Have you been following the campaign for paid sick days in New York City? It’s a major economic issue for working moms. Here's what Susan Saradon had to say on twitter:

@susansaradon "SF study says #paidsickdays good for business, aren't abused by workers. Hope it will be put to a vote. Will talk to Cty Council Spkr."

 

Feminist icon, Gloria Steinem had this to say, “I’ve seen women lose their jobs, lose their apartments, and spend two years getting their kids back from foster care — all starting with a sick child...”

You are invited to an exclusive blogger and activist briefing call to join in the conversation and get more of the inside scoop.

The call is this Tuesday, August 7th at 3PM ET. Please join young women leaders including Shelby Knox, Jamia Wilson, Elana Levin, Sarah Jaffe, Jocelyn Mazurkiewicz, Cari Jackson, Anita Jackson and Monifa Bandele.

Register here and we’ll send you the call-in details:
bit.ly/nycpsdcall

A little more background on the issue:

It’s no surprise why 88% of NYC working moms support paid sick days. We all know how fast the flu can travel through a workplace, school, or child care center; yet nearly one and a half million New York City residents are not allowed by their employers to earn paid sick days. This is a serious issue for New York's women and families. For the first time in U.S history, women are half of all workers and mothers are primary or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families. Without paid sick time, women--especially low-income women with children and single mothers--face impossible choices between tending to their own health or the health of their children and their economic security.

 

Cities like San Francisco, Washington DC and Seattle and the state of Connecticut have passed paid sick days legislation – with great success. And a paid sick day’s bill in New York City has super-majority support on the City Council. But so far, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn has disappointingly blocked the bill from getting a vote.

Please join us to learn the inside scoop on the campaign and find out how people are getting involved.

Instead of just worrying about whether Yahoo! CEO Marissa Meyer can have it all; we think we also need to worry about whether hundreds of thousands of working women and men can have it, at all. https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/images/cleardot.gif>

 

Here’s the link to register for the call:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7TH AT 3PM

bit.ly/nycpsdcall

Thanks. We’ve pasted some recent press clips below (and there are tons more).

- Ruth, Monifa, Anita and the whole MomsRising team.

NY Times: Steinem Presses Quinn to Back Sick-Leave Bill http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/nyregion/steinem-pressures-quinn-on-council-vote-on-sick-leave-bill.html?_r=1&ref=policy

NY Daily News Op Ed: Give New Yorkers Paid Sick Days (Ai-jen Poo and Shelby Knox)
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/give-new-yorkers-paid-sick-days-article-1.1117128?localLinksEnabled=false

NY1: Women Rally for Paid Sick Days
http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/political_news/165106/women-rally-for-paid-sick-days

Alternet: Which Side Are You On? Activists Launch "Women for Paid Sick Days" Campaign to Press Mayoral Candidate Christine Quinn
http://www.alternet.org/news/156391/which_side_are_you_on_activists_launch_%22women_for_paid_sick_days%22_campaign_to_press_mayoral_candidate_christine_