Celebrating Mother’s Day: Help Working Moms Pass California Paid Sick Days Law

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

My son and I have given cards and a hug and kiss to my wife on this day in her honor and that of mothers all across California and the nation. Shortly we will visit her other in a convalescent hospital for more of the same.

Most of us do not think of today in the historical context of the first mother’s day and the origins of this day. You can read the original proclamation of mother’s day in a few select places today, among them the Frederick News Post online. They say:

“Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," was transformed by the carnage she witnessed during the Civil War and reports from Europe of Franco-Prussian destruction. So, she crafted a "Mother's Day Proclamation" in 1870, declaring that women should no longer accept their government's reasons for war and the consignment of "our sons to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience."”

Thank your mother. Celebrate today. Then let’s think of doing something for California’s mothers right here in sunny California: Passage of the landmark Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces bill, AB 2716 by Fiona Ma, which would allow all California workers to earn paid sick days.

This bill has passed out of the Assembly Judiciary http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2701-2750/ab_2716_vote_2... and Assembly Labor Committee http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2701-2750/ab_2716_vote_2... on party line votes with Democrats supporting it and Republicans opposing it. It is pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee with a number of other worthy bills. It’s time to put our money where our mouths are on this bill which will truly help California’s working mothers.

This weekend, working mothers shared stories about the difficulties they face when they or their children get sick, and urged lawmakers to take action. They reminded us that without paid sick days, they are just a few of the millions of working mothers in Los Angeles and across the state who must either forfeit wages, or go to work sick or send sick children to school or day care. “I have worked at the same fast food restaurant for more than 15 years, with no paid sick days and only a week of paid vacation,” said ACORN member Manuela Mendez. “Even though my husband and I both work, we have been struggling to pay our mortgage and all of our bills each month. I cannot afford to take time off work when I get sick, so I have to work sick for several days each year."

Ma’s bill would make California the first state to require employers to provide all workers with paid sick days. She reminded us this weekend that “Families, especially single mothers, have a hard time making ends meet as is. Working moms should not have to worry about losing a day’s pay or, in some instances, their jobs when they or their child become ill.”