Group items tagged

Women Employed is a non-profit advocacy organization that is working to improve the conditions of working women, especially in the areas of economic and educational opportunities. Women Employed has fought against pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment, while supporting better work/family benefits for working women. The website discusses major workplace issues affecting women, provides likes to resources regarding workplace rights, and seeks to be a vehicle for networking between other women. Visitors can also donate to the group and become a member via the website, as well. The intended audience for this site is clearly working women who are struggling in the employment area, whether in terms of compensation or in the area of work/family benefits. Someone who wanted to improve their career options or outlook would benefit from this website. Additionally, those who simply want to know what their rights in the workplace are would also learn some beneficial information. Information on workplace rights and why "work isn't working" is ready available and easily accessible to the general public. The website highlights several facts, including the fact that there are 30 million low-wage workers (defined as workers earning less than $8.70/hr or $16,704 per year). Of those 30 million, 60% are women. According to this site, only a third of workers have paid sick time to take care of their children and over three-fourths of the lowest paid workers have NO paid sick time at all. I find this website pretty credible. They seem to be basing their facts upon government statistics, including those from the Labor Department. Though visitors are asked to donate to the group's efforts, no donation is required to access the information or resources. The website's initiatives are also very positive and very needed ones: promoting equal pay for equal work, promoting work/family balance, strengthening Affirmative Action policies (which include women), and en

According to 9to5's about us section their "priority campaign is to win family-friendly policies for low-wage women. In the coming year, we'll focus on expanding family and medical leave benefits." While they appear to be making honest attempts towards this end they do not appear to be making actual progress. In their mission and history section they take credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1991. They don't explain how they are connected to this legislation, but I can't imagine that they were a key party in its implementation, as they don't offer any supporting facts. Their intended audience is low wage working women, who ironically don't necessarily or often work a nine to five schedule. At its core 9to5 seems to be a group of well-meaning women who want to support low wage earners when they need legal assistance. Besides their local, grassroots advocacy I believe their most effective resource is actually the legal assistance hotline they offer.

I agree this website sounds like they've taken quite a few liberties. Giving themselves credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1991 without any facts to back themselves up seems very bold. There is a good though behind the site, just not well executed.

It is hard to not support an organizaiton when 44 million American workers do not get paid sick days from their employers. In tough economic times, many workers simply cannot afford to stay out of work until they get well. Some employers will even fire workers for taking time off when they or their kids are sick, which is i believe flat wrong.

The name of the website I reviewed is Momsrising.org, and the URL is http://www.momsrising.org/. This is a non-profit organization 501(c)(4), which means contributions are not tax deductible. I was unable to pinpoint authorship to one person. The 'about us' section simply states that this is a group of people (mostly mothers) who have come together to address issues related to motherhood and family. Specifically, the group examines issues such as maternity and paternity leave, open flexible work, toxics, health care, early care and education, fair wages and paid sick time. The organization's ideas stem from a book titled, The Motherhood Manifesto, authored by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. It just so happens that Rowe-Finkbeiner is also the Executive Director of Momsrising.org. Most of the articles and other stories on their site do not give credit to any author. The only exception would be the Blog page, but even then, it is sometimes just a first name. This organization seems to me to be basically like a PAC, working to change public policies in order to make the workplace more family friendly. The targeted audience would be working mothers and fathers, but it seems there are many more women involved than men. The website addresses many issues that are important regarding work, family, and community. Many workers struggle with finding affordable childcare and this site has a page directly related to promoting early education and childcare for all. They also promote family-friendly policies such as flex-time, job sharing, and telecommuting. I think this website provides some useful information, but I also believe that most of it is biased and subjective. For example, one of the issues they address is healthcare for all. Included is a link to a question and answer session with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. She touts that the

And, here's the rest.... She touts that the new health care reform is designed to put you (us) in charge of our own health, giving us more options, etc. However, no one really knows what is going to happen when this takes effect. There are countless other arguments that support the ideas that people will have less access to care, important medical decisions will be made by some 'board', and the number of qualified doctors will quickly decline. Of course, Momsrising.org only presents the side of the story they want you to believe with regards to the health care reform law. Overall, I would consider the website credible because this group does exist. News articles from around the country support their existence. I noticed they had a "Donate" button that takes you to a page where you can make a monetary donation; however, they don't give a 'breakdown' of where this money goes. For example, what percentage goes to overhead, etc? The site appears to be fairly current, as it should be since it is addressing issues that are being faced today. The copyright date only gives the year 2011, but the "In The News" page contains several links to recent press releases. The site is well designed and consistent in layout. I was unable to find a 'help' screen or a site map.

The United Auto Workers is a union formed for workers in the automobile industry, as the name implies. However, the UAW has expanded its influence and is now helping workers in many different industries to unionize. The website has two main focuses, organizing workers to form new unions and helping workers who are already members to find ways to be active in promoting workers rights. Activism is the larger section of the two focuses. Currently the UAW is working to promote the Occupy Wall Street movement, extending unemployment benefits, and the federal budget. The UAW website is aimed mostly at current union members, and at other workers who might be wishing to unionize. Unions have been a critical part of the labor movement in the past that curbed many industry abuses. In modern days unions have become more controversial, but for many workers in low skill jobs, collective bargaining can be one of their most effective tools for gaining more benefits like sick time and paid leave. I believe that unions like the UAW are the other hope for better work environments, in comparison to my other site about Results Only Work Environments. ROWE represents the best hope I have, where management trusts its workers. But ROWE requires a lot of trust from management, and if management does not trust its workers, then collective action may be the best course for workers to gain the rights they need to take care of their work and their families.

The one thing Karl Marx did not see and the reason why communism was thwarted, unions. This site possible can have a strong appeal to the working class citizen. As i read between the lines of this web site, they are promoting the values for a functioning family unit---employment, solidarity and health. The interface and functionality is pretty simple and from this one can assume who the target market is.

This website sounds very useful, especially for people in unions or wants to partake in them. I am happy to hear that they are active and are pursuing their focuses. Great post!

Maternal Employment and Nonmaternal Care During the Early Years 1. URL: org http://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_124/ Economic Policy Institute - www.epi.org---- Working mothers in a double bind: Working moms, minorities have the most rigid schedules, and are paid less for the sacrifice By Elaine McCrate | May 1, 2002 By Elaine McCrate | May 1, 2002 2. Intended Audience: Low, working and middle class income workers, graduate and post-graduate students and working women of all ethnic classes. 3. Website overview: The economic policy institute is a think tank as it's name suggests and it conducts research and engages in the following areas: non-profit, non-partisan issues. It was officially established in 1986 and it's intent was to propose solutions that will defend and ameliorate the minimal pay and harsh working condition of the low and middle class worker. The EPI serves as the voice of the working class people. The sole purpose of Economic Policy institute is to bring forth awareness concerning economic policies and how these economic policies are benefiting the needs of low, working and middle-income workers. One of EPI beliefs is that every working person, regardless of wage status deserves equality in terms of fair pay and working conditions. Their method of impregnating the public perception with accurate and timely knowledge according to the EPI website is by "producing a plethora of research papers and policy analyses; sponsors conferences and seminars; briefs policy makers at all levels of government; provides technical support to national, state, and local constituency and advocacy organizations; testifies before national, state, and local legislatures; and provides information and background to the media." According to the website, the EPI values are: EPI Values * Helping Working People Economic policy should focus on improving conditions for working people. * Truth and Accuracy Matter EPI research should be honest and rigorous. *