CANDIDATES SHOULD ADDRESS SOMETHING NEW YORKERS NEED TODAY -- TIME FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

ENOUGH WITH THE SWIFT BOATS: CANDIDATES SHOULD ADDRESS SOMETHING NEW YORKERS NEED TODAY -- TIME FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY <!--break--> ENOUGH WITH THE SWIFT BOATS: CANDIDATES SHOULD ADDRESS SOMETHING NEW YORKERS NEED TODAY -- TIME FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY Utica, New York – As Labor Day approaches, it’s time to offer American workers what they need most— time to live—say leaders of the Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action and the Take Back Your Time (http://www.timeday.org/) campaign. They point out that according to a recent Harvard University study, The Work, Family and Equity Index: Where Does the United States Stand Globally?, (http://www.globalworkingfamilies.org/), the US places far behind European countries and many others in regards to work-time policies that are needed to care for children and other family members. For example, of 168 countries studied, 163 guarantee all workers paid childbirth leave. The US does not. Ninety-six countries, including all industrial countries, guarantee paid annual leave, averaging four weeks or more. The US does not. “Many residents of Central New York have to work more than one job to make ends meet,” said John Furman, President of the Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action. “Many of our neighbors are feeling overworked, over-scheduled and just plain stressed out. As a result, we’re finding it incredibly difficult to strike a balance between work and family. That’s why the Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action is supporting the Take Back Your Time campaign to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time scarcity in America that plagues Central New York families. This campaign seeks to initiate a much-needed conversation about work/life balance and how we can reclaim it.” “While we knew that American workers put in longer hours than those in all other industrial countries, we had no idea that we also rank below many poor countries in regards to maternity leave, sick leave, vacation time and other indicators of work/life balance,” explains John de Graaf, national coordinator for Take Back Your Time, a major initiative to address issues of overwork, over-scheduling and time urgency. “American workers and their families are facing a real time crisis.” The Wall Street Journal recently confirmed that Americans are spending 20% more time on the job today than in 1970, while working hours have declined in other industrial countries. A Hilton Hotel report finds that only 23 percent of Americans come to work refreshed on Mondays. Our vacations are getting shorter, and a new AFL-CIO “Ask a Working Woman” survey found that 37% of women earning less than $40,000 a year (and 28% of all working women) receive no paid vacation at all. “George Bush has said that he wants to give American families more time,” adds Jerome Segal of the University of Maryland and Take Back Your Time board member. “But in fact, his new Labor Department rules threaten to take away overtime pay from millions of Americans, and will actually encourage employers to demand even more overtime work.” “We hope that George Bush and John Kerry will both be asked to address this issue during their television debates,” adds de Graaf. “Instead of focusing on whether or not a small boat was fired upon on a Southeast Asian river 35 years ago, the media should be demanding that candidates speak to current issues, like how poorly the US fares when it comes to work/life balance. Time is one huge family value that’s been forgotten in all the recent arguments about values.” These are the kinds of discussions the Take Back Your Time campaign wants to generate and will promote on Take Back Your Time Day -- October 24th. The campaign is advocating a 4 point legislative agenda: ü Enact paid family leave. Millions of poor Americans can’t afford to utilize the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows workers 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for newborn children or sick relatives. Every other industrialized country recognizes the need for paid leave in such cases. ü Require three weeks minimum paid vacation for all workers. Currently, American workers average two weeks of paid leave, and far too many get none at all. By contrast, a four week minimum is the law in all member countries of the European Union. Studies repeatedly show the importance of vacations for physical and mental health. ü Give workers the right to refuse overtime after 48 hours on the job per week. Unlike Canadians and Europeans, American workers have no right to refuse overtime work. Yet such a choice is crucially important, especially for workers with family commitments. ü Make Election Day a holiday. Such a step may seem insignificant but it would symbolize concern that Americans need more time for civic and community participation. “Let’s bring the United States up to the standards already in place in all other industrial countries, thereby creating more jobs and improving our health, families, community and civic life and environment,“ said Mr. Furman. “We call upon local, state, and federal elected officials and candidates of all political parties to support Take Back Your Time agenda.” “Each of these reforms, if passed, would only give the US what all other industrial countries already take for granted,” says Gretchen Burger. “Life is about more than the Gross Domestic Product. We could borrow a page from the Europeans’ book and live better by working less, and finding more time for the things that matter most—family, friends, community, health. That would be a real Labor Day reward for American workers.” To find out more about this campaign to improve working conditions for all Americans, visit the official web site at www.timeday.org. Take Back Your Time is a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University, and is the first national initiative of the Simplicity Forum. The Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action is a nonprofit public policy, research, and advocacy organization that seeks to improve the living conditions of low and middle-income people. Established in 1997, Citizens in Action has focused on issues such as ensuring affordable health care, raising the minimum wage, and providing sufficient funding for public schools. How Much is Enough? ü The average middle income family now works FOUR MONTHS more in total hours than they did in 1979 (economists Barry Bluestone, Stephen Rose) ü Some 80% of men and 62% of women work more than 40 hours a week, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO) ü Almost 40% of Americans now work more than 50 hours a week, reports U.S. News and World Report and a recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation ü Americans work up to 12 weeks more in total hours per year than the Europeans (ILO) ü Half of all U.S. travel is in two or three-day microscopic bits (Travel Industry of America) ü U.S. vacations are the shortest in the industrialized world--8.1 days after a year on the job (Bureau of Labor Statistics), compared to 4 to 6 weeks for Europeans. ü 26 percent of Americans take no vacation at all (Boston College survey) ü 62 percent of U.S. workers report being "stressed out" from overwork (Harris Interactive survey) ü The wage gap between CEO-to-worker pay skyrocketed from 1980 to 2000, from 42 times worker pay to an astronomical 500 times worker pay (The Los Angeles Times)

<p>ENOUGH WITH THE SWIFT BOATS: CANDIDATES SHOULD ADDRESS SOMETHING NEW YORKERS NEED TODAY -- TIME FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY</p> <!--break--><p>ENOUGH WITH THE SWIFT BOATS: CANDIDATES SHOULD ADDRESS SOMETHING NEW YORKERS NEED TODAY -- TIME FOR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY</p> <p>Utica, New York – As Labor Day approaches, it’s time to offer American workers what they need most— time to live—say leaders of the Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action and the Take Back Your Time (<a href="http://www.timeday.org/">http://www.timeday.org/</a>) campaign. </p> <p>They point out that according to a recent Harvard University study, The Work, Family and Equity Index: Where Does the United States Stand Globally?, (<a href="http://www.globalworkingfamilies.org/">http://www.globalworkingfamilies.org/</a>), the US places far behind European countries and many others in regards to work-time policies that are needed to care for children and other family members. For example, of 168 countries studied, 163 guarantee all workers paid childbirth leave. The US does not. Ninety-six countries, including all industrial countries, guarantee paid annual leave, averaging four weeks or more. The US does not.</p> <p>“Many residents of Central New York have to work more than one job to make ends meet,” said John Furman, President of the Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action. “Many of our neighbors are feeling overworked, over-scheduled and just plain stressed out. As a result, we’re finding it incredibly difficult to strike a balance between work and family. That’s why the Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action is supporting the Take Back Your Time campaign to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time scarcity in America that plagues Central New York families. This campaign seeks to initiate a much-needed conversation about work/life balance and how we can reclaim it.” </p> <p>“While we knew that American workers put in longer hours than those in all other industrial countries, we had no idea that we also rank below many poor countries in regards to maternity leave, sick leave, vacation time and other indicators of work/life balance,” explains John de Graaf, national coordinator for Take Back Your Time, a major initiative to address issues of overwork, over-scheduling and time urgency. “American workers and their families are facing a real time crisis.”</p> <p>The Wall Street Journal recently confirmed that Americans are spending 20% more time on the job today than in 1970, while working hours have declined in other industrial countries. A Hilton Hotel report finds that only 23 percent of Americans come to work refreshed on Mondays. Our vacations are getting shorter, and a new AFL-CIO “Ask a Working Woman” survey found that 37% of women earning less than $40,000 a year (and 28% of all working women) receive no paid vacation at all.</p> <p>“George Bush has said that he wants to give American families more time,” adds Jerome Segal of the University of Maryland and Take Back Your Time board member. “But in fact, his new Labor Department rules threaten to take away overtime pay from millions of Americans, and will actually encourage employers to demand even more overtime work.”</p> <p>“We hope that George Bush and John Kerry will both be asked to address this issue during their television debates,” adds de Graaf. “Instead of focusing on whether or not a small boat was fired upon on a Southeast Asian river 35 years ago, the media should be demanding that candidates speak to current issues, like how poorly the US fares when it comes to work/life balance. Time is one huge family value that’s been forgotten in all the recent arguments about values.”</p> <p>These are the kinds of discussions the Take Back Your Time campaign wants to generate and will promote on Take Back Your Time Day -- October 24th. The campaign is advocating a 4 point legislative agenda:</p> <p>ü Enact paid family leave. Millions of poor Americans can’t afford to utilize the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows workers 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for newborn children or sick relatives. Every other industrialized country recognizes the need for paid leave in such cases.</p> <p>ü Require three weeks minimum paid vacation for all workers. Currently, American workers average two weeks of paid leave, and far too many get none at all. By contrast, a four week minimum is the law in all member countries of the European Union. Studies repeatedly show the importance of vacations for physical and mental health.</p> <p>ü Give workers the right to refuse overtime after 48 hours on the job per week. Unlike Canadians and Europeans, American workers have no right to refuse overtime work. Yet such a choice is crucially important, especially for workers with family commitments. </p> <p>ü Make Election Day a holiday. Such a step may seem insignificant but it would symbolize concern that Americans need more time for civic and community participation.</p> <p>“Let’s bring the United States up to the standards already in place in all other industrial countries, thereby creating more jobs and improving our health, families, community and civic life and environment,“ said Mr. Furman. “We call upon local, state, and federal elected officials and candidates of all political parties to support Take Back Your Time agenda.”<br /> “Each of these reforms, if passed, would only give the US what all other industrial countries already take for granted,” says Gretchen Burger. “Life is about more than the Gross Domestic Product. We could borrow a page from the Europeans’ book and live better by working less, and finding more time for the things that matter most—family, friends, community, health. That would be a real Labor Day reward for American workers.”</p> <p>To find out more about this campaign to improve working conditions for all Americans, visit the official web site at <a href="http://www.timeday.org">www.timeday.org</a>.</p> <p>Take Back Your Time is a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at<br /> Cornell University, and is the first national initiative of the Simplicity Forum.</p> <p>The Utica/Central New York Citizens in Action is a nonprofit public policy, research, and advocacy organization that seeks to improve the living conditions of low and middle-income people. Established in 1997, Citizens in Action has focused on issues such as ensuring affordable health care, raising the minimum wage, and providing sufficient funding for public schools.</p> <p>How Much is Enough?<br /> ü The average middle income family now works FOUR MONTHS more in total hours than they did in 1979 (economists Barry Bluestone, Stephen Rose)<br /> ü Some 80% of men and 62% of women work more than 40 hours a week, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO)<br /> ü Almost 40% of Americans now work more than 50 hours a week, reports U.S. News and World Report and a recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation<br /> ü Americans work up to 12 weeks more in total hours per year than the Europeans (ILO)<br /> ü Half of all U.S. travel is in two or three-day microscopic bits (Travel Industry of America)<br /> ü U.S. vacations are the shortest in the industrialized world--8.1 days after a year on the job (Bureau of Labor Statistics), compared to 4 to 6 weeks for Europeans.<br /> ü 26 percent of Americans take no vacation at all (Boston College survey)<br /> ü 62 percent of U.S. workers report being "stressed out" from overwork (Harris Interactive survey)<br /> ü The wage gap between CEO-to-worker pay skyrocketed from 1980 to 2000, from 42 times worker pay to an astronomical 500 times worker pay (The Los Angeles Times)</p>