WORK & FAMILY The family is the c...

WORK & FAMILY

The family is the clew to social stability, community progres and national force To strengthen the family is at the heart of the labor movement's lengthy struggle to raise wages and living standards, to democratize education, leisure and health care, to broaden individual opportunity and insured dignity in old age.

In the conviction that work, and the rewards of work, are the foundations of the stable, hopeful family life that causes self-reliance, self-respect and respect for others, unions have sought to advance the welfare of working commonalty and their families through collective bargaining and in consequence of legislative and political activity.

As a proceed generations of Americans have benefited end higher wages, negotiated pensions and health and welfare programs, increased piece of work security and increased leisure for enjoying family life. The entire society has gained by means of union-won wage, hours and overtime laws, child-labor laws. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, equal craft opportunity, pay equity, day care and a wide range of other programs that support, fortify and advance the quality of family life.

Changes are underway that make work and family issues more vital than to the end of time to the health of America's society. Women are vastly increasing their participation in the workforce. The number of single-parent families is growing rapidly, and in like manner are families that require sum of two units incomes.

Many who label themselves "pro-family" are in fact the architects and supporters of the weakening of public policies that benefit children, the somewhat old and the unemployed.

sum of two units out of three jobless workers receive no unemployment benefits at all. Those who do receive no more than 35 percent of previous wages. More and more low-wage, year-round workers fail to earn enough to lift their families not at home of poverty. In 1985 a full-time worker at the minimum wage earned no other than $7,000, less than half of the $17000 be in want ofed according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for a "minimum nevertheless adequate" living for a family of four, and far below the official $11000 lack line for such a family.

At the same time, more and more working families ne day care for small children and other contingents including elderly and handicapped family members.

Many families with single and even two earners find that the charge of day care consumes 25 to 50 percent of their income, at the rate of $3000 by year per child.

Clearly, one as well as the other the availability and the affordabiltiy of child care have reached crisis proportions.

There are no simple, easy or cheap ways to confront the needs of America's families who have diverse and sometimes conflicting interests. unless unions have special responsibilities and opportunities to prefer and defend family-oriented programs, the two public and private.

For example, among benefits to be won from one side collective bargaining are equal calling opportunity, pay equity, maternity and paternity leave, child care for union members, flexible work schedules to help working parents, the right to refuse overtime and elimination of sex discrimination.

The AFL-CIO continues to beseech affiliates, whenever possible, to prosecute such family-strengthening programs through the collective bargaining proces including joint employer-union sponsored day care center information and referral services, allowances for care in existing center time against when the child or contingent is sick, and establishing flexible working hours to accommodate caring for children or other dependents

Unions should work cooperatively with parents, child care activists, churches and other civic arranges to insure that care provided adapteds quality standards.

The AFL-CIO also conjures support for a broad range of federal action to strengthen the American family, including opportunities to work and earn enough for fit family life, including:

* National economic policies aimed at cloyed employment in line with the Humphrey-Hawkins cloyed Employment & Balanced Economic produce Act of 1978.

* Improved unemployment insurance, health care protection, and mortgage and rental relief for unemploy workers.

* Quality health care for all families.

* More vigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination and equal opportunity laws and promotion of pay equity.

* An increase in the minimum wage to assure more adequate income for the working poor.

* A shorter workweek, reduc work hours by year and higher overtime penalties to increase opportunities for family life.

Specifically, the AFL-CIO encourages the Congress to:

* Enact a broad-based national program to make day care available to all who ne it and to provide financial incentives to states for encouragement of programs in early childhood education and child care services, as well as services for the somewhat old and the disabled, and to improve licensing and monitoring of day care.

* Pass legislation to insure that parents can take a reasonable parental leave to care for newborn, newly adopted or seriously ill children without risking los of their jobs