Prevent a Swine Flu Pandemic by Supporting Paid Sick Days Nationwide!

Hello, Atlanta 9to5 members!

I'm writing this from Washington DC (if I turned around, I could literally see the Capitol building out the hotel window!), where nearly 50 members and staff of 9to5 have come together for our 2009 Annual Leadership Conference. Tomorrow, we'll be going to Capitol Hill to meet with our Senators and Representatives, asking them to support family-friendly workplace policies, like the Healthy Families Act.

The Healthy Families Act, which would give workers nationwide seven paid sick days each year, has always been an important bill. But now, with our nation facing a potentially pandemic flu, we are in a unique position to ask our legislators to support this bill. President Obama, hoping to stop the spread of the swine flu, has been joined by governors and mayors across the country urging parents to keep their kids out of school if they become ill, and to stay home from work if they themselves feel sick. However, without paid sick days, many working moms and dads cannot afford to take time off work to care for their sick children or to stay in bed for a day or two while they regain their own health.

Even if you are not in Washington with us, you can still let your Congressmen and women know that you support the Healthy Families Act! Read 9to5's press release on the Swine Flu and the Healthy Families Act here. Then, send a letter to your US Representative, asking that he or she co-sponsor the Healthy Families Act. That letter can be found online here.

Thanks for taking action, and I'll see you back in Atlanta next week!

Happy New Year from Atlanta 9to5!!!

Here at 9to5, there's a lot on our agenda in the new year....


We're involved with two statewide campaigns to bring more family-friendly workplace policies to our state: the Georgia Job Family Collaborative and the Georgia Minimum Wage Coalition.

The Job/Family Collaborative is working to pass the Parent Protection Act (HB 37) during the 2009 Legislative Session -- which would give working parents & caregivers up to 24 hours of job-protected leave each year to take children & ailing parents to medical appointments or to attend school functions.

The Minimum Wage Coalition believes that all working Georgians deserve a higher minimum wage that will allow them to support their families. Therefore, we are working to raise the minimum wage for all Georgia workers from $5.15/hour to the federal rate of $7.25/hour by July 2009.

Join us in these efforts! Check out the coalition websites and let us know if you'd like to get involved!



Early in the new year, 9to5 will be launching a new website! This means we'll have a new national website (with the same address of www.9to5.org) and new chapter websites in Atlanta, Colorado, Milwaukee, and California. (Do you live near one of the other 9to5 chapters? Go to their website and get involved!) Check back soon for our amazing new (and more uniform) look!



And, are you a member of 9to5? If so, we'll be releasing preliminary details about our 2009 Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, DC very soon. It'll take place in May and it's shaping up to be an amazing time. If you're not already a 9to5 member, you should join and consider attending this year's ALC! We'll be bringing workplace change to Washington! Keep reading the Atlanta 9to5 blog for more information in the coming months.



From everyone at the Atlanta 9to5 office, we'd like to wish you a happy end to 2008 and a great start to 2009!

-- Cindia, Nasreen, Shyria, Yomara, Asha, Anni, & Tracie