November 18, 2021

Chamber of Mothers Spreads Awareness and Advocacy for Paid Family Leave

       

Chamber of Mothers is a newly formed group by moms and for moms. Chamber of Mothers is comprised of lawyers, advocates, and leaders advocating for the interests of moms, with their first goal to secure federal paid family leave.

Congress is in the midst of negotiating the Build Back Better Bill, legislation proposed by President Joe Biden to help America rebuild in the wake of COVID-19. The legislation is largely broken into three categories:

  • The American Rescue Plan (a COVID-19 relief package);
  • The American Jobs Plan (an infrastructure proposal intended to aid in the reduction of climate change), and;
  • The American Families Plan (a social policy focusing on welfare and social services funding).

Chamber of Mothers is currently focused on the American Families Plan, specifically the proposed federal funding for paid family leave. Right now, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is the only federal legislation related to family leave and fails to financially compensate mothers and family members who are eligible utilize the leave policy. President Biden originally proposed 12 weeks of paid leave, and Congress completely cut paid leave from the plan altogether. After much back and forth, Democrats reintroduced four weeks of paid family leave back into the proposal.

In the wake of this addition, the Chamber took to social media, spreading awareness on the need to keep federal paid family leave. They utilized #savepaidleave and #buildbackbleeding to build and track support of the movement. In the coalitions’ inaugural post, they created a symbol highlighted above “[t]he shape that the hands are making evokes the shape of the vagina, the entrance to the womb where life is formed. The hands are the union of two as one, and conjure the helping hands and village of support needed for new mothers and families.” This image spread throughout thousands and posts and a myriad of communities highlighting the need for federal support for mothers. The group is eager to grow and encourages those interested to enter their information on their website in addition to staying abreast of their social media pages.

Written by Law Clerk Katina Smith

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Planning for Summer Childcare as New York Reopens 

June 9, 2020
Paid Family Leave
As the remote school year comes to a close and with summer camp plans still in flux, many parents and caregivers will soon be struggling to find childcare solutions and wondering whether they can use paid leave to care for their children through the summer months, and whether they may continue to telework even if their workplace reopens.

Recording: Paid Family Leave in NY

June 8, 2020
Paid Family Leave
Pregnancy Discrimination
FMLA
Woven Bodies, an inclusive digital practice supporting queer folks + allies from family planning through parenthood hosted Associate Alex Berke to offer training on Paid Family Leave.

The Berke-Weiss Law Weekly Round Up

June 5, 2020
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This week we’re looking at the opportunity coronavirus has provided to rethink care structures in the US, the disproportionate impact lockdowns have had on black communities, and ballooning unemployment numbers for women over 55.

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