Obama forms task force for working families

President-elect Obama announced Sunday that he has assembled a task force to improve the standard of living of middle-class and working families in America. Joe Biden and four other members of Obama’s cabinet will lead the group. Cabinet members on the taskforce will be the secretaries of labor, education, commerce, and health and human services, as well as the top economic advisers to the president.

The effort, which is called the White House Task Force on Working Families, is intended to focus on improving education and training for working Americans as well as protecting incomes and retirement security of the middle class. The group, officials said, will work with labor and business leaders.

The Task Force will operate in a transparent fashion, with any submissions to it from outside groups posted online, and open, two-way dialogue directly with the American people. The Task Force will issue annual reports on its findings and recommendations, which will be made available to the public and will be posted on the internet.

By Allison Tomei

Ready by 21 Update

In February Corporate Voices for Working Families joined with the Forum for Youth Investment and the Ready by 21 National Partners to launch Ready by 21 – an initiative that challenges business, state and community leaders to think and act differently about preparing all youth for college, work and life.

The following is an update from Donna Klein, president and founder of Corporate Voices for Working Families, that provides information about a significant planning grant Ready by 21 has received from Altria and looks at the progress that has been made thus far.

 

As you may recall, in February 2008 Corporate Voices for Working Families joined with the Forum for Youth Investment and the Ready by 21 National Partners to launch Ready by 21^®.  I am writing today to let you know about the significant progress we have made to date and the next steps planned for the Ready by 21 National Partners:

·      Corporate Voices for Working Families

·      Forum for Youth Investment

·      United Way of America

·      American Association of School Administrators

·      America’s Promise Alliance

·      National Collaboration for Youth

·      National Conference of State Legislatures

·      Search Institute 

Ready by 21 challenges business, state and community leaders to think and act differently about preparing all youth for college, work and life. With thousands of young people at risk in every state, Ready by 21 has an ambitious yet doable goal: provide young people the support and opportunities necessary to beat the odds and succeed. Ready by 21 National Partners, representing national, state and local nonprofit, business, government and education leaders, are committed to providing leaders with information, resources and coaching tools to work together effectively and efficiently.  This guidance helps communities adopt a “big picture” approach to solving a fundamental problem that’s undermining the future of our young people and country. Bringing precision to the passion of state and community leaders will ensure that young people are ready by 21. 

After the Ready by 21 launch last February, the Ready by 21 National Partners came together to craft a major $1.46 million, seven-month joint proposal to develop a five-year strategic plan for combining organizational resources to help more than 2,000 leaders in more than 200 states and localities ensure that all young people have the support and opportunities they need to be Ready by 21® — ready for college, work and life.  We are very proud to report that our collective hard work paid off: Philip Morris USA, an Altria company, recently agreed to fund the proposal!

The Ready by 21 National Partners are now deeply involved in an intensive strategic planning process. Each of the partners is devoting significant staff time to shape this endeavor.  The Bridgespan Group, a premier nonprofit consulting firm, has been secured to support the planning process.

In our monthly partnership meetings to date we have discussed the fundamentals of Ready by 21’s expansion, including how each partner will be involved, whom Ready by 21 will target, and how success will be measured. Future meetings will focus on synthesizing the business and implementation plan.

I am delighted at the significant progress the Partnership has achieved thus far.  I am excited by the scale and scope of the work we are preparing to undertake.  Through Ready by 21 we will be helping local leaders throughout the private and public sectors “bring precision to their passion.”  Through this planning process, we are practicing what we preach: we are bringing precision to our own passion.  

             

For Obama Transition Team — A Work and Family Agenda

After a very successful meeting with President-elect Obama’s transition team, Corporate Voices for Working Families provided a high-level recommendation to help guide the administration’s work and family agenda.

 Our recommendation calls for a new ethic of shared responsibility to launch a bold, new vision for supporting the lives of all working families so they can continue to drive the competitiveness of American businesses in the 21^st century. And despite a very tight submission and review deadline, 25 percent of our partner companies signed the recommendation.

Here’s the complete text:

Subject:  Balancing Work and Family – Aspiration to Actuality

 “Our government’s policies – many designed in the New Deal era – have not kept up with the new economy and the changing nature of people’s lives.” – 2008 Democratic National Platform

 Working families – from all socio-economic classes – are the keystone of our nation’s economic prosperity and competitiveness. Yet as a nation we have failed all working families because public policy has not mirrored their needs or the world in which they now live and work.

 There is an imbalance that exists for all working families that allows people to fulfill their roles as employees, but not as parents. Consequently, when we speak of work life balance it is only an aspiration. We propose that President Obama take it from aspiration to actuality.

 Clearly, a new ethic of responsibility – of shared responsibility between the public and private sectors – is necessary to launch a bold, new vision for supporting the lives of all working families so that they can continue to drive the competitiveness of American businesses in the 21^st century.

 Corporate Voices for Working Families recommends that President Obama convenes within the first 100 days of his administration a White House conference that places the national spotlight on issues involving working families and our economy in a way that would move the necessary work life balance from aspiration to actuality.

 By engaging cabinet members, public officials at all levels of government, business and civic leaders, President Obama would create the forum necessary to articulate a New Deal for all working families — giving them the support they critically require to be both productive workers and engaged parents.

 Moreover, a White House conference speaks directly to what has been missing during years of policy debate: the essential requirement to establish a public-private collaboration and partnership that addresses the needs of all working families as they continue to drive the American economy in the 21^st century.

 And as a key outcome, attendees should identify and endorse the five public policy priorities that need to be addressed immediately to support and improve the lives of working families regardless of socio-economic class.

 Corporate Voices for Working Families has a unique vantage point in the continuing public policy debate involving working families and the balance between work and family in all its dimensions. And we represent the collective voices of companies that are deeply concerned about challenges facing working families and our business competitiveness in a global economy. Our 50 partner companies have a long history of creating corporate policies that are good for their employees and their families. We are in a time when we must leverage their experience and knowledge to enact public policy for all workers that mirrors the best in industry.

 Without question working families live and work in a much different and much more complex society today than even a generation ago. For instance:

·      Nationally, 60 percent of children below age six have all parents in the labor force.

·      Couples with children work an average of 91 hours per week when their work hours are added together.

·      U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that 72 percent of absenteeism is due to child care-related issues, leaving little doubt that work-life programs are critical to helping the nation’s workforce and economy succeed and prosper.

·      And working for pay outside the home is no longer a choice for most Americans. It’s an economic necessity. Between 1982 and 2004, family median incomes increased by 23 percent in real dollars. But this growth was almost entirely the result of the presence of additional earners, with more women turning to full-time work and contributing more to the family total.

 When considering public policy within the context of a new ethic of responsibility, the White House must affirm the changes that have occurred in our society and workplace that affect working families – and there must be an acknowledged shared responsibility among the business community and policymakers that working families need support and that our future economic prosperity depends on it.

 Corporate Voices for Working Families on behalf of our partner companies appreciates the opportunity to present our perspective and recommendations on this critical issue facing working families and our economy. And we are prepared to provide whatever additional assistance is necessary to move forward with a bold, new initiative that would create a New Deal for 21^st century working families.

 

 

 

 

 

Workplace lactation program featured in Sloan Network News

A workplace lactation program that Corporate Voices for Working Families is launching in conjunction with Abbott Nutrition and Working Mother Media is featured in the November issue of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network News.

Here’s the article, written by Donna Klein, president and founder of Corporate Voices:

 

Corporate Voices for Working Families, Abbott Nutrition and Working Mother Media are working together to help solve a problem facing many working mothers– the need for breastfeeding support in the workplace.

The three organizations, in partnership with other companies, have launched an outreach program aimed at giving employers the information and tools they need to establish workplace lactation programs. A key component of the outreach effort — Workplace Lactation Programs: Good for Working Families, Good for Business– is a Workplace Lactation Toolkit.

The Toolkit, available [later in December] on the Corporate Voices for Working Families website, is designed to help front-line managers implement lactation programs and educate hourly and lower-wage employees on good choices about infant nutrition. Material contained in the Toolkit is available in both English and Spanish.

Implementing lactation programs and providing workplace support to hourly and lower-wage employees benefits working mothers and businesses, yet establishing these programs can be challenging. In a July 2008 survey of the Working Mother Magazine 100 Best Companies, more than one-third of employers said there are real barriers to implementing lactation programs for hourly and lower-wage employees. These barriers include scheduling conflicts, lack of dedicated lactation rooms and limited promotion of lactation benefits to hourly employees.

While benefiting working mothers and families, workplace lactation programs also contribute directly to financial results. Companies report that workplace lactation programs lower health care costs and improve employee morale, loyalty, productivity and retention. More specifically, the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee reports that for every $1 employers invest in workplace lactation programs, they can gain back $3 in reduced health care costs, averaging $400 per baby during the first year.

The benefits of workplace lactation programs for employers are clear. When women breastfeed, babies and mothers may be healthier, they miss less work-time and employee satisfaction and productivity can increase. Extending workplace lactation programs to all employees is a challenge worth meeting; this new program offers tools to help.

 

 

by Rob Jewell