AUGUST 2007

In this Issue…

NEWS

• Oregon Passes Breastfeeding Law for Working Moms

LABOR PROJECT UPDATES

• Labor Project’s Online Family Photo Album

RESOURCES

• AFT Guide on Bargaining for Family Issues
• No-Vacation Nation: CEPR Report

YOUR VOICE

• What Vacation Days? By David Moberg

NEWS

Oregon Passes Breastfeeding Law for Working Moms

Beginning in January 2008, Oregon employers of 25 or more will be required to provide unpaid breaks and a clean, private area for mothers to express breastmilk every four hours that they are at work. Working mothers will need to give their employers “reasonable notice” that they intend to take milk-pumping breaks.

Signed into law in May 2007 by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, the Breastfeeding and Return to Work bill is touted to be the most detailed breastfeeding-in-the-workplace legislation in the country. A broad coalition of supporters, including business lobbying groups and the Bureau of Labor and Industry, worked together to draft the policy language.

For more information, contact Amelia Psmythe, Executive Director of the Nursing Mothers Counsel of Oregon at (503) 804-6515 or amelia@nursingmotherscounsel.org.

LABOR PROJECT UPDATES

Labor Project’s Online Family Photo Album

The Labor Project for Working Families is inviting photo submissions for our NEW online Family Photo Album. We request our union sisters and brothers, friends and supporters to send us photographs of their favorite camera moments with their family.

We will select the best photo submissions and feature them on our website. See Submission Guidelines. For more information, call (510) 643-6813 or email info@working-families.org.

RESOURCES

AFT Guide on Bargaining for Family Issues

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) recently released an updated resource guide titled Bargaining for Family Issues. The publication is sponsored by the AFT Civil and Human Rights Committee to provide locals bargaining tools on issues such as child care, family leave, flexible work options, etc.

The guide includes current, important family issues, background information on these issues and sample contract language to be used as a model.

For more information, call Connie Cordovilla at (202) 879-4490 or email ccordovi@aft.org. View Online or Download a Free Copy.

No-Vacation Nation: CEPR Report

One in four workers in the United States does not receive any paid vacation or paid holidays, finds a report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). View Online or Download a Free Copy.

YOUR VOICE

What Vacation Days? By David Moberg

Despite being one of the richest nations, America denies its workers mandated paid vacations and sick days.

David Moberg is a senior editor of In These Times magazine. Recently he has received fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Nation Institute for research on the new global economy. This article appeared in the July 2007 issue of In These Times magazine.

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The Labor Family e-News Digest, a quarterly online publication of the Labor Project for Working Families, is available in both text and html formats. To subscribe, email info@working-families.org.

We encourage you to use the Labor Family e-News Digest to share news, views, and resources on addressing work family issues. To post an announcement or ask a question, please email info@working-families.org. The digest is facilitated by Vibhuti Mehra, Communications Coordinator, Labor Project for Working Families.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to addressing work and family issues.

For the latest news, information, publications and resources on work and family issues visit our NEW and enriched website www.working-families.org.