Making It Work:
Advancing Workplace Policies for Today's Families
Agenda
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row, 2100 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008
8:00 am
8:40
Continental Breakfast for Hotel Guests
Welcome & Opening Remarks: Ellen Bravo, Family Values & Work and Debra Ness,
National Partnership for Women & Families
PAID SICK DAYS SUMMIT
Summit Kickoff:
9:00 am
Debra Ness, National Partnership for Women & Families
Paid Sick Days in Context: The Public Policy & Economic Climate: How does the
broader policy & economic context, including views on role of government, affect
policies like paid sick days and the dynamics of moving such policies forward in this
climate?
Panelists:
Celinda Lake, President, Lake Research Partners
William E. Spriggs, Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
Letty Mederos, Deputy Chief of Staff, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
Moderator:
9:45
Portia Wu, National Partnership for Women & Families
Interactive discussion: How have states continued/adapted their paid sick day
campaigns in this environment? What opportunities has it provided? How have
advocates run campaigns in an era of budget deficits?
Facilitator:
Vicki Shabo, National Partnership for Women & Families
10:15
Break
10:30
Broadening the Paid Sick Days Coalition: How can we bring new partners into paid sick
day campaign efforts? What kind of outreach is most successful? What do new partners
need to hear from advocates or other trusted allies?
Panelists:
Emily Alfano (National Council of Jewish Women)
Jose Oliva (Restaurant Opportunities Center)
Moderator:
11:15
Cecelie Counts (AFL-CIO)
Interactive discussion: How have states pulled in unlikely bedfellows or new partners
into their paid sick day campaigns? What has worked? What hasn’t been as successful?
Facilitator:
Vicki Shabo, National Partnership for Women & Families
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11:45
Spotlight on Resources for Advocates: A Better Balance, Alliance for Justice, CLASP,
Family Caregivers Alliance, Health Impact Partners, IWPR, Labor Project for Working
Families, Main Street Alliance, MomsRising, National Partnership for Women & Families,
Restaurant Opportunities Center United, Working America, Working Families Story Bank
An opportunity for advocates to share experiences, brainstorm, and ask questions
regarding resources and complete resource feedback form.
WORKING LUNCH
12:00 noon
Working Lunch (Location: Ballroom, unless otherwise noted)
 Representatives of lead organizations in state Paid Sick Day campaigns meet to
discuss campaign successes & what’s next (Location: Salon)
 Paid Family Leave Advocates meet to discuss $50 million in the President’s FY 2011
budget and model paid leave legislation (Location: Upstairs – Balcony Room)
 Participants from different states discuss issues around campaign mobilization and
implementation with facilitators
 Funders table
 Labor representatives table
CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
1:45-2:40
Session 1
(1) Campaign Mobilization & Engagement (Location: Salon)
Leaders: Marilyn Watkins (WA), Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner (MomsRising); Brandy
Davis (CA)
What strategies get and keep coalition members and partners engaged in multi-year
efforts? How do successful campaign leaders turn supporters into activists? What
can campaigns do to keep and build momentum when legislatures are out of session
and legislation isn’t moving?
(2) Business Outreach (Location: Ballroom)
Leaders: Jodie Levin-Epstein and Andrea Lindemann (CLASP) and
Kelly Conklin
Foley-Waite Associates, LLC
Bloomfield, NJ
Jacqueline Germany
Nina's Nuances Interior Designs, Inc.
Montclair, NJ
Rob Everts
Equal Exchange, Inc.
West Bridgewater, MA
Roseanne Martino
One If By Land Restaurant
New York, NY
Why does an employer decide to become an advocate for paid sick days and paid
leave and enter the policy arena when the day is already filled with headaches about
the business? How do advocates effectively find employers and get them to voice
their views? Around the country, how many campaigns are having luck joining hands
with employers? Tips, talk points, and nothing but the truth will be all yours in this
session.
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(3) Effective Story-Telling (Location: Upstairs – Churchill Room)
Leaders: Sangita Nayak (WI) and Ajamu Dillahunt
Personal stories are a powerful way to shatter opposition myths. Learn effective
ways to share your own story and to help others share theirs.
(4) Media Training (Location: Upstairs – Whitehall Room)
Leaders: Lisa Lederer & Gretchen Wright (PR Solutions)
Media and messaging are critical to efforts to advance paid sick days, paid family
leave, and similar initiatives. Some participants will get on-camera media training
and all participants will get concrete suggestions for making their media efforts
more effective. This workshop will give attendees tips on how to generate media
coverage, effectively talk to the media and respond to interview questions.
(5) Power Analysis (Location: Upstairs – Balcony Room)
Leader: Jonathan Rosen (BerlinRosen)
To win, our side needs to broaden and deepen our ability to counter the pressure of
business lobbyists with pressure of our own. This session will explore strategies and
tactics our movement and others are employing at the state level to build capacity
and strength. We’ll focus on how to develop a realistic assessment of the political
landscape, and strategies to build capacity to mobilize members, educate voters and
engage the public.
2:50-3:45
Session 2
(1) Work and Family Messaging (Location: Upstairs – Churchill Room)
Leaders: Anna Deknatel (BerlinRosen), Sarah Standiford (ME) and Nancy Rankin
(NY)
Media attention can be an effective tool to advance legislation, sway decision
makers, and move the arrow of public opinion. In this session, we will discuss how to
engage the press and determine the most effective messages to help frame and
shape coverage. We’ll explore how to handle critics and opposition, keep press
momentum going, and hear from coalition members about their experiences
leveraging media in their campaign.
(2) Thinking Outside the Box: Looking at Other Successful Campaign Models to
Advance Work and Family Policy (Location: Ballroom)
Leaders: Portia Wu (National Partnership), Jen Kern (NELP); Linda Meric (CO)
What other actions can help to advance paid sick days and work-family policies and
build momentum for legislation? Ideas include pursuing executive orders or actions
at the federal and state level; incorporating work-family priorities into jobs bills or
other legislation, seeking expansion of these policies to federal and state workers
and contractors; folding requirements into economic development ordinances;
incorporating requirements into reauthorizations of grant programs.
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(3) Bargaining Chips and Bottom Lines: When Do We Compromise? (Location: Salon)
Leaders: Sherry Leiwant (NY) and Sharyn Tejani (National Partnership)
What kinds of changes and compromises are campaigns making to their paid sick
days statutes to help increase support? We will discuss low-cost changes that may
address legislators’ or businesses’ concerns.
(4) Media Training (Location: Upstairs – Whitehall Room)
Leaders: Lisa Lederer & Gretchen Wright (PR Solutions)
Media and messaging are critical to efforts to advance paid sick days, paid family
leave and similar initiatives. Some participants will get on-camera media training
and all participants will get concrete suggestions for making their media efforts
more effective. This workshop will give attendees tips on how to generate media
coverage, effectively talk to the media and respond to interview questions.
(5) Power Analysis (Location: Upstairs – Balcony Room)
Confirmed: Jonathan Rosen (BerlinRosen)
To win, our side needs to broaden and deepen our ability to counter the pressure of
business lobbyists with pressure of our own. This session will explore strategies and
tactics our movement and others are employing at the state level to build capacity
and strength. We’ll focus on how to develop a realistic assessment of the political
landscape, and strategies to build capacity to mobilize members, educate voters and
engage the public.
3:45
Break
PUBLIC EDUCATION TRAINING
4:00-4:30 pm
4:30-5:00
Discussion of work and family legislation
Break into groups to discuss advocacy strategies
Facilitator: Rachna Choudhry, National Partnership for Women & Families
The Paid Sick Days Summit portion of the event is made possible by the generous support of the Public
Welfare Foundation.
The Making It Work Conference is made possible by the generous support of the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The Public Welfare Foundation, and the Moriah Fund.
5:30
RECEPTION
Featured Speaker: The Honorable Hilda Solis, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor
Emcee: Maria Hinojosa, Host, NPR's Latino USA & Senior Correspondent, NOW on PBS
The Making It Work Reception is made possible by the generous support of The Ford Foundation.
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Tuesday, April 27
Work and Family Day on the Hill
Capitol Visitors Center, Room SVC 202-203
9:00 am
Press Event/Rally
Featured Speakers:
Terrell McSweeny, Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President and Deputy Assistant to
the President
Kevin Miller, Ph.D., Institute for Women’s Policy Research
10:15-12:30
Hill Visits
12:30 pm
Box lunch
1:15-2:45
Hill visits
3:00-3:45
Debrief
4:00
Concluding Remarks/Adjourn
Breakfast and lunch for the Day on the Hill is generously sponsored by the Rockefeller Family Fund.
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