For Immediate Release
Contact:
Alyssa Grinberg
Director of Communications & Marketing
Parenting Journey
(617) 628-8815 Ext.240
Parenting Journey Statement on Governor Baker Signing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act into Law
July 27, 2017 – SOMERVILLE, MA – In response to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act becoming law, Imari Paris Jeffries, Executive Director of Parenting Journey, released the following statement:
“Today is a step forward for families and parents in the Commonwealth. We know that families thrive when they have the resources they need. Nearly 85% of the parents who come through our doors for parent programming at our Somerville headquarters and our sites throughout Boston, are unemployed or underemployed, and we believe that no one should have to choose between starting or growing their family and losing their job.”
“On behalf of parents and family advocates here at Parenting Journey, I want to thank Mother Woman, and the rest of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act coalition, for their hard work and dedication fighting for the fair and equitable treatment of pregnant Bay Staters and their families. Further, we applaud the efforts of the legislature and Governor Charlie Baker, to prioritize the swift passage of this into law. Its unanimous vote in both chambers signifies that protecting pregnant workers is common sense policy and good for families.”
The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Law fills gaps in existing legislation, extending the standards for disability protection to cover conditions related to pregnancy. Employers are required to provide pregnant workers with reasonable accommodations, such as seating, temporary reassignment to less hazardous tasks, a modified work schedule, and a private non-bathroom space for nursing or expressing breast milk. The law also prevents employers from firing or refusing to hire employees because of pregnancy and related conditions.
ABOUT PARENTING JOURNEY
Parenting Journey, a multi-service family support agency headquartered in Somerville, MA, offers powerful programs that help parents build safer, stronger families and trains professionals nationwide to implement its high-impact approach. More than 2,000 facilitators have received training and 52,000 parents raising almost 151,000 children have benefited from Parenting Journey’s unique curriculum. Parenting Journey programs have been replicated in nearly 500 locations throughout Greater Boston, New York, Florida, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit www.parentingjourney.org. To view a pdf of this press release, click here.
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