WEBVTT - Our “New Normal”: Paid Leave, The Workforce, and Knowing Our Rights w/ Fatima Goss Graves 0:00:02.440 --> 0:00:05.320 Welcome to Katie's Crib, a production of Shonda Land Audio 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:09.160 in partnership with I Heart Radio. In many states, it's 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:12.000 this sort of same state that is doing things like 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:16.640 not wanting to take the child care money, not having 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:20.960 a paid leave conversation, that same state is rolling back 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:26.160 reproductive healthcare. There's an opportunity to join together and fight 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:31.319 for a different future. And the strategy of sort of 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:35.400 making people feel powerless is how nothing gets done. We 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:40.280 are super powerful, That's so right. Yes, I do feel 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:52.520 fired up. I'm pissed and powerful and powerful. Please note 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:54.480 that at the time of our recording back in February, 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:56.720 we talked a little bit about the President's Build Back 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.560 Better Bill. The framework of this bill included things like 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.240 child care, universal preschool, and paid family leave. A number 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:05.360 of things have changed since then, and the bill is 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.959 currently stalled. We're keeping an ear to the ground for 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:11.600 what's next for legislation at this time. Hi everybody, and 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:17.199 welcome back to Katie's Crib. Today. I have so many questions, 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:22.360 and I'm so exhausted and overwhelmed. There's so much change 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:26.600 and advocacy going around, and I know we all have fatigue, 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.920 but I was like we gotta get Fatima goss Graves 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.480 on here to lay it out in Layman's terms of 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:36.840 how our listeners and myself can better advocate for women, 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:41.800 pregnant women, and families in the workforce. Fatima gos Graves 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:45.319 is a nationally recognized leader in the fight for gender 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:49.280 justice and an expert in law, policy and culture change. 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:53.279 She is President and CEO of the National Women's Law Center, 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:56.320 president of the National Women's Law Center Action Fund, and 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:58.720 a co founder of the Times Up Legal Defense Fund. 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:01.880 Fatima has a distinguished track record working across a broad 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.559 set of issues central to the lives of women and girls, 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:08.520 and health and reproductive rights and workplace justice. She's appeared 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:12.560 as a legal and social commentator on CBS, MSNBC, BBC, CNN, BBS, 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.880 and NBR, and has been published and quoted in numerous outlets. 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.760 A teamer resides in my favorite city in the country, Washington, 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:23.080 d C. Fatima, thank you so much for coming on 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:28.880 Katie's cribt. You have worked hard and you are working 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:33.960 hard to be where you are. Tell me how how 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:37.040 did you get into public policy? So I should begin 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:39.919 that I think one of the reasons I was able 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:42.360 to stay at the National Women's Low Center for a 0:02:42.360 --> 0:02:45.120 long time, and I've been here for over a decade 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:48.079 and a bunch of different roles. Is because the Law 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:51.960 Center values caregivers and always has so I was able 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:56.359 to have two babies and do work I felt passionate 0:02:56.400 --> 0:03:00.120 and about, and take time for leave and tap in 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.720 and out in various ways. In the truth of the 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:06.200 matter is, you can't do that everywhere in this country. 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:08.440 And so that made a difference for me in my 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:12.400 career that the Law Center invested in me early and 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:15.320 I was able to to stay connected to work right. 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.080 But you know, I sort of came up at a 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:23.359 time with a really deep understanding of gender and racial justice. 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.560 And I feel really really lucky to be able to 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:31.200 do this work any time, but especially in times of crisis. 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:35.160 And so when I think about the pandemic. In the 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.600 early days, we gathered as a staff and talked about 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:41.880 what we knew people were facing and what we expected 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:46.320 to come and many folks on staff were experiencing those 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:49.480 same things, and so the issues are personal for us, 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:53.520 and it's why we're invested, and it's why we stay 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:56.080 in the work. It's why I stay in the work 0:03:57.080 --> 0:04:00.360 at a picture of what the pandemic has done for 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:02.840 women in the workforce and a picture of where we 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:08.080 are currently at. You know, the pandemic revealed so many 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:11.320 problems that didn't just begin with the pandemic, but it 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:14.920 really show a bright light on it. It highlighted the fact, 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:20.560 especially for women of color, that they were disproportionately in 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:23.960 jobs that we call frontline and essential. But these are 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:27.960 also jobs that were basically low age and low paying jobs, 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.279 and that mattered a lot in the pandemic when a 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:35.640 lot of people lost those jobs and when women didn't 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:38.560 have a lot of savings or safety net to fall 0:04:38.720 --> 0:04:44.120 back on. The pandemic also highlighted the invisible work of 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:48.200 care that mostly women do, both care in their homes, 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:53.760 caring for your loved ones, your children, your elders, but 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:58.240 also that women and mostly women of color, disproportionately care 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:03.800 workers and are sisters. Um just broke. And the pandemic 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:10.760 of course highlighted how fragile our health infrastructure is and was, 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:15.400 And what it meant is that I especially for women 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:20.000 of color, they were disproportionately ill and the workers, the 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.840 frontline healthcare workers were also a lot of women. So 0:05:23.920 --> 0:05:29.039 you had this crashing down of care and health and 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:34.840 income security and frontline jobs all at once. And I 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:37.560 think it's what made up the sort of you know, 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:39.920 with the New York Times called the Primal Scream, and 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:44.760 what your neighbors and friends may have just been showing 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:47.760 in their eyes and ears, that look you see on 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:51.200 people's faces, that look of I'm exhausted, I'm tired. I 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:55.400 can't believe this is happening. These things didn't begin with 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:58.719 the pandemic. They just came crashing down altogether at once. 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:04.400 I have goose bumps. I know so many women and 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:09.680 women of all different socio economic classes colors who have 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:14.279 literally been on the brink of losing it multiple times. 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:18.839 They are not able to work, take care of their children, 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:24.960 homeschool disruptions with COVID. I mean, it has been absolutely wild. 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:29.680 So can you tell us about the specific policy and 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:34.799 advocacy work that you've participated in regard to paid leave. So, 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:39.400 even before the pandemic, we were supporting what was called 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:43.440 the Family Act, which would have been the first national 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:48.360 paid leave program. It's sort of surprises a lot of 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:52.480 people that that's not already the policy in this country. 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:56.159 Until you need paid leave and can't access it. What 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.520 happened during the pandemic is we actually ended up having 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:05.200 an experiment. He had the first national paid leave program 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:09.320 as a part of the COVID relief package. You would 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.320 have thought that that would have told us we should 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:15.520 never go backwards again, that we should never not have 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:20.320 a situation like this. Unfortunately, we didn't all equally learn 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:26.200 this lesson, and we have been fighting for paid leave 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:31.680 together with an investment in our care infrastructure more broadly 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:35.640 in Congress over this last two years, and it feels 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.240 on some days that we were very far away and 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:43.200 some days that we're on the cusp of actually getting 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:47.040 something that would be transformative, not just for today but 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:50.040 for tomorrow. In regard to that tell us about the 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:53.600 Build Back Better Act in Layman's terms. We've talked about 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:55.960 it on this podcast before, but for anyone who's just 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.480 tuning in, can you explain it? So I'm going to 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:03.320 begin by saying that I am an internal oftenness, So 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:06.600 you may read in the paper certain things that I'm 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:10.400 gonna say exactly why I haven't given up on on 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.240 build that Better, but but on specifically the sort of 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.520 investment in the care economy that we need. And it 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:25.040 includes in historic investment in childcare so that workers can 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:29.120 actually make more and families can pay less with would 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:33.640 it also increase the supply of childcare. Unfortunately in the pandemic, 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:38.480 we lost a lot of child care workers and they 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:41.320 have some of them gotten jobs doing other things that 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:45.760 pay more, So we have a math problem. Similarly, the 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:49.400 bill would have a historic investment in home care services 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:53.360 for those who are elderly and with disabilities, a population 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:57.200 that is growing because of the pandemic. And you know, 0:08:57.320 --> 0:09:00.000 it's one of these things where we can't just ignore 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:03.720 a growing population that needs home care. But we kind 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:07.640 of have been delaying and delaying addressing this. And it 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:13.400 also included an investment in in paid lead in allowing 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:18.200 for a federal paid lead program. It does other things 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:22.720 that has investments in housing, has um investingments in climate 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:27.840 and a number of organizations around the country have been 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:31.240 fighting for this, have been fighting for us to actually 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:34.360 do the work of not just recover in terms of 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.880 our economy, but invest in the future and and and 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:41.720 put care at the center of it. Like that how 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:46.000 transformative to to do that? UM, And so where are 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:51.559 we on February pretty pretty too. And in any day, 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.160 you know, there's always some sort of political have take 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:57.120 that's trying to guess where we are. And the truth 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:02.080 is people still want this investment. If you ask and 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:04.640 pull on the issue, people say, yes, I need you 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:09.520 to invest in child care now actually and maybe yesterday, 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:13.040 Yes I need you to to actually do something to 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.520 make sure home care workers get a worrage. There. They 0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:19.040 are talking about this in a very serious way, and 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:23.559 negotiations are still happening. I'm not sure in the end 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.320 what will look like. I mean, some of this is 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:29.679 the business of doing business on in in DC, on 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:33.680 Capitol Hill. And you know, I don't think people need 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:36.200 to be invested in the sausage making. They need to 0:10:36.240 --> 0:10:40.280 be invested in actually getting something done. I think most 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:43.640 people in this country kind of don't care what the 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:46.920 bill is called. They don't care if one member of 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.800 Congress is mad or another, or you know, how they 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:51.600 get it done. They just want them to get it done. 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:55.480 And I think consistently hearing that message from people will matter. 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:59.200 You posted a statement on the National Women's los Center 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:02.800 page which everyone listening. If you have not done deep 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:07.000 dives down this page and and just really looked into 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:11.120 the National Women's Law Center website. It's so valuable. I 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:15.720 read that the Build Back Better Act is also our 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.160 last best hope to prevent the collapse of our child 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:20.920 care system and sure millions more women are not pushed 0:11:20.920 --> 0:11:24.120 out of the labor force, prevent increased health inequity, and 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.920 stop the descent of millions of children into poverty with 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:29.839 the pending lapse of the child tax credit. Why is 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:33.800 America so far behind? Why? Well, so we tend to 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:37.080 focus on the thing, right, and I'm so dramatic, right, 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:39.959 but I actually think we should be like, how did 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:44.920 we get here? What we're rethinking? So, Built Back Better, 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:48.600 I think is the bill we always should have had. Right, 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:52.080 This sort of investment in childcare is the investment we 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.559 always should have had because of the child tax Credit. 0:11:56.040 --> 0:12:00.200 Even during a pandemic and a reception we may which 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:04.240 did not have people falling more into deep poverty. And 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.760 that was an on purpose policy solution. We made a 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:08.959 choice that we were going to have fewer people going 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:13.120 into deep heart poverty in a recession. Well done, well done, 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:16.280 good job, good job. What can we learn from that 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:18.800 that it makes a difference in a recession for people 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.640 to have income. I sort of feel like those are 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:25.959 basic lessons, but there's always the worry that we won't 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:28.160 hold on to them. And the lesson I worried people 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:32.120 will forget is what has happened in these last two 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:36.160 years with women leaving the workforce. There are a lot 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:40.280 of anecdotal stories that people know, so they're surprised and 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:43.560 not surprised to know that over two million women left 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:47.679 during the pandemic. And there were periods where there were 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:52.320 spikes that surprised no mother anywhere, right back to school 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:57.400 spike every year, a macron when you saw people getting 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:01.840 sick and meaning to take un hate leave. That didn't 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.840 really surprise anyone who was looking around and thinking about 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.480 what that looks like in practice. And so I actually 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:13.080 think the opportunity to deliver not just for the folks 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.800 who suffered so much in this period, but to learn 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:22.400 the lesson and invests differently for the future who decided 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:29.040 on the three months. I have very few friends who 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:33.959 work at amazing companies that provide I'm not kidding you, 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:39.640 one year paid maternity leave MHM. When they tell people 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:41.640 in the room that they're getting that people are shocked 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:47.160 and um so jealous and it's such a blessing. I 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.560 see why it works. I mean caretakers, they get time 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:54.360 with the baby. If they have they're having trouble adjusting 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:58.080 anything like that, they are okay, and when they come 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:00.719 back it's unreal. I mean they're like in such a 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.360 good place. There are other countries that this is normal. 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:07.720 Why is it not here? So we actually just marked 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.800 I think that twenty nine anniversary of the Family Medical 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:15.959 Leave Act, which was historic at the time, to provide 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.160 job protection. You know, that's what that bill was. It 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:21.080 wasn't saying you were getting paid. It just meant you 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:25.360 didn't lose your job for taking twelve weeks of paid 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:28.720 lead of unpaid lead in most cases. Yeah, just saying 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:30.240 I'm going to go have a baby, Can I please 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:31.920 have my job when I come back. Well, that was 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:35.880 controversial at the time, and unfortunately not everyone has that 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:40.000 job protection now, especially for people who are making low 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:43.200 wages and for workers who are part time. And so 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:47.040 I totally agree with you that right now, our system 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:50.640 is not set up to support young parents. It's also 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:54.880 not set up to have people have what they need 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:59.800 either to recover for themselves. Or to ensure that their 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:04.160 borns are cared for. It's really hard to get early 0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:07.720 newborn care. Yet most people who have paid leave, that 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:12.080 paid leave ends well before you can actually have access 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:15.000 to care. So if you have four weeks of paid leave, 0:15:15.160 --> 0:15:18.960 which is considered a lot in in many places, it's 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:22.800 hard to find care for a four week old. Most 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:26.320 centers don't take a four or six weeks old. Those 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:29.240 are tiny, tiny babies. So we are not set up. 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:33.800 And what ends up happening is this invisible care that 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:38.240 nobody talks about. We don't name the invisible cost that 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:41.560 is mostly born by women in this country. It's just 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:45.880 sort of not talked about, not name until now. I 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:49.520 do think the pandemic people are starting to name the 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.560 cost of care, that there is a cost that we're 0:15:52.560 --> 0:16:08.880 just not yet. Begs what can listeners and myself do? Dadly, 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:13.080 we're also spending our time and energy fighting reproductive rights 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:17.360 and things that are feeling like they're going backwards, and 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.480 that why are we doing this again? Some days I 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:22.000 just I don't even know where to put my energy 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:25.880 because it's all a mess. Wow, I'm really a downer today. 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:28.560 Good thing up with you, Fatima, because you are an optimist, 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:32.440 who am I usually? So? Well, I'm going to give 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:36.440 you something that maybe we'll feel slightly optimist. All right. 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:42.160 So this sort of idea that people who are experiencing 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:44.080 the hardest of all of it are the ones that 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:46.880 actually have to engage the most is hard because people 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.360 are like, no, I'm tired, I don't what what are 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:53.520 you talking about? And it is precisely the time to 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:58.280 put your energy into something else. It's precisely the time 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:03.320 to join together with others who are also experiencing that 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:05.960 same thing. That is how your voice is heard. And 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.800 so we have a chance to do that yes on 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.840 the issues of care, to keep them front and center, 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:15.440 to let people know that we actually we care about it. 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:19.159 It's precisely the time to do it with a hat on, 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:23.080 to remind people that you know, we vote, and that 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.600 these are the things that I would think about when 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:29.160 I go to vote. People need to hear that. And 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:33.639 I would argue that these issues aren't disconnected from the 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:38.960 assault on reproductive healthcare and on abortion in particular, They 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:43.360 actually are deeply connected. In many states, it's this sort 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:47.720 of same state that is doing things like not wanting 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:51.040 to take the child care money, not having a paid leave, 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:56.280 conversation that same state is rolling back reproductive healthcare. There's 0:17:56.320 --> 0:18:02.160 an opportunity to join together and fight for a different future. 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:06.640 And the strategy of sort of making people feel powerless 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:11.240 is how nothing gets done. We are super powerful, that's 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:15.960 so right. Yes, I do feel fired up. I'm pissed 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:21.399 and powerful and powerful. You know what's weird is that 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:24.200 I sometimes feel people don't even know where to get 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:29.359 the information. My most privileged friends, I'm like, oh, I 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.560 think there's like something in the state of California that 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:36.280 you can look into to get money for your maturity leave, 0:18:36.359 --> 0:18:39.200 And literally they're like, wait, what I can I'm like, yet, 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:44.879 how do we better help our friends to know that 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:48.199 their state might have something available to them for a 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:52.280 paid family leave or you know, something like that. So, 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.159 if you're looking for information to know about what your 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:58.800 rights are and whether you have options, a good place 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:02.360 to start is the Department of Labor, either in your 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:04.760 state or the U. S Department of Labor. But you know, 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.840 they're one page explainers that usually break it down. I 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.440 also want to give a little shout out to one 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:13.119 of the things we do at the Law Centers We 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:18.920 run a legal network and people give consultations to folks 0:19:18.960 --> 0:19:21.600 who are trying to figure out, wait, can I access 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:26.280 this leave program? What are my rights? And where's stand 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:30.320 ready to give consultations. And there are lots of organizations 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:34.080 in who work locally in states who give information to 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.000 So I want to make sure people know about that. 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:39.320 So you should never be in a situation where the 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:41.400 question is I don't know my rights. There are lots 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.800 of ways to get that. What other specific laws or 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:47.800 rights should we be fighting for or learn more about? 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:51.159 All Right? I know people say nothing happens in Washington. 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.760 There's a bill that I really feel like it can 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:57.240 happen in Washington, and it is called the Pregnant Workers 0:19:57.240 --> 0:20:00.439 Fairness Act. Tell us more, tell us more. It is 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:06.600 a bill that requires employers to provide accommodations if pregnant 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:09.160 workers need them on the job. And those might look 0:20:09.200 --> 0:20:14.160 like different things, right for some folks, that might mean 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:19.000 you need extra ppe, or you need a stool because 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:22.800 you sit at a cash register and it's uncomfortable, or 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:24.760 you need to be able to go to the bathroom 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:26.800 and you need to go to the bathroom, which I 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:29.440 shouldn't have to say that if you've ever been pregnant, 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:34.280 you pee all the time, all the time. I couldn't imagine, 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:36.600 like that wouldn't be an option, like, oh my gosh, 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:38.639 I'm not allowed. You know, I worked in effect somewhere 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:41.359 where I'm only allowed one pea break every four hours. 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:45.040 I would be screwed, exactly, And unfortunately some workers are. 0:20:45.760 --> 0:20:49.280 And so this is one of those things that who's 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:52.000 on the other side of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act? 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:55.919 I still am not quite sure. And it passed the 0:20:56.040 --> 0:21:00.320 House of Representatives with over three hundred votes. That is 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:04.760 not how things typically happen in the House, and is 0:21:05.119 --> 0:21:07.760 super close in the Senate. This is an example of 0:21:07.760 --> 0:21:11.600 a thing that should just happen right now for pregnant workers. 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:15.760 It's just essentially making that while you're working, you're working 0:21:15.880 --> 0:21:21.080 under better circumstances whilst pregnant. That is right. And you know, 0:21:21.280 --> 0:21:25.320 for for some folks, they might say, well, already, boss 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:27.920 is pretty good to me. I never had a problem 0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:31.480 while working while I was pregnant. But unfortunately sometimes people 0:21:31.760 --> 0:21:34.680 get are not so good boss, or they work in 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:36.680 a job that requires them to be on their feet 0:21:36.720 --> 0:21:38.439 all day. You know, we hear from a lot of 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:41.280 teachers who are like, it's not going to work this way, 0:21:41.400 --> 0:21:44.000 I have to do it another way. Or during COVID 0:21:44.720 --> 0:21:48.080 it was coming up a lot where people needed remote access, 0:21:48.119 --> 0:21:51.600 sometimes because their doctors told them not to be in 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:56.400 particular types of settings. It shouldn't require you to look 0:21:56.440 --> 0:21:59.439 into a good boss who hears your accommodation needs in 0:21:59.520 --> 0:22:02.280 order to be safe. In order to be safe, and 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:05.879 you shouldn't have to choose between having a healthy pregnancy 0:22:05.920 --> 0:22:10.119 and having a job. Again, I just feel like people 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:12.400 don't know what their rights are. I don't know why, 0:22:12.440 --> 0:22:16.120 but I I hear this a lot well. And part 0:22:16.160 --> 0:22:18.840 of the challenge is that every state has a different 0:22:18.920 --> 0:22:21.680 set of laws. And that is because we don't have 0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:26.440 a national paid leave program where it's like, well know 0:22:26.720 --> 0:22:30.919 the answer is x six days and X number of 0:22:31.000 --> 0:22:33.600 days for parental leave. We don't have that. So every 0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:37.480 state is different. Sometimes cities have rules that are different, 0:22:37.480 --> 0:22:40.120 and so you do have to make sure that you're 0:22:40.200 --> 0:22:46.600 matching your options with where you actually live. But that's 0:22:46.600 --> 0:22:49.880 why I offered the there's the legal network for gender equity. 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:54.879 If people need tailored information or or believe they have 0:22:55.040 --> 0:22:58.280 leave but they're not able to access it. There's also 0:22:58.400 --> 0:23:01.679 really wonderful organizations where loking around the country, groups like 0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:06.399 a Better Balance, the National Partnership for Women and Families, 0:23:07.080 --> 0:23:10.359 the Paid Leave for All Campaign, who are trying to 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:16.080 both pass stronger national measures but also are doing a 0:23:16.080 --> 0:23:29.320 good job educating people around what their rights are. What 0:23:29.400 --> 0:23:36.240 are your goals for the next six months? So my 0:23:36.400 --> 0:23:39.200 goals broadly at the Law Center. When I think about 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:43.080 the next six months, um at the on the other 0:23:43.119 --> 0:23:44.840 side of the next six months, a couple of things 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:47.439 will have happened. Yes I need that too because I 0:23:47.520 --> 0:23:50.080 was like six months one year. But yeah, you know, 0:23:50.280 --> 0:23:52.560 it's fair, it's fair. I really do hope we're going 0:23:52.600 --> 0:23:56.120 to get a big investment in care. It is a 0:23:56.200 --> 0:23:58.720 big priority for us. We have not given up and 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:02.960 we're fighting for it. I also think we will have 0:24:03.280 --> 0:24:11.399 confirmed and exceptionally qualified historic first black women to the 0:24:11.440 --> 0:24:15.639 Supreme Court. And you see me dancing in the street 0:24:15.760 --> 0:24:19.760 as someone is I mean, as someone who has practiced, 0:24:20.080 --> 0:24:22.920 you know, law for a couple of decades. I don't 0:24:22.920 --> 0:24:26.040 know that I would have thought in my legal career 0:24:26.119 --> 0:24:29.320 that I would have seen it. And I think about 0:24:29.480 --> 0:24:32.840 when I was in law school you know, I had 0:24:33.000 --> 0:24:37.280 no black women professors when I was in law school. Uh. 0:24:38.400 --> 0:24:41.399 I think about the ten years where we saw no 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:46.240 black women confirmed to the Courts of Appeals, and the 0:24:46.480 --> 0:24:50.320 idea that there are so many black women who are 0:24:50.359 --> 0:24:54.640 being considered they could fill up a couple of Supreme courts. Ah, 0:24:55.080 --> 0:25:02.520 that would be amazing. So that is a goal, the 0:25:02.640 --> 0:25:08.480 big one. What would be something achievable that we could 0:25:08.520 --> 0:25:13.960 all very much help with in the next couple of years. 0:25:14.000 --> 0:25:17.040 So when I think about the next couple of years, 0:25:17.600 --> 0:25:20.720 and you know, we've got to get through this election 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:26.760 this fall, I hope people in this election will tell 0:25:26.840 --> 0:25:29.520 the story and fight for care. I hope that's going 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:34.040 to be on the agenda. Leading on the agenda we're 0:25:34.080 --> 0:25:39.400 about to enter. I believe a new period on access 0:25:39.400 --> 0:25:43.320 to reproductive healthcare, and it's going to require people who 0:25:44.359 --> 0:25:47.560 may or may not have engaged very much on the 0:25:47.640 --> 0:25:53.080 issue to show up for people. And so I actually 0:25:53.119 --> 0:25:56.560 hope that's what we see. I hope we see people 0:25:56.600 --> 0:25:59.960 showing up, even if they're in a state we're all 0:26:00.040 --> 0:26:02.760