Family Definitions

COVID-19 Shows Why Our Paid Leave Laws Must Include All Kinds of Families

April 9, 2020
Paid Family Leave

American families are structurally complex and diverse, making a family definition that allows workers to care for a broad range of their loved ones – and not just those to whom they are biologically or legally related – a crucial piece of any effective paid leave policy. The need for an inclusive family definition is increasingly relevant now as the Coronavirus pandemic continues and more states have statewide or partial stay-at-home orders in place and social distancing is encouraged.

We Must Update Our Workplace Leave Laws to Cover All Kinds of Families

February 26, 2020
LGBTQ, Paid Family Leave

Who makes a family? If you ask people throughout the U.S., the question would undoubtedly yield a wide variety of responses. Today’s families do not fit one mold – they are multi-generational, blended, LGBTQ, and span beyond legally or biologically related loved ones. Yet some policies, such as the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), have fallen short for workers and their families.

Family Matters: Guide to Defining Family Inclusively in Workplace Leave Laws and Policies

February 24, 2020

Celebrating Progress for LGBTQ Rights At Equality Federation’s 2019 Conference

July 26, 2019
LGBTQ

Advocates in Georgia passed four local nondiscrimination ordinances that protect LGBTQ individuals, Massachusetts became the first state to pass a transgender-inclusive nondiscrimination law by referendum, and six more states have passed laws prohibiting the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. We were also excited to celebrate our role in passage of several new LGBTQ-inclusive paid leave laws and victories upholding local LGBTQ rights laws.

Dallas Joins Austin And San Antonio in Allowing Workers to Earn Paid Sick Time

May 2, 2019
Paid Sick Time

Dallas becomes the third city in the South to pass a paid sick time ordinance. Now, workers in nine of the country’s ten most populous cities (we’re looking at you, Houston) have the legal right to earn paid sick time!

New Jersey Passes Broad Expansion & Improvements to State Leave Laws

January 31, 2019
Paid Family Leave

We’re proud to have worked closely with coalition partners to get this bill passed and will continue to push for progressive paid leave legislation around the country so that everyone can take the paid leave they need.

Chosen Family 2018 Year in Review: We Won’t Rest Until All Families are Protected

December 19, 2018
LGBTQ

Although families are incredibly diverse, our laws and policies often define family relationships narrowly. In 2018 A Better Balance worked with partners across the country to ensure that all family members, regardless of biological or legal ties, would be covered by these important workplace protections.

Proud and Powerful: LGBTQ Union Members and their Allies Gather in Phoenix

August 27, 2018
LGBTQ

Overall, the conference was an especially important moment to act in solidarity with our partners in the labor movement following the Supreme Court’s anti-worker rights decision in Janus v. AFSCME earlier this summer.

Southern Progress: San Antonio Becomes the Second Texas City to Guarantee Paid Sick Time

August 17, 2018
City Laws, Defending Local Democracy, Paid Sick Time

San Antonio now joins more than 40 states and cities across the country in passing a paid sick time law. With the passage of San Antonio’s ordinance, workers in seven of the country’s eight most populous cities now have the legal right to earn paid sick time!

Celebrating Victories, Energizing for the Road Ahead: Equality Federation Leadership Conference 2018

July 31, 2018
Defending Local Democracy, LGBTQ, State Laws, Uncategorized

One of the many high points at the conference was hearing about the incredible cross-movement work happening at the local level, even in the face of state interference.