paid sick days: why we’re winning ellen bravo earn conference september 13, 2011
TRANSCRIPT
Paid Sick Days:Why We’re Winning
Ellen BravoEARN Conference
September 13, 2011
Growing Momentum• One win: a fluke/a local story/the start!• Two wins: a problem/call me when there’s a third/on our way!• Three: a conspiracy/a trend/a successful movement!
What We’ve Won
2006, San Francisco 2007, DC 2008, Milwaukee 2011: Connecticut,
Philadelphia, Seattle, soon Denver
2012: Massachusetts, New York City and more!Campaigns in more than a dozen other cities and states.
How We’re Winning
We Are Engaging Workers
Involving affected workers in every aspect of our campaigns.
How We’re Winning
We Are Building Partners
GA: Easter Seals, PTA, GA Developmental Disabilities Council
IL: Access Living, Breast Cancer Network, AIDS Foundation, Protestants for Common Good, Academy of Pediatricians, YWCA
NY: Make the Road, Domestic Workers United, ROC, Working Families Party
MA: SEIU, school nurses, low-income housing developers, NE United 4 Justice
National: Mothers’ Day trip to Phoenix
Deepening work with labor, small business, immigrants, women’s groups
Examples include:
How We’re Winnng
We Are Breaking Identity Theft
Jim Houser, OregonOwner, Hawthorne Auto Clinic
“As a result of our wage and benefit package, including paid sick days, 8 of our 9 full-time employees have an average tenure of over 18 years at Hawthorne Auto Clinic.”
How We’re Winning
Finding Legislative Champions
Being savvy in targeting.Making support visible.Neutralizing where
necessary.Showing voters paying
attention.
How We’re Winning
We Are Building Power• Raising resources (and
targeting).• Connecting groups with each
other (sharing strategies, tips, lessons, networks)
• Connecting grassroots with national partners (maximizing research, engagement)
How We’re Winning
We Are Taking Action!
• Creative.• Targeted.• Newsworthy.• Involving workers
and other coalition partners.
How We’re Winning
Using Clear Messages Rooted in Values• No one should have to choose between the job they need
and the family they love.• Everyone gets sick – not everyone has the right to get well.• You don’t want to be served flu with your food.• Bad times are the worst time to lose a job because of caring
for a sick child.• Policies that value families are good for the bottom line.
How We’re Winning
Using New Media Tools
• Working Families Story Bank – audio and photos. http://www.workingfamiliesstories.org/
• Using multiple languages.• Social networking.
Contagion: Not Just a Movie
How We’re Winning
Demonstrating Real Needs
• Our organizing, research, polling demonstrate a need for new minimum standards.
• Workers have identified paid sick days as a modest solution with a major impact.
How We’re Winning
Demonstrating Good for Business• Cost of replacement: 150% for
salaried, $5500 even for $8/hr workers
• Reports on San Francisco.
• Not a favor to women: cuts turnover, presenteeism, health costs; improves quality and productivity.
• Using poll numbers on paid sick days:
How We’re Winning
Demonstrating Public Support
City Rep.s Independents Dems
Denver 58% 65% 73%
New York City 75% 88% 93%
Philadelphia 64% 72%
Connecticut 61% 70% 87%
• We’re building more than immediate reforms.• Building movements, connections, power, capacity.
• We’re building a world of justice and honor, for working families, and for us all.
Building The World We Deserve:In for the long haul