beyond Mother’s Day: Helping the Middle Class Balance Work and Family"
WITNESSES:
Ann O’Leary, Director, Children and Families Program, Center for the Next Generation, San Francisco, CA
Judith Lichtman, Senior Advisor, National Partnership for Women and Families, Washington, DC
Kim Ortiz, Mother of two who will share her experiences working as a retail employee in New York City
Juanita Phillips, Director of Human Resources, Intuitive Research and Technology, Huntsville, AL
DATE: Thursday, May 10, 2012
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: SD-430
#Announcement #LegislativePublicPolicy