Vote for Pro-Worker Women Candidates This November!

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Election Day is November 8th! Women’s rights and working people’s lives are on the line.

The choices voters make this year will have long-lasting effects on working women and families. We know the pro-worker candidates listed below will provide opportunities for, and support, working people across the country.

Cheri Beasley for U.S. Senate – North Carolina

Cheri Beasley is a mom, former public defender, judge, and the first Black woman to serve as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She’s spent her life fighting to uphold the law and keep communities safe – and as U.S. Senator, she’ll fight to lower costs, create good-paying jobs and expand access to affordable, quality health care in every part of North Carolina.

The UFCW Women’s Network will be in North Carolina October 1-2. Join us there so we can help elect Cheri Beasley for U.S. Senate!

Nikki Budzinski for U.S. Congress – Illinois

Nikki Budzinski comes from a middle-class family and has dedicated her career to fighting for working families. Nikki worked as a union activist, helped to secure the $15 minimum wage for Illinoisans. In Congress, she will fight to cut taxes on the middle class, reduce costs, and work to make more products here in America to fix the supply chain, lower prices, and create good-paying Illinois jobs.

California

State Constitutional Officer

Eleni KounalakisLieutenant Governor
Dr. Shirley WeberSecretary of StateSecretary of State
Malia CohenController
Fiona MaTreasurer

State Senate

Paula Villescaz (D)District 6
Aisha Wahab (D)District 10
Anna Caballero (D)District 14
Maria Elena Durazo (D)District 26
Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D)District 28
Kim Carr (D)District 36
Catherine Blakespear (D)District 38

State Assembly

Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D)District 4
Lori Wilson (D)District 11
Buffy Wicks (D)District 14
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D)District 16
Mia Bonta (D)District 18
Liz Ortega (D)District 20
Diane Papan (D)District 21
Jessica Self (D)District 22
Esmerelda Soria (D)District 27
Gail Pellerin (D)District 28
Dawn Addis (D)District 30
Leticia Perez (D)District 35
Pilar Schiavo (D)District 40
Jacqui Irwin (D)District 42
Luz Rivas (D)District 43
Laura Friedman (D)District 44
Christy Holstege (D)District 47
Eloise Gomez-Reyes (D)District 50
Wendy Carrillo (D)District 52
Lisa Calderon (D)District 56
Sabrina Cervantes (D)District 58
Tina McKinnor (D)District 61
Fauzia Rizvi (D)District 63
Blanca Pacheco (D)District 64
Sharon Quirk-Silva (D)District 67
Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen (D)District 70
Cottie Petrie-Norris (D)District 73
Tasha Boerner Horvath (D)District 77
Akilah Weber (D)District 79

Reproductive Rights

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The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade wiped out a fundamental constitutional protection for all American women – the right for body autonomy that has been in existence for almost 30 years.

The UFCW Women’s Network has always advocated for women’s rights, whether it be in the workplace or their communities – and we have an obligation to our members who are over 50% women, the majority who are women of color, to provide access to health care regardless of which state they live.

It is essential that working people are provided quality health care coverage that is accessible and affordable, and that eliminates inequalities and barriers to access that have affected our members for decades.

Healthcare is a human right regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, geography, income, ability, sexual orientation, immigration status and/or gender identity. When one in four women has had an abortion, we need to do all we can to protect the health of our members and ensure they have the care they need.

The UFCW Women’s Network will continue fighting for the rights for our members and refuse to turn back the clock.

The State of Reproductive Rights in the US Today

Reproductive rights are now in the hands of each state. Half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion in the days and weeks following the Court’s decision.

View a map of where US states fall on reproductive rights from the Center for Reproductive Rights.

California

After the Supreme Court decision, the California Legislature passed a constitutional amendment (Proposition 1 on the November General Election ballot) that would establish the right to abortion and contraception in the state constitution.

9.13.2022: Launched abortion.ca.gov – providing people both inside and outside of California with information about abortions, their legal rights, where to find providers, how to pay for services and financial assistance, ways to locate wellness and emotional support, and more.

Idaho

8.2.2022: US sues Idaho over abortion law, cites medical treatment

Indiana

8.5.2022: Indiana becomes 1st state to approve abortion ban post Roe

Kansas

8.2.2022: Voters in Kansas decide to keep abortion legal in the state, rejecting an amendment

Michigan

8.19.2022: Michigan’s abortion ban is blocked for now

North Carolina

8.19.2022: U.S. judge reinstates North Carolina ban on late-term abortions

Resources:

California’s AB 1041: Adapt Leave Laws to Include Chosen and Extended Family

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California’s AB 1041: Adapt Leave Laws to Include Chosen and Extended Family

The majority of households in the U.S. today depart from the “nuclear family” model of a married couple and their biological children.  

California is home to the 4th largest LGBTQ+ community in the U.S with 42% of LGBTQ+ adults saying that they would rely on close friends during an emergency, compared with 25% of the general population. California also has a high number of people living in multigenerational households with extended family members including aunts, uncles and cousins, who are left out of our current leave laws. 

AB 1041, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, would ensure that California workers are able to be there for their loved ones when it matters most by adapting our leave laws to include chosen and extended family.

California Workers Deserve Paid Sick Leave

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California Workers Deserve Paid Sick Leave

Earlier this year, UFCW members demanded to have the paid sick leave they need if they get sick from COVID-19, need to take care of a sick family member, need to stay home with a child when their school is closed, or get vaccinated. 

Because they fought hard and made their voices heard, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature listened and reinstated COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave through September 30, 2022. California now needs to extend this essential live-saving COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to support California workers as our state faces yet another surge of illness. Without Supplemental Paid Sick Leave at least through the end of the year, many workers will once again have just three sick days per year (if they haven’t used it already) and may have to choose between working while sick or sending a sick child to school and losing pay or even their job. 

California needs a more permanent policy in place, but the state must act now to save lives this winter.

UFCW and their coalition allies are asking for:

  • An extension of the current Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law to the end of the year, December 31, 2022; and
    • This will extend the current banks of leave workers have access to until the end of the year.
  • Lawmakers to provide a more permanent solution on paid sick days to support workers’ health and safety beyond COVID-19 surges.

Who is eligible to take COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave? 

SB 114 covers employers with 26 or more employees, providing up to 80 hours of COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to be used for COVID-19 related circumstances. Employees can take COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave when they cannot work or telework due to the reasons listed below.

How many hours are provided?

SB 114 provides up to 80 hours of COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave.

40 hours of COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave for workers that need to :

  • Care for yourself: 
    • quarantining or self-isolating due to COVID-19
    • experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are seeking a diagnosis
    • when you are sick with COVID-19
  • Caring for your family: 
    • when a family member is quarantining or self-isolating due to COVID-19 
    • when a child whose school or daycare is closed due to COVID-19
    • when your family is sick with COVID-19
  • Vaccine-related:
    • you or your family member is attending a vaccine appointment
    • you or your family member cannot work due to vaccine-related side effects

40 hours of COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave specifically for workers when*:

  • you test positive with COVID-19
  • A family member tests positive with COVID-19

*If your employer requests to see the test results, you must be able to provide documentation that you or your family member were positive for COVID-19.

When does this policy expire?

This policy expires on September 30, 2022.  

Resources:

California’s SB 951: Providing Paid Family Leave for Working Women and Families

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California’s SB 951: Providing Paid Family Leave for Working Women and Families

We need to protect our families and invest in the future of our children by improving Paid Family Leave. Additionally, better Paid Family Leave policies will be instrumental to the economic recovery of all Californians. The California Governor’s Paid Family Leave Task Force recently released recommendations that align with our campaign principles and reinforce the need to improve the program. The Task Force suggests a longer term, step-by-step plan with a phased approach which includes:

  • Increasing wage replacement from 60 percent or 70 percent to 90 percent for workers with low-wages

Let’s work together to create a Paid Family Leave program that serves all Californians.

While many agree Paid Family Leave is a developmental imperative, only half of eligible mothers and one-quarter of eligible fathers use Paid Family Leave. Low payments are the primary reason California families are missing out on benefits they pay for. With workers only being paid 60 percent or 70 percent of what they usually earn during leave, it can be hard for many families to cover basic monthly bills.

What is Paid Family Leave?

Paid Family Leave is an employee-funded insurance program that gives Californians financial support when they need to take time off work to care for a new child or a family member facing a serious illness, such as COVID-19. Paid Family Leave was created in 2004 to acknowledge that bonding time with a parent gives a newborn baby their best chance at good health and future success. Similarly, State Disability Insurance is an employee-funded insurance program that allows California workers to receive financial support when they need time off due to their own serious health condition. These programs provide a safety net for working families, especially in times of crisis, by providing workers with 60 or 70% of their normal wages up to a maximum number of weeks.

The insurance program was created in 2004 to acknowledge that bonding time with a parent gives a newborn baby their best chance at good health and future success. Benefits of the program include 60 or 70 percent of normal weekly wages for up to eight weeks.

Resources