Taking Action on State and National Issues

TAKE ACTION!

If You Support Paid Sick Days, Oppose Michigan H.B. 4249 / S.B. 173 

In Michigan, legislation has been introduced that will preempt any city from passing a law requiring employers to provide paid sick days. Tell your representatives in the Michigan House and Senate to oppose H.B. 4249 / S.B. 173 and allow communities to pass laws that help their citizens.

Send your message now:   https://secure2.convio.net/npwf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=923

Paid sick days are working well in cities like San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. And lawmakers in Portland, Oregon, and New York City are close to rolling out their own local paid sick days standards.

But if H.B. 4249 / S.B. 173 passes, Michigan cities and towns will not have this right. For more information about anti-democratic anti-paid sick days bills, see:    http://blog.paidsickdays.org/index.php/preemption-a-growing-calculated-threat-to-democracy/

CEW works on state and national issues important to women through our applied research, collaborative programming and legislative advocacy. We focus on three key areas:

Women in the Workplace

Despite the many hard-fought gains made over the years, women continue to experience a variety of challenges to their success in the workplace. Recent advocacy efforts have focused on:

Career Opportunities: The opportunity to enter and excel in a career field of their choice is still limited for many women. This is of particular importance in Michigan, where women are underrepresented in the high-tech fields that will drive the new economy. Read our analysis of the situation for women in these new fields of importance to our state.

Pay Equity: Women who are able to obtain a job in their desired field still face the likelihood that they will not be paid as well as their male counterparts for the same work. Working with other organizations, CEW supports efforts to enact state and federal legislation that addresses this inequity.

Work-life integration is an ongoing concern for American women. Because of society’s continued expectation that women will be the primary caregivers within the family, most women must juggle a heavy load of work, family and community responsibilities. 

Access to Education

CEW translates its work on the UM campus to address the need for educational access on the local, state, and federal levels. The following resources provide additional information on access to education.

• Fact Sheet on Access to Higher Education: Barriers and Benefits
• CEW reports on Educational Access
• College access is particularly challenging for low income parents who are recipients of welfare assistance. However, attending college while receiving benefits is possible.

Diversity & Inclusion

In November 2006, Michigan passed Proposal 2 (known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative), a constitutional amendment banning affirmative action based on race, gender, ethnicity, color or national origin in public employment, public education and government contracting. CEW has produced several publications addressing this proposal. CEW also provides post-initiative updates.  In addition, CEW continues to monitor national activities around this and similar legislation and efforts to maintain access and opportunity.