Family Values at Work - A Multi-State Consortium

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania ACORN and PathWaysPA are working to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of paid sick days for all Pennsylvania workers. The Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act would allow workers to earn one hour of paid sick time to recover from their own illness, to care for a sick family member, or to recover from or seek services related to incidents of domestic violence. These groups are also working with SEIU 32BJ and other allies to inform the public about the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces bill, a citywide ordinance in Philadelphia.

Groups are also educating voters about two other bills. A proposed amendment to the Tax Reform Code (HB 83) would create a tax credit for small businesses (under 500 employees) who offer 12 weeks annually of paid family and medical leave. The tax credit would be calculated based on the number of employees; the maximum credit would be 50% and the minimum credit would be 10%. No more than $10,000 in tax credits would be granted to any single business.  Introduced in January 2009, the bill was referred to the committee on House Finance. A second bill (HB 1558) would create a Temporary Care Insurance Program that would provide 12 weeks of wage replacement to eligible employees so they can care for a seriously ill child, spouse, or parent or bond with a new child. This Program would be an independent component of the unemployment compensation system in Pennsylvania.  It was referred to the House Labor Relations Committee on May 29, 2009.

Contact:  Marianne Bellesorte, mbellesorte@pathwayspa.org, 610-543-5022
www.pathwayspa.org