A new report says more than 236,000 Mississippi households, about one third of the state's total population, struggle to make ends meet. This report, "Building Economic Stability for Mississippi Families," was recently released by Insight Center for Community Economic Development and the MS Economic Policy Center. "The report says, 'We know what the problem is, now here are some examples of how folks are trying to solve this,' "said Ed Sivak, executive director of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center. (Women in Construction is cited as a program that "works.")
Recommendations from the Report:
- Use the Self-Sufficiency Standard to pinpoint promising job areas, and broaden qualifications for work supports.
- Earmark investments in education, skills development and support services that help low-income Mississippians attain better-paying jobs.
- Ensure equal pay for women and people of color.
- Ease access to programs that help workers stay employed and "make work pay," including the Earned Income Tax Credit, child-care subsidies, affordable housing and transportation vouchers.
- Promote programs that help families save, such as Individual Development Accounts, Family Savings Accounts and affordable loans and other financial services.
- Encourage a coalition of nonprofit organizations, foundations, policy makers, community colleges and businesses that help residents gain economic stability.
Read Full Article
|
U.S. the only industrialized nation with no paid leave for new parents (NPR)
|
The U.S. is now the one and only industrialized nation that doesn't afford parents of newborns any paid leave. In 1993, the U.S. did mandate 12 weeks of unpaid family leave, which can be used by new parents, though it leaves much of the workforce uncovered. The FMLA only applies to employees who have worked at least 12 months for their current employer and who work for a firm employing at least 50 workers (many hourly low-wage workers are excluded). Women's rights groups argue that lack of paid leave can often throw new parents into poverty, or lead many women to quit their jobs. But business groups have long fought any kind of paid leave. They contend the burden on business could lead to lost jobs.
Also: A new poll indicates majority of Americans are in favor of paid sick leave (Ms. Magazine)
Read Full Article
|
Economic and cultural impact of Sweden's parental leave laws (NYT)
|
Laws reserving at least two months of the generously paid 13-month parental leave exclusively for fathers have set off profound social change in Sweden. Companies have come to expect employees to take leave irrespective of gender and not to penalize fathers at promotion time. Women's paychecks are benefiting and the shift in fathers' roles is perceived as playing a part in lower divorce rates and increasing joint custody of children.
A short history of Swedish parental leave laws: In 1974, when Sweden became the first country to replace maternity leave with parental leave, the few men who took it were nicknamed "velvet dads." Introducing "daddy leave" in 1995 had an immediate impact. No father was forced to stay home, but the family lost one month of subsidies if he did not. Soon more than eight in 10 men took leave. A study published by the Swedish Institute of Labor showed, for instance, that a mother's future earnings increase on average 7 percent for every month the father takes leave.
Read Full Article |
Mississippi Center for Justice Responds to Oil Crisis on MS Gulf Coast
|
This email from MCJ (below) describes the frustrating process that workers must go through to file a claim with BP for lost wages. MCJ is also noticing that payday lenders view these claims checks (and the oil spill in general) as an opportunity to capitalize in yet one more way. (Read email below for full story.)
Read Full Article
|
