Paid Family Leave

May 29, 2007

Yesterday, I stubbed my toe and found myself hopping on one foot, saying "Ouch, ouch, ouch!," while my children looked on with amused expressions. My daughter, age eight, blurted out, "Look it's 'Pain Family Leave!'" Of course, my toe immediately felt better and I had to giggle. But some corporate interests really do think paid family leave is a "pain"—and shame on them! *Sign our petition and also share your thoughts and experiences with businesses after reading this full post. To share your experiences, just click the blog title above, or click on the "Read full post" link below. Then scroll down to the end of web page--through all of the comments/blog text--to the "Post a Comment" section. Fill in the blanks with your text. Then when you are finished don't forget to click the "Post Comment" button at the very bottom of the page.

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

March 24, 2007

Imagine a beautifully presented long chain of decorated baby onesies stretching all around your state capital as a visual representation of the real people who need the policies being debated inside the imposing buildings. Each onesie signifies one person--mother, father, child, grandmother,...

MomsRising Together

Katie Bethell

Paid Family Leave

March 10, 2007

We're listening hard! We'd love to hear your comments about what you'd like to see on the MomsRising website and in the e-alerts. *To share your ideas, just click the blog title above, or the "Read full post" link below. Then scroll down to the end of the comments/blog text to "Post a Comment."

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

February 28, 2007

We want to hear your stories about the sick days you receive at work--or about your lack of sick days. What's happening in your life with this important issue? Do you have enough sick days? What happens at your work when people get sick? *To share your story, just click the blog title above, or the "Read full post" link below. Then scroll down to the end of the comments/blog text to "Post a Comment."

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

February 28, 2007

If you have time to read just one article this week, then check out the cover story in The Nation, "The Care Crisis," by Ruth Rosen at: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070312/rosen It's a timely, articulate argument about why, "Working mothers can't pamper their stress away--their balancing act needs a political fix." Read it, then act!

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

January 10, 2007

Have you needed to take time off for family responsibilities? Did you have paid leave? What happenned? Do tell! *After you submit your comments on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) via e-mail to the Department of Labor (e-mail: whdcomments@dol.gov ), please share your comments, and personal stories, here. To share your comments and stories, just click the blog title above, or the "Read full post" link below. Then scroll down to the end of the comments/blog text to "Post a Comment."

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

January 10, 2007

In case you are new to my blog , which will regularly appear on this MomsRising homepage (so check back in often!), my husband and I are wearing the MomsRising.org t-shirts everyday until Paid Family Leave is passed in Washington State. My hope is that it will raise awareness for MomsRising.org and garner support for the passage of Paid Family Leave in Washington. Now let me take a moment to properly introduce myself and illuminate why I am taking on working for Change here at home: I am now an activist. It's not how I'd have classified myself a month ago, but my recent pledge to consider democracy as an action, as opposed to a concept, has me viewing myself differently. I am thirty-three years old. I was raised in poverty by a mother who fled an abusive husband and turned to the state for help after her self-esteem and self worth were beaten out of her and her five children. I say poverty and I wonder if you, the reader, know what I mean. It is a widely used word, and brings to mind many pictures, I want you to see mine. Poverty was living in a school bus that was converted to be our home...

MomsRising Together

yvonnemonique

Paid Family Leave

December 31, 2006

Have a New Year's resolution to share? An inspiration for the next 365 days? *Share your resolution by clicking the blog title above or "Read full post" link below, then scroll down to the end of the blog text and Post a Comment. Speaking of inspired, check out what two MomsRising members, Yvonne and Ken, are doing for their New Year's resolution in the text below. *A New Look for a New Year by Yvonne and Ken: "At the end of every December, our family picks themes to represent our upcoming year. The theme is a way to help each of us focus on something we want more (or less) of in our lives. Last year Yvonne's theme was "Start no new projects." Ken's was: "Better balance between time spent at work and time spent at home." At the end of the year, we keep looking ahead and find something new to work towards. 2007 brings us the first unified theme since our marriage. After seeing the Motherhood Manifesto DVD in December we both were inspired to get involved. Neither of us has spent much time in political activism beyond merely writing a check or signing a petition so this year we pledged to go from passive activism to full-time, every day, social change animals. We will accomplish this by becoming human MomsRising t-shirt wearing billboards until paid family leave passes in our home state. Yep, we each will wear a MomsRising t-shirt every day, until a paid family leave bill is passed in Washington State.

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

December 7, 2006

Do tell! Please share your ideas for what MomsRising should e-mail out to members as a holiday greeting here! *To share your ideas, click the blog title above or "Read full post" link below, then scroll down to the end of the blog text and Post a Comment. The holiday season is a great time for making people smile, and also for helping grow the size of our movement. You, our members, are the key source of great ideas and power behind the dynamism of MomsRising.

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Paid Family Leave

November 22, 2006

We have exciting news on this front: You all are amazing! Last week in response to news that a ticket agent forced a mother off a Freedom Air flight run by Delta Air Lines for breastfeeding on-board, MomsRising put up a petition and you responded (and can still respond!). In less than a week the petition gathered over 20,000 signatures telling Delta Air Lines that breastfeeding mothers should be supported, as well as supporting the Breastfeeding Promotion Act before Congress. Over 20,000 signatures! Emails and calls from MomsRising members, as well as regular updates about the high number of petition signatures, pushed both Delta and Freedom Airlines to issue statements underscoring their commitment to allowing women to breastfeed onboard planes. Freedom Air also noted that the incident would serve as a training opportunity for all employees.

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner