{"id":2594,"date":"2021-08-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=2594"},"modified":"2021-08-30T20:57:14","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T20:57:14","slug":"american-families-plan-unions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/american-families-plan-unions","title":{"rendered":"The American Families Plan and the Labor Movement: Putting Working Families First"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joseph Biden\u2019s key legislative proposals demonstrate his commitment to investing in workers and their families to rebuild the economy after the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He first proposed the American Jobs Plan<\/a> which puts workers and jobs at the heart of economic recovery. Biden then introduced the American Families Plan<\/a> which advocates investing in children and families to \u201cgrow the middle class, expand the benefits of economic growth to all Americans, and leave the United States more competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis proposal recognizes a fundamental truth,\u201d writes Colin Seeberger<\/a>, director of media relations at American Progress. \u201cAmerica\u2019s economic growth and competitiveness is inextricably tied to its families\u2019 ability to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why family has been at the heart of the labor movement\u2019s efforts to improve the working lives of Americans and build a stronger middle class. By addressing these key issues, the American Families Plan would advance the efforts made by unions and labor allies to position workers and families as the backbone of the American economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a gaping hole in employee benefits in the U.S. \u2014 the lack of paid family and medical leave. The American Families Plan seeks to establish a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave policy that would guarantee 12 weeks of paid leave by year 10 of the program and three days of bereavement leave per year beginning in the first year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a benefit labor leaders have long fought for. \u201cNo one should have to choose between their paycheck and caring for their family,\u201d asserts the American Federation of Government Employees<\/a> in a report on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on paid family leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanded Access to Affordable Healthcare<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another key benefit for working families is healthcare, but millions of workers can\u2019t afford it. The American Families Plan includes a provision to extend the expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits originally offered in the American Rescue Plan. This would make healthcare more affordable for more families, which would meet a key union goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo many people do not have health insurance,\u201d notes the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations<\/a>. \u201cMedical care and prescription drug prices are too high, which drives up the cost of health insurance and sticks working people and retirees with exorbitant deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Parent<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Affordable Child Care for Low- and Middle-Income Families<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated America\u2019s child care problems created by soaring child care costs, diminishing supply to meet the growing demand for child care, and a struggling child care provider economy, writes Jillian McGrath<\/a>, former economic policy advisor at national think tank Third Way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChild care in America was a massive problem before the pandemic\u2014now it\u2019s a deep crisis\u201d, she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Families Plan seeks to address these problems so working parents can afford quality child care. Ultimately, low- and middle-income families with children under the age of five would have to pay no more than seven percent of their income on child care, which is the threshold for affordable child care according to the Department of Health and Human Services<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Plan also calls for universal preschool for three- and four-year olds as a way to not only make child care affordable but to give children the head start they need to be successful later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education and Training for the Future Workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Industries and employers need skilled workers which is why unions have always invested heavily in worker training and education programs such as apprenticeships, internships, and college degrees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Families Plan seeks to give more workers opportunities for securing a stable job and earning a living wage by guaranteeing two years of free community college, increasing Pell Grant awards for low-income students, and incentivizing colleges to invest in innovative student success programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with the American Jobs Plan, the American Families Plan reinforces what labor movement leaders have known all along, that \u201cwe must invest in our workers and the middle class, so all of our families succeed now and into the future,\u201d asserts the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As union leaders advocate for the proposal\u2019s passage, a tool like UnionTrack ENGAGE<\/a> can keep those leaders connected with their members and facilitate communication on progress of the legislation through Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images by: pompjaideaw9\/\u00a9123RF.com, highwaystarz\/\u00a9123RF.com<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The American Families Plan focuses on improving the lives of workers and their families as a key element in the road to post-COVID economic recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uniontrack-blog"],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe American Families Plan and the Labor Movement - UnionTrack\u00ae<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The American Families Plan focuses on improving the lives of workers and their families as a key element in the road to economic recovery.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/american-families-plan-unions\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The American Families Plan and the Labor Movement - 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