From Washington News Service:

Washington, DC – Many working families are victims of a corporate culture and public policies that were forged in the middle of the last century, when Dads went to work and Moms cared for the kids at home, according to the National Association of Mothers’ Centers. “Bring us into the 21st Century!” is the message they gave this week to a U.S. Senate work group looking into work/life reforms. The Association’s executive director, Linda Lisi-Juergens, says today’s employees can’t juggle fast enough.

In Washington, for instance, less than half of full-time workers and only 12 percent of part-timers have paid sick days. Juergens says adding some workplace flexibility should not be viewed as running “counter” to the interests of business. Studies show that when companies are more flexible, it enhances their employees’ morale and productivity.

Your (wo)man in Washington is covering progress of the three bills under consideration by Congress that would promote family economic security:

• The Healthy Families Act (which would guarantee workers can earn up to 7 days of sick leave per year)

• The Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009 (which would ensure 12 weeks of paid benefits for the handful of times workers need extended time off care for a sick family member, a new baby, or the worker’s own illness), and

• The FIRST Act (which would provide start-up funding to states for family leave insurance)