Paid Family Leave and Caregiving

This is the Empowered Caregiver Show.

If you are a caregiver or know someone who is,

this show is meant to uplift you through education and support,

while also lifting up every caregiver's invaluable role in society.

Now, here is the Empowered Caregiver and your host,

Liza Helen Brand.

You are listening to the Empowered Caregiver

and I am your host, Liza Helen Brand.

Today's guest is Cameron Dawson,

who is a senior staff attorney at a Better Balance.

A Better Balance has made groundbreaking efforts to transform

the American workplace into one that promotes gender equality

and no longer undervalues the important labor of caregiving.

The underpending of this organization is the idea

that when we value the work of providing care,

which has long been marginalized due to sexism and racism,

our communities and our nation are healthier and stronger.

To create a level playing field for mothers

and all the caregivers in America,

a Better Balance runs free legal hotline help,

conducts extensive public education,

and works in every corner of the country and Congress

to pass and enforce critical work family policies

that will change the nature and makeup of caregiving.

A Better Balance attorney, Cameron Dawson,

works on policy, advocacy litigation,

and public education on issues ranging from pregnancy accommodations

to paid leave.

Welcome, Cameron.

Is there anything that you would like to add

about a Better Balance and your mission?

Oops, can you hear?

I think my internet is going in and out.

So apologies for that.

Oh, no, no.

I can hear you now.

So a Better Balance.

Anything that I missed in that introduction?

Well, Eliza, you just about covered it.

Like you said, I'm a senior staff attorney at a Better Balance

and we're a national legal advocacy organization

and we really do try to use our expertise

in the law to combat discrimination against pregnant workers

and caregivers.

And a large part of that work includes advancing

supportive work family policies like paid family

and medical leave and paid sick time

and flexible scheduling for caregivers.

So we're really happy, you know,

to share our main mission of using the power of the law

to advance justice for workers.

So they don't have to choose between, you know,

caring for the loved ones out of themselves

and jeopardizing their economic security and their paycheck.

And so really excited to talk more with you today

and share what's on the new bin for Wisconsin

and folks in Wisconsin.

Well, I am really excited to have you

and you're absolutely right.

No person in America should have to make a choice

between caring for their loved ones

or earning a paycheck.

And from what I've read about your organization,

you focus primarily on caregiving,

excuse me, family caregiving and women's issues.

Why these issues?

Why are these so important?

And I will say, you know,

Eliza, at the time of a Better Balance is founding in 2005,

we really weren't having these conversations

about work family balance in a holistic sense

and an inclusive sense.

Those conversations may have been about the professional,

high income earning women.

And it really did ignore the experiences of many working,

working women who were in low wage,

often physically demanding jobs.

And those jobs that included retail or fast food

or even the middle class workers

who may not have had access to those policies.

And when we were founded,

it was in part to really correct that

and add to the conversation really making it clear

that a Better Balance should be achievable for all workers.

And it's really not done until all workers

could care for themselves and have access

to those protective policies

no matter their zip code or their job.

And they could take care of themselves

and their loved ones without risking

their economic security

or making that impossible choice.

I just want to say too, you know,

it's very important as a woman to be in this work

because we know that women in this country

still bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities.

And most often than not,

women of color have historically maintained that role

of being a primary breadwinner

or a co-breadwinner for their family.

So it's more, you know, important now

more than ever to advocate for these policies

and begin this work

through legal reform to serve all families

with that racial and gender equity peace in mind.

Absolutely.

And I would love for you to be able

to use this as an opportunity to share

some of those accomplishments and differences

that a Better Balance has made along the way.

Yes.

And it's surprising to think that we have been in place

for almost, you know, more than a decade.

And this year we really seen a lot of accomplishments

with our partners, including that a Better Balance

was proud to have launched and led advocacy efforts

for the past 15 years to finally pass

the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act,

which makes it clear that employers

that have 15 or more employees need to provide

reasonable accommodations to allow pregnant

and nursing workers to continue working

while maintaining their healthy pregnancies.

And the law went into effect on June 27th.

So it's been a few months now

and we've partners across the country

and educating workers about their rights.

So if a pregnant worker has a physical

or a mental condition related to their pregnancy

or they need time off to recover from childbirth

or a related medical condition,

they're able to request that reasonable accommodation

from their employer and receive it

unless it would pose an undue hardship,

meaning it would be too expensive

or difficult to provide.

And that took 15 years of advocacy

with state and federal partners,

maternal health advocates, caregivers

and parents sharing their experiences

and their stories with legislators.

And we're really excited to see that come to fruition this year.

And I just want to say too that, you know,

we've also been proud to work

and see the passage of the pump act,

which provides that reasonable break time and space

for nursing mothers in the workplace.

And it also expands, you know,

access to more than 9 million previously excluded

nursing mothers who may have worked at a teaching

as a teacher or as a nurse

and were previously excluded under federal law.

So we're excited to see these new expansions

for working mothers really help advance maternal health

but also make sure that workers are connected

to the workforce and businesses know, you know,

how to accommodate them.

And I think we've been able even more so this year

to see advancement of paid family

and medical leave programs.

Right now we're up to 13 states

and Washington DC that have these paid medical leave programs.

And we're also seeing paid sick time policies

advance and pass in 16 states and dozens of jurisdictions.

And we can't do this work without working in coalition

and collaboration with legislators

and fellow advocates across the country.

So, you know, we've seen nearly 60 million workers

who previously did not have a single paid sick day at work,

now be covered by these state or local paid sick time laws,

which is really amazing and goes to, you know,

our main mission and really making sure that these policies

help advance health and also, you know,

economic security for families.

Well, thank you so much for the work that you do.

And it is kind of mind boggling to me the time

that it takes for some of these proposals

to gain momentum and get passed into law.

And it takes a village.

I mean, the more people we have working on these issues,

the more people we have aware,

the further the reach and the faster we can come along.

Can you tell people in Wisconsin how they could get involved

in the work if they wanted to work towards making a difference

for caregivers?

Absolutely, Liza.

And there's a few ways I'll just note for folks,

you know, I tell people it's the power of your lived experience

and your story matters most.

And so people can start by getting involved

by sharing their experiences.

If you are a worker in Wisconsin and have questions

about your rights in the workplace or if you're interested

in sharing your experience with a better balance,

you can contact our free and confidential legal help line.

And that's at 1-833-633-3222.

You can also, you know, join our community advocate program

where you meet other folks who are sharing their experiences

and speaking out about these issues

to push for change in their community.

And I think we're also working with a coalition of partners

in Wisconsin and really proud to collaborate

with our partners at 9-5 Wisconsin

to advocate for a paid leave program here in the state.

And so you can join the Wisconsin Care Coalition

and learn more about that at paidleaf4wi.org.

And they have information about these opportunities,

how to write a letter to your legislator,

or simply just joining in for updates.

But there's no action too small.

We definitely need people to get involved in this work.

You're listening to the empowered caregiver

and I'm your host, Liza Helen Brandt.

Today I'm speaking with Cameron Dawson

an attorney at a better balance.

A better balance is a national organization

that is working to transform the American workplace

into one that promotes gender equality

and no longer undervalues the important labor of caregiving.

I will make sure Cameron that I get those phone numbers

and websites on my Facebook page later this evening

or tomorrow morning.

But I want to just go back to your website

because you have on there this quote that I love

because caregiving is treated as a private concern.

The labor it involves becomes invisible.

And the caregivers form part of an invisible labor force.

One of the biggest challenges that I have

in my caregiver advocacy journey is getting caregivers

to realize that they're caregivers.

This is often seen as a familial duty.

Can you help me explain to those who might not get it

why they are worthy of support and resources

and advocacy efforts,

even if they just see themselves as a parent, son,

daughter, what have you?

And I definitely agree that we have for a long time

as a society really not put proper value and investment

in caregiving and in the act of giving care

for our families, ourselves,

even in our mental and physical health

and for those that work in the care workforce,

we have seen throughout the last decade

that essential workers have not been properly given

the value and investment that they need.

And I do think that for caregivers,

you're not just simply a caregiver,

you're a hero to your family.

You are the backbone of this country.

And it's important to really provide those resources

and support for caregivers because they really do

set the foundation for our next generation of leaders

and for our society as a whole.

And I think it's really sad to see caregivers feel isolated

and ignored largely due to those systemic problems.

There is so much work to be done.

And when we come back, we are going to talk about

paid family and medical leave

and how Wisconsin compares to the rest of the nation

in supporting family caregivers.

Thank you very much.

You are listening to the empowered caregiver

and I am your host, Liza Helen Brown.

Today's guest is Cameron Dawson,

who is a senior staff attorney at a better balance.

A better balance has made groundbreaking efforts

to transform the American workplace

into one that promotes gender equality

and no longer undervalues the important labor of caregiving.

The underpending of their organization

is the idea that when we value the work of providing care,

our communities and our nations are healthier and stronger

because of it.

To create a level playing field for all mothers

and caregivers in America,

a better balance runs a free legal help line

conducts extensive public education

and works in every corner of the country and Congress

to pass and enforce critical work family policies

that will change the nature and make up of caregiving.

Cameron, I want to ask you about paid family

and medical leave for caregivers.

But before I do that,

I want to address that not all families are the same.

You have on your website, this is my family.

It's a campaign where people can tell stories

about what their families look like.

According to your website, 80% of US households

I found that really shocking.

I did not know.

80% of US households aren't represented

by the nuclear family model of a married husband

and wife and their children.

Why is it important that this fact is addressed

in the work that you do?

Yes, and I think with this is my family project,

it really has been a labor of love

with the family justice network

and the family values at work and a better balance

really want to highlight that every family is different

and because the generations and extended relatives

and the responsibilities of caring for loved ones

that may not even be related by blood or marriage

has really become an increasing thing

that we've seen in families.

Our family looks different and so in times of need

it's really important that we recognize those families

in our policies and workers should be able

to care for and be cared for by those

that they consider closest to them regardless

of their legal or biological relationship

and I think we've really been able to realize that

many caregivers are youth their ages 18 to 24

and they may be caring for multiple family members

while also working full-time jobs

and sustaining that economic security for their families

and especially now we've seen that young adults

have become a large portion of caregivers

and highlighting their stories through

that this is my family campaign has really helped folks

see the importance of those stories

and I found it incredibly impactful to hear

Maggley's story that's featured on the website

where she talks about caring for her brother

who was injured in a car accident

and she felt like she couldn't juggle the responsibilities

of working and caring for him in the hospital

and her job ultimately did not offer paid leave

so she had to work with her family members

to really you know show up

and care for her to her brother

but she felt at times that work there was nothing

that could be done for her

because no one wanted to hear her experience

so listening to those types of personal stories

really does bring their experiences

to light for elected officials

and makes it that much more important

so if folks are interested they could check those stories out

at that this is my family USA.org website

I love that and again it's so important

is these stories that matter

it's these stories that make a difference

it's these stories that touch people's hearts

to get them to take the next step

so I encourage everyone to go and share their story

the camera and a passion of mine

is raising awareness on the need to create

caregiver friendly workplaces

let's start out with this paid family

and medical leave

I know that you're not located in Wisconsin

but could you speak to how our family

and medical leave policies

differ or compare to other states?

Sure and I will say our legal team

is working with advocates in Wisconsin

and we work across the country

even though I'm based here in Nashville, Tennessee

I think we've really recognized the critical measures

that paid family and medical leave

can have on caregivers in Wisconsin

and currently in Wisconsin there is no paid family

and medical leave program under state law

but Wisconsin does have its own type of family

and medical leave act which covers

you know some employees who work for business

with 50 or more employees

and they've worked there for a year

and I've worked at least you know

a thousand hours in their past 12 months

and family and medical leave

can really be used for things

like caring for yourself

while you are taking time off to go to the hospital

for a serious illness

or if a family member is receiving

critical treatment for care

or even if you have recently adopted

or given birth to a child

and need time to take to bond with that child

or care for them after birth

and so it's really important to see how

having that time off is critical

but a lot of families can't take that time off unpaid

if the leave does begin

within the 16 weeks of their birth

or adoption they can take it

but it's really critical for that leave to be paid

as many families are depending on those paychecks

to buy things like diapers

and you know pay for their bills

so I do want to say that

with the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act

it is a little bit different from the federal FMLA

it does provide less time off than the FMLA

and so when we talk about ways to really advance health

and equity it's really important that we have a comprehensive program

that provides 12 weeks off

not just six weeks to care for a child

or two weeks to care for a family member

we want to make sure that folks have 12 weeks

to care for whatever purpose they need

and that they can also have their health insurance

and benefits while they're taking that time off

so that's just a little bit about the Wisconsin program

and can you tell me why I get it

why this is important to families

families need this

we need to be able to take care of our loved ones

and pay our bills

but how do we get business owners to get it

when they are only thinking bottom line

and I think that's the critical piece there

is the bottom line

studies have shown that paid family and medical leave

really is a critical retention tool

and it also saves money on the back end for businesses

when they do implement these policies

and like I said earlier

about 14 states

that's 13 states in Washington DC

have enacted these policies in their state

and they have shown that businesses

they either experience a positive

or a neutral effect on their business

and they're able to reduce

some benefits

and actually save

from having their employees

not be on public assistance

and instead be on the paid family and medical leave

well not only public assistance

but up and quit

if you can't have access to the leave you need

and you know your family comes first

it's got to come first

it trumps everything else

so then they have to up and leave

and yeah you're right

you're talking about placing hiring ads

training all that expense that goes along

with filling that position

so it absolutely makes business sense

to me

it's unfortunate that we're slow moving in that area

you're listening to the empowered caregiver

and I'm your host Liza Helen Brands

times are changing

and with that people's needs are changing

and when we come back we're going to talk more

about what the future of the workplace needs

to look like to accommodate our changing times

and I'm your host Liza Helen Brands

today's guest is Cameron Dawson

who is a senior staff attorney

at a better balance

a better balance works to create a level playing field

for mothers and all caregivers in America

they run a free legal helpline

conduct extensive public education

and work in every corner of the country

and in Congress to pass

and enforce critical work family policies

that will change the nature and make up of caregiving

Cameron I think this all comes down to the fact that

society is changing

gender rules have changed

costs have changed

technology is continually changing

the amount of information

and daily tasks that we must process

and deal with is always changing

and for specifically women

the list seems to be growing

and growing and growing

with all of this in mind

what does the ideal workplace

of the future look like

and when I say future

I know it needs to have been done

years ago but what is it

what would your ideal workplace

of the future look like

yes and I'd even say

I mean the future is now

so even in the next few months

and next year hopefully

starting the trend

of really making it

where the workplace is an open space

to talk about your family

talk about your caregiving needs

and share you know

your mental and physical stresses

without feeling like you're going to be

discriminated or

biased is going to stop you from being promoted

or your employment is going to

think that you no longer care

about your job because

you have family needs

and I think like you said

a lot of us are going to be caring for someone

at some point in our lives

are going to need that care ourselves

and for me personally

I think about what are the ways

that I can make my job work for me

while I care for my parents

or my grandparents and other family members

that I love so I just hope

that in the future

we don't have to fear starting that conversation

but the workplace can really

be a conducive hub

and more of a collaboration

versus an adversarial experience

in the long run

well you know there are so many issues

today in society

where I feel we are going

totally back in time

totally backwards wrong direction

and you know so I know

that this is going to be hard

for some people to grasp

you know they think work is one thing

family is another they don't intertwine

if you can't do it get different job

yada yada yada so how do we get Americans

to buy into this

because believe it or not

not everyone goes along

with what is in their best interest

right and I think it really is

showing that

it's not these policies

and more are not that hard to implement

and it really does

you know create better health

better wellness

and also more economic security

and so we've seen time and time again

that these policies are becoming increasingly popular

with youth workers

with majority of workers across the

country when we do poll

voters in the United States

they recognize the need for

paid family and medical leave

and sick time regardless of their political party

so I think it does you know

really start with sharing experiences

from Americans across the nation

and showing that it's not just you

going through this you don't have to go

through this alone but this can really be

changed through policy

or the legislators of our country

to get involved

Absolutely I mean I just

think of the people that are out there

cringing like oh this is

a snowflake idea and I just want

to scream no it's

no it's not you know bringing

this into the workplace

acknowledging that people have a whole other

job outside of working

and how can we make this work

for both of us is crucial

because go wait in line

anything anywhere in America

there's a wait there aren't the workers

the workers aren't always there

so making these changes

and making places

workplace friend or excuse me

caregiver friendly really

benefits everyone

you you are listening to the

empowered caregiver and I'm speaking

with Cameron Dawson who is a senior

staff attorney at a better balance

a better balance works to create a

level playing field for mothers

who have been talking about

how the future workplace needs

to look better to support women

and family caregivers

but how do we get the

politicians to support

their own constituent

I mean we are talking primarily

about a bunch of old white men

how do we convince them

to see the value and take action

on supporting the invisible

workforce which is really

the backbone of our nation

yes and I think

Liza we have seen time

and time again these policies

cannot pass without bipartisan

support and what's really

broad support across the aisle

you know this is not a partisan issue

this is an issue that affects families

of all sizes whether you're in a rural

community or in an urban setting

whether you're low income, middle income

or high income the need

for paid family and medical leave is

going to come and so having

constituents talk to their legislators

about their needs why they

lacked paid family and medical leave

and how that impacted their

family, their futures really

does bring legislators

to support these issues

and as I've said before

we see that more folks are connected

to the workforce and it does

decrease the employee turnover

by providing these policies

which benefits not just individuals

but also businesses small

large so I think legislators

really do value

the workforce and seeing

those stories really makes

caregivers less invisible

and brings them to the forefront

because they are our backbone of the country

yeah so again it goes back

to sharing your story

and you know why you're talking

about this I had so many thoughts

going in my ADD brain

and you know one of them

is caregivers I think

that's really a humble

group of people

you know I was just thinking

about all of the different

groups especially

nowadays which is great

out there really

advocating we want this

we need this do this

and here we are people

working two full time jobs

running on empty

while it's our

empty and

we don't even identify as caregivers

so I just feel like there's

so much work that needs

to be done around

these issues and again

can you let listeners know

where they can go to find you

and how they can jump on board

yes and definitely starting

the trend in the movement

this is not just the moment

but a movement of wearing

so you can visit

a betterbalance.org to learn

more information about

what paid family and medical

leave is what these policies

are like in your state

in Wisconsin and what your rights

are and you can also go there

to support a better balance

work and make a donation

if you do feel called but we really

do want to encourage workers to share

their experience and we do offer

support in English and Spanish

so if you are interested

in your rights or just joining

or advocacy efforts but don't know

where to start, feel free to reach out to us

and we're happy to help

and I think we definitely need more folks

in this movement

we cannot just continue to see

the same things happen over and over

so we're excited for all to come

and visit our resources

I encourage

everyone to go to

a better balance

and see what they have to offer

you know camera

I'm going to throw you on the spot

I know I give you a lot of time

to prepare for these questions

but we have a few more minutes

and so I like to ask

what are three things

that you wish all caregivers

knew?

So I would say

for me I wish caregivers knew

that you know

the experience is

the mental stress

and anxiety

and the day-to-day experiences

they have are valid and they are real

and there are resources out there

to help support caregivers

and even if there are not resources

that you personally need

it's always a group or an organization

that is interested in helping you

along the way so

whether that is community support

or organizational support

you know always reach out

we need more

advocates like you

as a caregiver

there's nothing too big or too small to do

even writing a letter

or joining a sign on is enough

and so I encourage folks

to do that and participate

where they can

and three I would just say

you are enough

as caring for your family

you are doing everything that you can do

and that is enough

I love that you ended

with you are

enough because

that's perfect

and I get a lot of

you're not alone

which is good

which is comforting

but I think a lot of caregivers

feel like

they're not enough

that they're not doing it right

you know that they're failing

in so many different

things

so thank you

for that

I do want to

there's two things that are

kind of tossing back and forth

in my mind

one is

the unseen documentary

since we have some more time

here

I just want to

that's where I ran into

so a few weeks ago

unseen camera incorrect

me if I'm saying this wrong

unseen

how we're failing

parent caregivers and why it matters

and you were on that

documentary

so I'm just curious

some of your takeaways

from the documentary

what you learned from it

or even how you got to be

on the documentary itself

Sure

Amanda and Tom

through just the

initial stages of them

creating the documentary

and they really just wanted to learn more about

what laws were in place

either on the federal level

or the state level to support caregivers

and through our conversations

we were all shocked

and angry that there were not many

and so

really one of the takeaways

I received was that

for caregivers

in the community

whether that be

mental resources

or financial resources

that are needed across this country

but also just having the right

to receive accommodations

and not face discrimination

in the workplace before you

are forced to leave your job

because of your caregiving

responsibilities

some of the

things that you need to do

in the community

from their workplace

when they did

initially work

at their job and bring up

their first needs for accommodations

and so it really does

encourage me to

work more actively on federal

and state legislation

that supports caregivers

who are still able to work

in a business

and I wanted to see it as well

and I know that they had

many different caregivers

share snippets of their story

but the family

that they followed

the Ronnie's

I believe is that

I believe it's the Ronnie's

that they were

in intense caregiving

situation

and I just feel like

we've got to start

first, these are people

that cannot leave the house

without somebody there

to care for

their son

so my heart just goes

out to them because

the hopelessness

that they must

feel

I'm talking about a

genie out of a bottle

type of thing

I know this is

but what do you think

would best support

that population, the population

that really cannot

leave the home because

either their loved one is hooked

up to equipment, machines

or has such behavioral

needs that it's not safe

Yeah and I would definitely

say Liza that

as we're seeing more

financial supports

and credits and certifications

that seems to be

one of the critical

supports for families

who do have to stay in

and deliver that health care

proper certification

and compensation for those

families is definitely needed

Absolutely that is a wonderful

and you know what

absolutely doable first

place to

I want to say first place to start

but place to start to help

and I will reach out to you

to get all of the resources

that you share so that I can

post them on my social

media so everyone can

get connected to you

Thank you Liza

I appreciate it so much

Take care

You are listening to the

empowered caregiver show

and I am your host

Liza Helen Brand

and I was just speaking

with Cameron Dawson

from a better balance

and the better balance

is making groundbreaking efforts

to transform the American

workplace into one that promotes

gender equality

and no longer undervalues

the important labor of

the nation

if not monetary

there are plenty of ways to

volunteer and to get involved

so check them out

at a better balance

I want to shift gears here

and share some good news

for the state of Wisconsin

Assembly Bill 259

and Senate Bill 263

both which would allow participants

in the senior care program

to obtain 100 day supply

drugs instead of the

current 34 day limit

for most types of prescription

drugs was recently signed

into law by governor

Evers and so that

impacts the senior care program

and senior care helps older

adults pay for prescription

drugs and vaccines

to enroll in senior care

you must be a Wisconsin

resident, a US citizen

or qualifying immigrant

you can enroll in senior care

no matter what coverage you have

except you cannot be

a member of a

full benefit Medicaid

program like Badger Care

plus. So senior care

will coordinate coverage

with your other insurance

and that includes

Medicare Part B

or D. You can apply

for senior care the month

that you turn 65

times. Your coverage will

begin the month after

application and you must

renew your coverage annually

excuse me to stay in the program

the enrollment fee for that

is $30 a year

and your annual income

determines how much

your prescription drug

cost, excuse me

annual income determines

how much of your prescription

drug cost senior care will cover

$30,000 Wisconsin

needs benefit from senior care

and if you would like to

learn more go to

www.dhswisconsin.gov

and search for

senior care.

To join me next week

I have Brenn Seaman

from the Wisconsin

family and caregiver support

alliance. She is going to talk

about the work that

they do and our new

sponsorship so I want to give

them a big shout out and thank

you for believing in the work

that I'm doing and making

that financial contribution

if you would like to get your

business behind supporting

family caregivers and to be

a sponsor of the show

please email me

at www.liza at

www.civicmedia.us

I also want to encourage

you to find me on

Facebook at the

Empower caregiver currently

that's where I go to post

all this follow-up information

and to let you know about

upcoming guests and various

articles that will support

family caregivers so you can find

me on Facebook you can also

find me on Instagram