¡Hoy, 1 de julio de 2020, California está extendiendo oficialmente los beneficios de Permiso Familiar Pagado de 6 a 8 semanas! Aunque se están realizando algunas mejoras en las leyes de Permiso Familiar Pagado de California, muchos no conocen estos beneficios o no entienden cómo navegar las leyes complicadas que conforman el Programa de Permiso Familiar Pagado. Continue reading

  Today, July 1, 2020, California is officially extending Paid Family Leave benefits from 6 weeks to 8 weeks! Although some improvements are being made to California’s Paid Family Leave laws, many aren’t aware of these benefits or don’t understand how to navigate the complex laws that make up the Paid Family Leave Program. Continue reading

  SB 1383, the bill we were fighting for last week, would have provided unpaid job protection for parents who are dealing with a school or child care closure due to a federal, state, or locally declared emergency.  Unfortunately, California legislators decided to "gut and amend" SB 1383. In other words, these protections we were fighting for no longer exist. Now, SB 1383 has been amended to include different protections that we are now rallying support behind. The new version of SB 1383 includes job protection for those who take Paid Family Leave.  Continue reading

Assemblymember Ash Kalra on the Assembly Floor in the Capitol. June 18, 2020. Oakland, CA—The California Work & Family Coalition commends the California Assembly for passing AB 3216 (Kalra). We are celebrating this win which brings workers closer to having the protections they need to get through this pandemic and future public health emergencies. Continue reading

  The hashtags are trending, the memes are flying, and people are getting into fierce comment wars on social media about racism. As a black person myself, I am overwhelmed by all of this but also grateful to be witnessing this long overdue shift in our country. Continue reading

We are mourning the loss of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and the countless Black people whose lives have been mercilessly taken by racist police and vigilantes. All of us are living in a world that is sitting on top of centuries of slavery. The Civil Rights movement may have been dismissed by many when Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated in 1968, but we know now, without a shadow of a doubt, that racism is nowhere near eradicated in our country. Continue reading

Migrant workers clean fields near Salinas, California, on March 30.   Governor Gavin Newsom and other private entities have funded a disaster relief assistance program for undocumented workers. This article will answer common questions to help you understand how to try to access these funds. This article is being shared from the Employee Rights Center. The information in this article is provided by The California Department of Social Services.   Continue reading

Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Congressman Ro Khanna and California Nurses Association Board Member Jennifer Holm discuss "Medicare For All" in this file photo. Photo by Nadia Lopez.   Many of our civic leaders are talking about staying home to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus, and yet, three months into the government-mandated stay-at-home order there are still no state-wide policies in California that make it possible for people to stay home for the duration recommended by the Center for Disease Control (14 days if exposed) without losing their income and their job. This could change if AB 3216, a new bill authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra and Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, is passed. This bill is the response we need to protect workers’ income and jobs regardless or where they work or what zip code they live in. So, what exactly would AB 3216 do for California workers if passed?   Continue reading

On January 23rd, 2020 breastfeeding advocates from the California Breastfeeding Coalition partnered with the California Work & Family Coalition for an Advocacy Day. More than 60 breastfeeding advocates visited 55 different State Assemblymembers and State Senators to educate them about the importance of job-protected paid family leave. Participants shared powerful stories with the legislators about the connection between job-protected paid family leave and breastfeeding outcomes. Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson addressed Advocacy Day Participants and spoke about the need for job-protected paid family leave for all Californians. Continue reading

Happy National Family Caregiver Month! I have worked on Paid Family Leave for over 15 years and this year feels different. We are moving into our Statewide Meeting preparation in a time of exciting movement and momentum at the local, state, and national level. It's up to us -- the parents, caregivers, advocates, and on-the-ground organizers -- to take this momentum in the direction of winning Paid Leave for All. If we work together we can win the changes we need in California to make our law inclusive, job-protected, and with adequate compensation so that everyone benefits. From our work last year with Human Impact Partners, we learned that there is a need to ramp up awareness and support for family caregivers who need to take time to care. Read our report: Understanding Working & Caregiving: An Analysis. And check out the factsheet we'll use to educate policy makers this year. Let's make 2020 a year to remember for parents and caregivers in California! Continue reading