Hillary Clinton’s Agenda for Working Families
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton recently spoke out on her Agenda for the Working Family.
Some of the highlights she proposes:
* Expand paid leave across the country through a new State Family Leave Innovation Fund;
* Extend the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cover 13 million additional American workers and guarantee workers at least 7 paid sick days per year;
* Promote model workplaces with grants to support new workplace flexibility programs and a federal telecommuting initiative;
* Ensure better access to affordable, high quality child care; and
* Prevent parents from being discriminated against because of pregnancy or their caregiving responsibilities.
And it’s all “totally affordable”.
Critics of the proposed plan are concerned about tax increases and additional burden on small businesses from the government. I want to know what it means for the middle class, not only the working poor.
I’m still taking it all in, but, even though she brings up the right points, and, I want things to be better for working parents, I’m just not sure I can see this plan happening.
But, it’s a great way to keep the issues in the news.
You?
Yeah, I do think it could be a political reality. Maybe not in one felt swoop, but I absolutely believe that incremental change is imminent. 173 countries – but not US – have mandatory paid FMLA-type leave. With the number of duel earner families increasing, I can’t imagine that we WON’T have paid FMLA in the next 5 years.
Broadsheet has a good write up, which compares and contrasts Clinton’s proposal to that of her democratic opponents. http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2007/10/17/clinton_family_leave/index.html
(She’s not the only one with a policy, but SURPRISE she gets the most press.)
As for me, I think the proposal is great, and it appeals to the progressive in me. If my vote were a referendum on work/family policies, she’d get my vote hands down. But I don’t vote on that issue alone.
I will say that to this point Clinton has left me cold, but I might just be thawing. Gotta give her props for not only advancing progressive work/life policies, but also for having been there, done that. How great would it be to pick up the newspaper and see me and women like me represented in the highest office?
We’ve been bamboozed into thinking our choice are “work or stay-at-home.” Right now both choices suck.
Hillary is right on the money – the idea is to expand our choices with better employment leave policy so more of us can work AND stay at home without incurring economic hardship. It’s to the benefit of everyone in the family.
Critics are employers and business owners who have a financial interest in not giving us fewer benefits not more.
I, for one, will take it! Now whether she can get Congress behind her is another matter. But I’m not sure her competition would fare much better (if not worse). So I say, Go, Hillary! I’m all for this proposal.
Susan at Working Moms Against Guilt
http://www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com
I cannot believe that you don’t have those things already! It sounds like you get nothing for the taxes you pay in the US. Correction, all you get is bombs and missiles.