EVENT: Low-Income Workers Deserve Paid Leave

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez will deliver the keynote speech at a September 29 event on the necessity of expanding paid family and medical leave to low-income workers.

The event, sponsored by the Center for American Progress (CAP), will also feature a panel discussion moderated by CAP senior fellow Judith Warner. Panelists will include:

• Heidi Shierholz, chief economist, U.S. Department of Labor
• Ariel Kalil, professor and director of the University of Chicago‘s Center for Human Potential and Public Policy
• Kitty Richards, chief of staff for Washington, D.C. councilmember Elissa Silverman

During his keynote address, Perez will discuss “exciting state and local paid leave initiatives,” according to the CAP website.

Low-income workers, including direct-care workers, are far less likely to be offered paid sick leave and other forms of paid time off, federal statistics show.

Registration for the event, which will be held at the CAP headquarters in Washington, D.C., is available online. A webcast will also be available at the CAP website.

— by Matthew Ozga