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Jodie Levin-Epstein is the Deputy Director of CLASP, an organization that advocates for low-income people.
Jodie Levin-Epstein
Jodie Levin-Epstein is the Deputy Director of CLASP, an organization that advocates for low-income people.
Blog Post List
April 24, 2013
The MOMentum around paid sick days is huge: in the month of March alone, supporters moved the dial in three of America’s biggest cities. Campaigns around the nation are reaching out to businesses to join in the effort. The progress in March is notable. In Philadelphia the City Council once again approved a measure; while the Mayor again vetoed the bill, the Council has made it clear the issue will not go away. In Portland a new sick days has been enacted and in New York the City Council agreed to a deal that will become law – even if the Mayor vetoes the measure, the Council will override it...
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February 4, 2013
The Department of Labor (DOL) has just released the results of two new surveys on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). These are the first surveys conducted by the DOL on the FMLA in over a decade. Released just in time for the 20th anniversary of the passage of the FMLA, the results give us significant insight into both employer and employee experiences with this pivotal legislation. Please join us for a national audio conference on Thursday to discuss the results of the DOL's FMLA surveys. Our guests will help to shed light on the implications of these results for advocates, the policy...
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June 15, 2011
It may be time to say, "As Connecticut goes, so goes the nation." Any day now, Connecticut's governor is expected to place his John Hancock on a bill that will make Connecticut the first state in the nation to enact a minimum standard for paid sick days. That sends "an important signal to the other 49 states," as state House Speaker Christopher Donovan noted when the bill passed. State law is necessary because the United States has no federal paid sick days law for private sector employees. The United States is an outlier among the 15 most competitive nations when it comes to providing paid...
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December 21, 2010
Although millions of workers nationwide are struggling with reduced benefits and rising health care costs, a recent piece in USA Today revealed those at the top continue to receive top-notch health perks. At one company, executives receive $10,000 per illness for expenses not covered under the company’s standard plan. Executives and spouses at another company receive yearly Mayo Clinic exams on top of up to $50,000 for expenses. While there’s nothing new about CEOs having more perks than the rank and file, the article exposes the extent to which those at the top continue to get better health...
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September 21, 2010
In 2009, the number of those officially poor is the highest ever recorded -- a total of 43.6 million according to the Census Bureau data released September 16th. That includes 3.7 million of us who became poor just in 2009, reflecting a 1.1 percent jump from 2008. These numbers may get a yawn from some analysts since the metrics are readily explicable: The Great Recession built up poverty and as it ebbs, so too, will the rate. Any comfort is likely taken without knowledge of two important discoveries about poverty. First, even short-term poverty driven by recession can scar families and hurt...
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August 17, 2010
REGISTER NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 9th (12:30- 1:30 ET) CLASP AUDIO CALL: “ Profitable: A Flexible Workplace for ALL Workers.” Join a lively discussion with Joan Blades (co-founder of MomsRising.org and MoveOn.org) , Jody Heymann (founding director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy at McGill and the Project on Global Working Families at Harvard), and Joan Williams (founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at Hastings College of the Law, University of California) that will zero in on employers that have developed strategies to provide workplace flexibility to all their workers –...
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July 28, 2010
Vacations are good for your health . And, you don’t need to get away to any fancy Caribbean retreat to get the benefit of time-off from work. But it helps if you are a horse. In New York City, that is. The City’s Health Department has proposed new rules for those horses hitched to carriages that carry tourists around parts of town. If implemented, the horses would get 5 weeks of job-protected vacation . During their time off, the horses would continue to enjoy their standard payment – room and board, along with grooming. It is a reasonable business decision to invest in these workers since...
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