"These issues disproportionately affect low-wage women of color." We spoke to The 19th about how the federal PUMP Act is serving as a lifeline for millions of lactating workers nationwide in need of workplace accommodations, and helping to advance racial, gender, and economic justice:
A Better Balance
Legal Services
New York, New York 1,058 followers
The Work and Family Legal Center
About us
Our Mission Our mission is to promote equality and expand choices for men and women at all income levels so they may care for their families without sacrificing their economic security. We employ a range of legal strategies to promote flexible workplace policies, end discrimination against caregivers and value the work of caring for families. Who We Are At some point in our lives, we are all likely to be primary caregivers to a child, spouse, parent or other family member, or to need care ourselves. Caregiving is an issue that affects everyone. A Better Balance is a legal team fighting to give American workers the time and flexibility they need to care for their families. We help to balance the demands of employment and home, ensuring that families are prioritized--not punished--in the workplace. We lead the charge for policies that help families, such as sick leave, flex time, pay equity, antidiscrimination, and other issues that value family care. Although our work benefits families of all income levels, it is low-income families that benefit most. Our efforts help people who work outside and inside the home achieve a better balance between providing for their families and caring for them. A History of a Better Balance The founders of A Better Balance are a group of lawyers who have successfully worked together on a variety of women’s rights and economic issues and now seek to forge a comprehensive multi-strategic approach to addressing the work-family dilemma. We are particularly well qualified to take on the task of transforming the American workplace and raising awareness of the importance of caregiving in public policy decisions. We have extensive experience building coalitions, advocating for change, litigating impact cases, developing new legislation and educating employers, labor unions and the public on economic justice issues important to women. Learn more: www.twitter.com/abetterbalance www.facebook.com/abetterbalance
- Website
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http://www.abetterbalance.org
External link for A Better Balance
- Industry
- Legal Services
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- New York, New York
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2006
Locations
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Primary
40 Worth Street
New York, New York 10038, US
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2301 21st Ave S
Suite 355
Nashville, Tennessee 37212, US
Employees at A Better Balance
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Sheri Gaw, RDN, CDCES
Registered Dietitian at El Camino Hospital Cardiac & Pulmonary Wellness Center
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Steven A. Toledo
Nonprofit + Social Impact Executive | Pahara Aspen Fellow | Entrepreneur | Values-Driven Leader
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Sarah Birger
Company Owner at Better Balance LLC
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Jared Make
Vice President at A Better Balance
Updates
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Our new report, "Pregnant and Finally Protected," illustrates the powerful impact of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act with profiles of workers whom we have assisted via our free legal helpline over the past year, compared to those who were unable to rely on the law before passage:
Pregnant and Finally Protected
https://www.abetterbalance.org
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As Sweden extends paid family leave to grandparents caring for grandchildren, we're continuing the fight for comprehensive, inclusive paid family and medical leave for all in the U.S., state by state and on the national level. “Families often extend beyond the nuclear family. Examples like Sweden show just how far behind the United States is. We have a lot of work to do to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world," ABB Vice President Jared Make told The Associated Press.
Swedes take a new step in parental leave. Grandparents can now get paid to take care of grandkids
apnews.com
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For Opportunity Youth (“OY”), categorized as young people aged 16-24 who are neither working nor in school, systemic factors, including a lack of access to mental health supports in the workplace, can be especially challenging. This is all the more compounded by the fact our country is facing a large-scale youth mental health crisis. Paid family and medical leave and paid sick time are practical policy solutions that can help support young people's mental health and ability to participate in the workforce. Learn more:
Opportunity Youth and Mental Health: How to Support our Nation’s Struggling Population
https://www.abetterbalance.org
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A Better Balance reposted this
Moms, do you have questions about your legal rights to balance your health and caregiving needs with your job? Call A Better Balance’s free and confidential legal helpline for hands-on support exercising your workplace rights: https://lnkd.in/gE3Tcf4J . . . .#paidfamilyleave #pregnancyworkersfairnessact #pwfa #fmla #workersrights #employmentlaw #hrlaw #hr #hraccomodations
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A Better Balance reposted this
A Better Balance recently released a report highlighting the ways in which the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has already changed lives and helped countless workers. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/euTjBe-u
Pregnant and Finally Protected
abetterbalance.org
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In the year since the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect, we've seen firsthand through our free legal helpline (1-833-NEED-ABB) that the law has already been a lifeline for workers, especially for women in low-wage jobs, enabling them to safeguard their health and their paycheck. Women like Victoria from South Carolina, who was forced onto unpaid leave from her head custodian job after she requested a doctor-ordered pregnancy accommodation. But after calling our helpline and informing her employer about the PWFA, she returned to work the next day. Read this powerful story from The Associated Press to learn more:
This law is a lifeline for pregnant workers even as an abortion dispute complicates its enforcement
apnews.com
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Happy Pride Month from A Better Balance! We recognize that the fight for fairer, more supportive workplaces is intertwined with the movement for LGBTQ equity and equality, and we won't stop fighting to ensure our country's work-family laws recognize all families and support LGBTQ workers and families in balancing their health and caregiving needs with their economic security:
Pride 2024: A Time for Action and Advocacy for All Families
https://www.abetterbalance.org
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New York’s paid medical leave system is stuck in 1989, offering workers who have a serious illness or injury a mere $170 a week in compensation, without job protection or guarantee of health insurance. We are deeply disappointed that bill A.10561/ S.9840, which would have reformed and modernized this outdated paid medical leave system, did not receive a vote in the Assembly, even after it passed through the Senate and even though the bill was consistent with the Assembly’s April budget proposal. We won't give up—the Assembly must get the job done. Our full statement:
STATEMENT: After the New York State Assembly Fails to Vote on Paid Medical Leave, A Better Balance Urges Action to Protect Workers’ Ability to Care for Their Health
https://www.abetterbalance.org
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"It's time to give all workers in America the right to rest and recover." We authored an op-ed with Theraflu for Newsweek highlighting how a national right to paid sick time would benefit families, public health, business, and the economy:
Businesses Must Rally Behind Paid Sick Leave Policies
newsweek.com