Based in Nashville, TN, our Southern Office works to extend more supportive workplace policies to families across the region. We’ve made great progress in passing state-level workplace pregnancy and lactation accommodations, as well as paid parental leave for state employees and educators in numerous Southern states. Through our strategic policy advocacy and legal expertise, we have secured growing bipartisan support for these critical protections for our communities, and we are increasingly expanding upon existing policies to cover more families’ needs.
We work tirelessly in coalition with partners on the ground to craft strong, supportive policies, advocate for the protections families need, block harmful state interference in local decision-making, and make the case for family-friendly workplaces with our in-depth policy resources. We also convene partners from across the South to share resources and strategies and build regional solidarity.
Resources for policymakers and advocates in the South
- Map of Paid Parental & Family Caregiving Leave Policies for State Employees – A Better Balance
- Summary of Southern Paid Parental Leave Policies for K-12 Employees
- Best Practices for Paid Family Leave Policies for State Government Employees
- Best Practices for Paid Family Leave Policies for Local Government Employees
- Fact Sheet: Voluntary Private Insurance Paid Family Leave Bills
Tennessee:
- Tennesseans Need Paid Family and Medical Leave
- Paid Family Caregiving Leave for Tennessee State Employees (SB 322 / HB 915)
Georgia:
Louisiana:
Policy analysis
Reports:
- More Than Six Million Black Women Workers Live in States That Block Local Paid Sick Days Progress (by A Better Balance, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and The 75 Million Campaign)
- Nearly 73 Million Workers Live in States That Block Local Communities from Making Progress on Paid Sick Days (by A Better Balance and the National Partnership for Women and Families)
- Preempting LGBTQ+ Rights: How States Undermine Local Leadership and Innovation on LGBTQ+ Equality (by A Better Balance, Equality Federation and the Local Solutions Support Center)
- Dollars and Sense: A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Paid Leave in Georgia (by 9to5 GA and the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave)
Selected blog posts:
- Dismantling Barriers to Paid Leave in the South
- Southern States Lead the Way: The Rise of Paid Parental Leave for Educators
- Fostering Bipartisan Support for Paid Parental Leave for Louisiana’s Public School Teachers
- Young Louisianans Speak Out About Why They Advocate for Paid Leave
- Celebrating the Passage of Paid Parental Leave for Louisiana State Employees
- Testifying in Support of Paid Family and Medical Leave in Louisiana
- What Tennessee’s Recent Paid Leave Expansion Can Teach Us About Fighting for Work-Family Justice in the South
- Calling for Paid Leave at the Mississippi State Capitol
- South Carolina Joins Growing List of Southern States Enacting Paid Parental Leave for State Employees
- Standing with Poultry Workers Against Dangerous Working Conditions
- OSHA Must Act to Protect Workers Amidst Soaring Temperatures
Policy advocacy: testimony, comments, & letters
- Testimony Submitted to the Mississippi Senate Study Group on Women, Children and Families
- Testimony Before the Louisiana House Education Committee in Support of SB 157: Paid Parental Leave for Educators
- Testimony in Support of SB 157: Paid Parental Leave for Louisiana K-12 Educators
- Written Testimony Submitted to the Louisiana Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations in Support of SB 289
- Testimony Before the Louisiana House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations in Support of HB 832
- Comment on Louisiana Civil Service Commission Rule 11.36
- Testimony for Louisiana H.R. 118 Paid Family & Medical Leave Task Force
- Testimony in Support of Tennessee SB 379
- Testimony in support of Tennessee HB 1114
- Tennessee Elected Officials Call for Local Authority on Paid Leave
- Testimony in support of Tennessee SB 2672: Paid Sick Leave for State Employees
- Letter: Public School Educators from Across Tennessee Call for Paid Parental leave
- Public Comment for the Alabama Department of Education
- Public Comment for the Alabama State Personnel Department
- Public Comment on Kentucky’s Proposed Paid Leave Personnel Administration Regulations
Our Southern Office in the media: selected clips
- Virginia’s Paid Family Leave Law Signals Shift in the South (The 74)
- More GOP states embrace paid parental leave for teachers, public employees
- 18 states now stop cities from enacting paid leave standards, Stateline
- Paid Leave Is a Priority for Young Workers, But Most Don’t Have Access to It, Teen Vogue
- Opinion | Mississippi Senate Must Support Parental Leave for Families of State Employees, Mississippi Free Press
- Southern leaders must use historic federal money to invest in working families | Opinion, The Tennessean
- Miscarrying at Work: The Physical Toll of Pregnancy Discrimination, the New York Times
- Supporters of paid family leave for state workers applaud new Georgia law, the Georgia Recorder
Know your rights resources for Southern workers
If you have questions about your rights at work around caring for yourself and your loved ones, contact our free and confidential legal helpline.
Alabama
- Know Your Rights: Alabama’s New Paid Parental Leave Benefits for Educators and State Employees
- Working While Pregnant in Alabama? A Know Your Rights Guide (Spanish)
- Working While Caring for Yourself or a Loved One in Alabama? A Know Your Rights Guide (Spanish)
Tennessee
- What Tennessee’s Public School Educators Need to Know About Paid Parental Leave
- Caring for Your Loved One’s Health While Working: FAQs for Tennessee Workers (Spanish)
- Caring for Your Health While Working: FAQs for Tennessee Workers (Spanish)
- KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Tennessee’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (Spanish)
Mississippi
- Working While Pregnant in Mississippi? A Know Your Rights Guide (Spanish)
- Working While Caring for Yourself or a Loved One in Mississippi? A Know Your Rights Guide (Spanish)
- Know Your Rights: Mississippi’s Paid Parental leave for State Employees
Georgia
- Know Your Rights: Georgia’s Paid Parental Leave Bill for Teachers and State Employees
- Know Your Rights: Georgia Lactation Breaks Law