Corporate Voices Launches New Workplace Lactation Toolkit to Close Gap in Support for Nursing Mothers
April 22, 2011
The challenges faced by nursing mothers at work, especially those in hourly, lower-wage positions, are very real. We know that 77 percent of mothers in retail or lower-wage jobs give up breastfeeding after returning to work. This is because continuing to breastfeed at work is so difficult– especially for those who don’t have access to a clean or private place to pump milk, scheduling flexibility to do so, or a supportive manager.
Older Workers in a Multigenerational Workforce
March 23, 2011
Older people are staking their claim in the workplace. They are continuing to work beyond the “normal” retirement age for two reasons. First, they need the income. Secondly, they are healthy and up to the demands of the job, and they feel that they have something special to offer.
In several focus groups conducted in 2005 with both working and retired senior pharmacists throughout the country, I learned that they were keen on mentoring young people entering the pharmacy profession. This interest extended to helping secondary school and high school students, particularly minority students, choose pharmacy careers and to supporting and developing opportunities for pharmacy technicians, who were already in the workplace, to move on to becoming full-fledged pharmacists. “Pharmacy is a helping profession” was a repeated refrain. Moreover, the senior pharmacists saw the opportunity for growth and the prospect of receiving continuing education credits as part of the mentoring credentialing.
Formal Internship Programs – Why They Belong on the College Completion Agenda
March 20, 2011
Hope. Where are we as individuals, families, communities and nations without it? Hope sustains us through tragedies such as that in Japan and unrest in the Middle East. Hope is what lets us believe in a better future even as we face such difficult times.
As the Executive Director of The Internship Institute, I work daily to provide hope for others. I join hands with fellow parents, corporate and community leaders and like-minded professionals to clear pathways to brighter futures. I believe this is both possible and essential for our prosperity and survival in the global economy.
IRS Announcement Helps to Overcome Barriers for Working, Nursing Mothers
February 15, 2011
On Thursday of last week, the IRS reversed a long-held position and announced that breast pumps and other supplies for breastfeeding are now tax deductible as medical expenses. Families can now use pre-tax funds from flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts for these supplies, which could add up to considerable savings for new mothers starting a family.
Corporate Voices Releases Updated Employer Guide to Tax Credits and Other Benefits for Workers: Includes New Financial Literacy Section
February 8, 2011
As our nation recovers from one of the worst economic downturns in its history, employees continue to feel the pinch on their pocketbooks as many employers were forced to cut jobs, hours, and benefits in an effort to stay in business. A new toolkit published by Corporate Voices for Working Families is a welcome addition for those who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit and other benefits. Released this week, the 2010 Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They’ve Earned helps employers inform their employees about the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, and state and local benefits.
Corporate Voices Responds to Surgeon General’s “Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding”
January 20, 2011
Corporate Voices for Working Families has issued a response to the U.S. Surgeon General’s “Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding,” released today, emphasizing the need for creating a broader awareness of the tools and resources that are available to both employers and employees to effectively support nursing mothers at work.
Anemic Economic Recovery Highlights Need for Tools to Help Working Families
January 12, 2011
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ December employment report, released Friday, payroll employment grew by 103,000 in December, marking the 12th straight month of private sector job growth that added 1.3 million jobs to the economy in 2010. This marked the strongest private sector growth since 2006, and contributed to lowering the unemployment rate from 9.8 percent to 9.4 percent in December.
Supporting Working Mothers– An Imperative for America’s Economy
January 4, 2011
With the passage of health care reform last year, nursing mothers in hourly positions gained the right to have reasonable break time and a sanitary place at work to pump milk for their babies. The “right to pump” provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers of all sizes to provide workplace support for working mothers who choose to breastfeed.
Youth Unemployment Hits Rock Bottom- We must act NOW.
October 5, 2010
Even as America emerges slowly out of the recession, too many of our young people are still not graduating high school or achieving a postsecondary education, which severely impacts their opportunity for growth in the labor market. Compared to other age groups, the unemployment rate for young people has always been on the higher end; however, the economic downturn has impacted young workers particularly hard. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, young adults (ages 16-24) have suffered the highest unemployment rate on record. By official estimates, unemployment among young workers reached 19.6 percent in April, the highest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking statistics in 1947. In reality, far more young people are out of work because many of them have given up on looking altogether, and are therefore not ‘counted’ in official unemployment tallies.
Best of Congress: The Personal Stories That Drive Their Legislative Accomplishments
September 23, 2010
Yesterday, Corporate Voices and Working Mother Media publicly recognized the 30 winners of this year’s Best of Congress Award. The Award recognizes Congressional excellence in improving the lives of working families through advancing national legislation, advocacy, and supporting family-friendly work policies in their own offices.
Corporate Voices Honors Best of Congress Winners for Shining National Spotlight on Policies to Help Working Families
September 21, 2010
Working Mother Media and Corporate Voices for Working Families are pleased to honor the winners of this year’s Best of Congress Award at an awards breakfast tomorrow, September 22, in Washington, D.C.
New Poverty Data Highlight Growing Class of “Working Poor,” and How Businesses Can Help Working Families
September 17, 2010
Yesterday, the U.S. Census Bureau released data collected from the 2009 census, and the findings are grim. Nearly 44 million Americans are living below the poverty line, which is the highest recorded number of Americans living in poverty since the census began tracking this data 51 years ago. This represents an increase in the nation’s official poverty rate to 14.3 percent, up from 13.2 percent in 2008.
Making the Tax Code Work for Working Families–and Businesses
September 1, 2010
As Congress returns from recess, the Center for American Progress Action Fund hosted as especially timely event on August 31 titled “Making the Tax Code Work for Working Families.” Speakers discussed the emerging tax debate, the past and future of family-friendly tax credits, and how the tax code can be reformed to help working families.
Webinar: New Federal Requirements on Workplace Lactation
August 26, 2010
With the passage of health care reform earlier this year, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has introduced a new employer requirement to provide space and time for nursing mothers to pump milk at work.
Support for Breastfeeding Working Moms is Support for a Healthier, More Competitive Workforce
August 9, 2010
In a blog post published today titled “Breastfeeding Awareness,” Lauren Leonard and Caroline Ogilvy of the Sloan Work & Family Research Network highlight, in honor of World Breastfeeding Week last week, a set of practical resources for working mothers, employers, and policy makers in the hopes of helping working moms so they can continue to breastfeed when they return to work.
Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week: August 1-7, 2010
August 1, 2010
World Breastfeeding Week has officially begun. From August 1-7, 2010, individuals and organizations worldwide will host events, photo contests, and letter-signing campaigns in support of successful breastfeeding around the world.
New Federal Workplace Lactation Law–Why It’s Good for Families, Good for Business
April 16, 2010
A little-known amendment on workplace lactation sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley became law with the passage of health care reform by Congress last month. Since then, there have been a trickle of articles discussing the new federal requirement, what it means for the business community, and why workplace lactation has been such an obstacle for new mothers.
Breastfeeding in the Workplace–Saving Lives, Improving Business
April 8, 2010
A new study on breastfeeding published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday finds that if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk exclusively for the first six months, nearly 900 babies lives’ would be saved every year.
Breastfeeding– Good for Families, Good for Business
March 8, 2010
One issue that new mothers face when deciding to return to work after having a child is whether or not to continue breastfeeding. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding is better for babies’ health than formula, and they recommend that all mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months, and keep nursing for one year or more. Breastfeeding offers important benefits for mothers, such as reducing the risk of breast cancer, and helping with post-pregnancy weight loss. A majority of mothers in the U.S. begin breastfeeding their babies at birth, but most of them stop soon thereafter.
Corporate Voices Hosts EITC Webinar to Educate Employers
March 3, 2010
With economic pains from the recent recession still lingering and tax season around the corner, Corporate Voices for Working Families held a webinar on Tuesday, March 2 to educate employers on how their employees can access much-needed tax credits and other benefits.
Corporate Voices Releases Employer Guide to Tax Credits and Other Benefits for Workers
January 29, 2010
Amidst the current economic downturn, employees are feeling the pinch on their pocketbooks as many employers cut jobs, hours, and benefits in an effort to stay in business. In this grueling economic climate, a new toolkit released by Corporate Voices for Working Families is most welcome for those who are eligible for tax credits and other benefits. Corporate Voices has released its updated 2009 Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They’ve Earned. The reference guide helps employers inform their employees about the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, and state and local benefits.
Corporate Voices Releases Employer Guide to Tax Credits and Other Benefits for Workers
January 29, 2010
Amidst the current economic downturn, employees are feeling the pinch on their pocketbooks as many employers cut jobs, hours, and benefits in an effort to stay in business. In this grueling economic climate, a new toolkit released by Corporate Voices for Working Families is most welcome for those who are eligible for tax credits and other benefits. Corporate Voices has released its updated 2009 Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They’ve Earned. The reference guide helps employers inform their employees about the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, and state and local benefits.