Throughout this past year, we fought against roll-backs to child labor laws, chemical reform protections, reproductive freedom, same-day voter registration, and the Maine Human Rights Act.

We sent you action alerts, and you sent thousands of messages to law-makers. Click on the title to read the original alert.

And the winner is (now, I know that most people start with number five, and count down to number one … and there’s a bunch of fan-fare and hoopla and suspense … but, I’m not going to do it that way).

ahem.

And the winner is…

1. beards?

February 23, 2011 – This alert was about this (now famous) quote by Governor LePage, “The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards.”

The Governor’s quote referred to a proposal to roll-back the chemical policy reform that Maine has been leading the nation with. Well, you said “not so fast, Governor.” You sent over 900 messages.

You helped to stop the roll-back.

2. Governor LePage Just signed the bill…

During the session, we fought hard to protect voting rights.  You sent almost 400 messages to legislators. The bill passed, and on June 21, 2011, Governor LePage signed a bill that would eliminate same-day voting rights in Maine. A group of Maine voters immediately gathered at the offices of the Maine Women’s Lobby to file an application to veto the bill. Throughout the summer, we all fought hard to protect voting rights in Maine.  And, on election day 2011, you stood proud with the rest of the Protect Maine Voting Rights Coalition to celebrate the successful people’s veto. The law that allows voters to register and vote on Election Day stands in Maine. Burn.

3. bathroom politics

The Maine Women’s Lobby has fought for civil rights for more than three decades. The victories – and critical protections – were hard won. During this past session, legislation was proposed that would undermine the Maine Human Rights Act and invalidate critical protections for transgender, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. You sent almost 350 messages to the legislature asking them to defeat a proposal that would scale back the Maine Human Rights Act. The proposal was defeated. Oh Yeah.

4. don’t script me

We saw four bad anti-choice bills this past session. I mean big bad scary bills – the kind they pass in Texas (sorry about that to all my Texan friends). This particular piece was in response to a bill that would have required a woman to listen to a (biased) script before she could make choices about her own body. You sent over 320 messages to law-makers asking them to protect a woman’s choice of whether – and when – to have children. All four bills were defeated. We do things a little differently up here in Maine than they do in Texas (again, apologies).

5. What’s Next – Running with Scissors?

Now this one. wow. This was about the proposed roll-back to child labor laws. I know, huh?

The 1800′s called and they want their regulations back.

YOU sent 920 messages. You protected Maine laws that had existed for over one-hundred years. Mainers believe that for our youth, school is their job.

For more in the Child Labor law realm, you can read: the boss ate my homework, Is exploitation the new business friendly?, Jobz v. skool, and lots of others by visiting our online archive.

All said and done, this year alone YOU’VE sent over 3,000 messages to law-makers. GOOD JOB – and thank you. Subscribe right now.

Please contribute right now to help us continue this important work.

Please share this post, using the tools to the left. And, help us build our influence by suggesting that your friends subscribe.

Happy New Year,

Charlotte Warren
Associate Director

Yesterday we collected a story from retired teacher and legislator, Jackie Norton. Click here to check it out.

Philadelphia just passed paid sick days! Hooray!  Last week Connecticut became the first state to pass paid sick days, and yesterday Philadelphia became the fourth city. What a month for workers! Read below for a blog post from family values at work about the vote and the future victories!

Anyone who’s been to Philly knows about Philly cheesesteaks. When you buy one, you’ll be asked whether you want it with or without onions.

In the past several years, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, a member group of Family Values @ Work, has asked a more important question:  whether the person serving you is working with or without paid sick days.

Thanks to a massive grassroots effort in that city by the Coalition — now 106 organizations led by PathwaysPA — the answer for most workers will soon be “with!” Through an impressive combination of grassroots support, public rallies, op eds and personal appeals to Council members by constituents, the Coalition helped make the case. Today the Council voted by one vote to turn the modest paid sick days bill into law.

Workers in firms of more than 10 employees will be able to earn 7 paid sick days a year to recover from illness, access preventive care or look after a sick child or family member.  Those in firms with 5 to 10 workers will earn up to 4 days.

The news from Philadelphia comes less than two weeks after the Connecticut state legislature voted for the first-ever statewide paid sick days law. Several other cities and states across the country are actively considering similar legislation.

Next week, Seattle City Council plans to introduce a paid sick days bill which could come to a vote in August..  A broad coalition in Denver is collecting signatures for a ballot initiative in November, and in New York City, 35 City Council members are sponsoring a paid sick days law.  A hearing is scheduled in Massachusetts in July. In Georgia, a bi-partisan group of state legislators led by five Republicans is supporting a bill that would ensure workers could use sick time to care for their children and loved ones.

“We applaud Phildelphia’s City Council members for standing on the side of workers, families and the economy,” said Ellen Bravo, Executive Director of Family Values @ Work. “Coalitions of working families are fighting for such legislation across the country so that taking care of yourself or a loved one will not cost anyone a paycheck or a job. The wave of votes this year demonstrates the strong public support for paid sick days – a small step with enormous impact on public health and on job preservation.”

“Philadelphians from all walks of life came together to fight for paid sick days for everyone in our city,” said Marianne Bellesorte, director of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces in Philadelphia and Senior Director of Policy at PathWays PA. “This is a common sense measure to preserve public health and promote economic security.”

Polling in cities and states across the country shows overwhelming support for paid sick days.  Polling in Connecticut released this week shows that 72 percent of voters, including 50 percent of Republican voters, support the newly passed measure.  The strong showing of bipartisan support among voters for paid sick days is not unusual – survey after survey across the country has shown voters of both parties want this modest reform that promotes a healthier workforce and strengthens the economy.

Coalitions from other states in the Family Values @ Work consortium working for paid sick days legislation are celebrating the win for working families in Philadelphia.

“The passage of paid sick days in Philadelphia is a great success for the city and for the entire nation. Denver is excited to follow in Philadelphia and Connecticut’s footsteps and provide paid sick days for all workers so that no one has to lose pay or risk losing a job because they have to care for themselves or their family,” said Erin Bennett, Executive Director of Denver 9to5 and director of the Colorado Paid Sick Days Coalition.

“The Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce includes more than 70 community, labor and faith organizations and local businesses. Together, we’ve developed a proposal that offers a responsible and flexible way to ensure everyone has paid sick days — helping to keep people healthy, prevent the spread of disease, and promote more productive workplaces. We’re excited with this win and to see so much enthusiasm about paid sick days, both here in Seattle and across the country!” said Marilyn Watkins, director of the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce and Policy Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute.

“Across the country, working people and elected officials understand that paid sick days is a policy that’s good for the public health, good for families and good for the economy.  It’s time for New York City to join the movement to ensure working families do not have to choose between their financial security and their health or the health of their families,” said Donna Dolan, Chair of the New York State Paid Leave Coalition, a growing coalition of more than 400 community organizations, labor unions and businesses including school nurses, public health groups, restaurant workers and HIV-AIDS service providers.

For more stories from workers and business leaders, visit: http://familyvaluesatwork.org/blog/2011/06/03/workers-and-business-owners-speak-out-for-paid-sick-days/ .

This week, Maine lawmakers stood firm against efforts to roll back access to reproductive health care and civil rights protections for transgendered Mainers.

The bills were defeated by wide margins—and for good reason.

In upholding Maine law, legislators put the health of Maine women and teens first and did not erect  unecessary barriers to comprehensive health care services.

In defending the Maine Human Rights Act, they refused to put the rights and safety of transgendered Mainers at risk. Click here to thank the Maine lawmakers who voted to protect the equality of all Mainers.

They took a stand for putting focus where it’s needed—jobs and the economy—rather than policing the personal, private decisions between women and their doctors.

Click here to find out how your legislators voted on these bills (the bill text is at the top of each page): L.D. 116, L.D. 924, L.D. 1457, and L.D. 1046.

The Bad (really, really bad).

Also this week, a majority of Maine lawmakers voted to eliminate Maine’s 38-year-old, same-day voter registration.

L.D. 1376 creates unnecessary barriers for prospective voters, and turns back the clock on our democracy.

Click here to see how your legislators voted on this bill.

The tabled.

The legislature is almost finished for the session, though there are critical decisions yet to make. But some bills were tabled and we’ll see them back on the table in January – including the attacks on collective bargaining.

One thing you can count on for sure – we’ll be right there fighting for you.

Lower pay – especially for women. That’s what so-called “Right to Work” laws do to union and non-union women workers across the country¹.

Maine lawmakers should not weaken the very institutions that improve the well being of women and working families – especially during tough economic times. Unfortunately, the Legislature is poised to do just that. L.D. 309 will weaken Maine’s public sector collective bargaining rights. Like any “Right to Work” law, it would allow workers to pay nothing and get all the benefits of union representation.

When those who do not pay their fair share get all the benefits of a union membership, the union has less power to negotiate for fair wages. That means a lower standard of living for all workers (union and non-union alike), higher poverty rates, less access to health care, and less safe workplaces. In states with these laws in place, the data could not be more clear. Right to work laws equal lower wages and a lower standard of living for everyone.

Unions – the Great Equalizer for Women

Maine women believe in equal pay. But did you know that the very best way to win paycheck fairness is to be covered by a union-negotiated contract?

Let’s not turn back the clock on Maine’s tradition of collective bargaining.

Please email your legislator now and tell them to protect collective bargining rights.

Take a Stand for Collective Bargaining

Union contracts are one of the best methods for ensuring equal pay for women. Stand up for fair pay and collective bargaining by contacting your state representatives today.

The Connecticut State Senate has approved the paid sick days bill, SB 913 with a vote of 18 to 17. The House is expected to vote next week. Governor Dan Malloy, elected in part for his support for the bill, has been urging its passage and will sign it.

Read the whole piece here.

The amended bill represents a very significant improvement over the initial bill that, as written, would have removed all hourly protections for teen workers, but – to be clear – it still represents a roll back to workplace protections for teens.

Read below for a statement from Laura Harper, our Director of Public Policy, on the vote:

“This law will take Maine in the wrong direction. At a time when Maine desperately needs to be creating jobs and a skilled workforce, we are undermining student success.

“Volumes of research demonstrate that once teens work over 20 hours a week, drop-out rates and even substance abuse rates increase. Further, studies show that the more hours teens work the more likely it is that their grades will decline.

“Adults need jobs. Teens need success in school to make a good living down the road. We urge lawmakers to put focus where it’s needed—creating jobs, increasing access to education, and sparking economic growth that will benefit kids, families, and our state.”

You can read her whole statement here.

The silver lining: We were successful in defeating L.D. 1346 (a bill that would have both increased the total number of hours a teen could work and create a sub-minimum wage for teen workers) and greatly modifying L.D. 516.

The truth: We couldn’t have done it without you! You and your friends, and your friends’ friends, sent a total of 860 emails and petition signatures, made phone calls, and showed up to the public hearings.

Your action helped kill L.D. 1346, and make L.D. 516 less extreme. So, THANK YOU!

Click here to check out some of the fantastic news coverage of the campaign (including some goodies from Rachel Maddow, and our own Laura Harper in the Huffington Post).

And, please take a minute right now to check out how your Senator and Representative voted on L.D. 516, and share your appreciation – or disapproval.

There is something to celebrate: L.D. 1346 was successfully defeated in committee (a bill that would have both increased the total number of hours a teen could work and implement a sub-minimum wage for teen workers), and L.D. 516 has been amended to a much less extreme bill.

Here are some of the best media coverage of the Child Labor debate in Maine, in case you missed it:

Rachel Maddow on the Case

The Maine Peoples Alliance’s Excellent Ad

The BDN editorializes against LD 1346

Want a history of child labor in Maine? Check out Ardis Cameron’s excellent piece in the Portland Press Herald

We like what this “Confused Republican” has to say!

Our own Super-Hero Lobbyist, Laura Harper quoted in the Huffington Post

Is your favorite news piece not up here? Leave a post here.

That’s why I’m writing to you today.

Believe it or not, we have A LOT to celebrate. Thanks to you, and your calls, emails, and visits to the State House we have – together – successfully defeated (and in some cases diminished) a myriad of dangerous roll-back proposals.

Here’s the skinny:

Child Labor: L.D. 1346, a bill to implement a sub-minimum wage for teen workers and eliminate hour-caps on teen labor during the school week, was killed in committee. L.D. 516, a bill to increase the number of hours a week a teen can work, is currently awaiting action in the House, but with much less drastic language. We still must work hard to defeat this bill but this amendment points us in the right direction.

Safe Chemicals: Attempts to roll back Maine’s Kid-Safe Products act were defeated, as lawmakers reached an agreeable compromise. And, the ban on the toxic chemical BPA was passed with near-unanimous support from the legislature and without the Governor’s signature!

Human Rights: The Judiciary Committee voted Friday “ought not to pass” on a bill to roll back human rights protections for transgendered Mainers – leaving Maine’s Human Rights Act intact! We still need to work hard to hold the line on the floor vote.

Reproductive Freedom: On Friday, the Judiciary Committee also voted “ought not to pass” on four anti-choice bills: a bill requiring parental consent for contraception, one requiring parental consent for abortion, one requiring a 24-hour waiting period, and one that would require doctors to read a biased and coercive script to a patient 24 hours before she could obtain an abortion. This vote was a victory for Maine’s longstanding, bipartisan tradition of reproductive privacy.

So, we have a lot to celebrate, AND a lot of work left to do.

Despite the good news for reproductive freedom reported out of the Judiciary Committee on Friday, we expect a contentious floor debate on all four of these anti-choice bills. Believe me, our lobbyist is working hard, but she needs your help!

Please email your legislator now and tell them to vote NO on all four of these anti-choice bills.

Your calls and emails have gotten us this far, so keep them coming.

The time to protect Maine’s women’s reproductive freedom and privacy is now. ]]> http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2011/05/heres-the-skinny/feed/ 0 http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2011/05/child-labor-sneak-attack/ http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2011/05/child-labor-sneak-attack/#comments Mon, 09 May 2011 20:55:29 +0000 asheldon http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/?p=2572 You did it.

You called, you emailed, you wrote letters, you testified, you lobbied – and on Friday, Maine’s Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee listened.

The committee unanimously killed L.D. 1346 – “An Act to Enhance Access to the Workplace for Minors.” This is the bill that would have repealed hourly protections for 16 and 17 year-olds as well as instituted a training wage of only $5.25 for any worker under the age of 20.

Crazy idea, right?

Child labor laws are safe, right?

Wrong.

L.D. 516, the other child labor bill is still out there – and it has some support. In fact, a majority of the members on the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee voted for it.

Yep. They voted to go along with Governor LePage, the Maine Restaurant Association, and the Maine Innkeepers Association, on a policy that our teens should work longer during the school day, more hours during the school week, and later at night – until 11 pm on a school night.

We think it’s still a crazy idea.

Legislators don’t get a free pass for opposing one crazy child labor roll back.

Join us in sending the message to legislators: We don’t want our teens working more … working later. Period.

We need to be creating jobs and a skilled workforce, not undermining student success. Volumes of research demonstrates that once teens work over 20 hours a week, drop-out rates and even substance abuse rates increase. Further, studies show that the more hours teens work the more likely their grades will decline and the less likely they’ll be to pursue math and science course work in school.

Doesn’t sound like a sound workforce training or economic development strategy to me.

You can stop this sneak attack on our child labor protections. Take action now!  A Senate vote on this bill could come as early as Tuesday morning.

Please call your Senator right now at the toll-free Senate message line. Leave your name and address and the message, “Please vote NO on L.D. 516, the child labor bill.” The number is 1.800.423.6900.

I’d appreciate it if you could email me and let me know that you’ve called. And yes, I know clicking-to-email is easier, but when a vote like one this is imminent, it’s your call (and a blue message slip!) that your senator will notice first.

Not sure who your Senator is? You can find out by clicking here: http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_voter_info.php