January 24, 2000 Dear Friends, In November I asked people to send letters to Alexis Herman at the Department of Labor. 87 people emailed me that they had sent the letters and almost all had asked their friends and contacts to do so too. I was thrilled with this response, and now…Guess What? …It's time to do it again! Last month the US Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new regulation to make family leave more affordable through Unemployment Insurance (UI). The rule would let each state decide whether to use its UI law to allow people to collect unemployment benefits while they are on parental leave. This innovative and exciting initiative begins to solve the problem that too many people can't afford to take unpaid family and medical leave. The DOL is accepting public comments on this proposal just until ** FEBRUARY 2.** I received the news about it from Naomi Baumslag, who got it from the National Partnership for Women and Families. It is crucial that both the DOL and members of Congress hear from people who support the proposal. Special-interest employers' groups have already sent in hundreds of comments AGAINST it. So it's extremely important that those of us who support the idea make our voices heard as well. Here are THREE ways to send your comments in. ONE. Cut and paste the sample letter below (or a similar one that you write yourself) and email it to a) [log in to unmask] b) your Senators and Representative c) [log in to unmask] (National Partnership for Women and Families) d) [log in to unmask] (Chris Mulford) You can find your representative's name and contact information at http://www.house.gov/house/MemStateSearch.htm and your senators' names and contact information at http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm or TWO. Print and mail the sample letter (again, editing if you wish). Email me and the National Partnership for Women and Families, so we know how successful this appeal has been. A representative's address in Washington is Representative XX, United States House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515 and a senator's address in Washington is Senator XX, United States Senate, Washington DC 20510. or THREE. Visit the website for the National Partnership for Women and Families www.nationalpartnership.org. Click on the link to *Comment on New Proposal to Help Parents Make Ends Meet* and follow the directions. Remember to email me at [log in to unmask] Feedback is wonderful because it lets us know that we have made a difference…and we all need that! In solidarity, Chris Mulford, RN, BSN, IBCLC Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Coordinator of WABA's US / ILO Campaign SAMPLE LETTER TO COMMENT ON PAYING FOR FAMILY LEAVE WITH UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE Grace A. Kilbane, Director Unemployment Insurance Service Employment and Training Administration (ETA) US Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room S-4231 Washington DC 20210 Re: Comments on the Department of Labor's proposed unemployment compensation/parental leave regulation, 64 Fed Reg 67972, Dec 1999 Dear Ms. Kilbane: As a breastfeeding advocate, I strongly support the Department of Labor's proposed regulation that would allow states to use unemployment benefits to provide paid family leave for new parents. This change would help update the unemployment insurance system to fit the changing composition of the American workforce. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that virtually all babies should receive 100% breastmilk for about the first six months of life and continue breastfeeding, while solid foods are gradually added, until age one year or longer. The US Public Health Service has set goals for increasing the number of mothers who begin breastfeeding and continue for six to twelve months. Millions of federal dollars are spent to promote and support breastfeeding through the WIC program. But with almost 60% of mothers of babies under age one in the labor force, a woman's job is most often a major barrier to breastfeeding. Women who do succeed at combining breastfeeding with paid work are usually white-collar workers or professionals who can afford to take several weeks of leave after giving birth, then negotiate with their employers for flexible working conditions and a time and place to express milk during the workday. Women in low-paying jobs can't afford to take unpaid leave to get breastfeeding off to a good start, and they have less leverage for negotiating accommodations in the workplace. Breastfeeding is a luxury that is out of reach for them and their children, a line that separates the "haves" from the "have-nots." As a tremendous step toward making affordable family leave a reality for working American parents, the proposed regulation has my wholehearted support. In addition I suggest that the proposal be expanded to cover paid nursing breaks for mothers in the workplace. Instead of one 40-hour week of family leave time, a woman could return to work and take two 30-minute breaks for expressing milk every day for eight weeks; instead of two weeks of leave, 16 weeks of paid nursing breaks, etc. Thank you for your consideration of these comments and recommendations. *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html