The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
June 23, 2014

FACT SHEET: The White House Summit On Working Families

Fighting for Working Families; Strengthening Our Economy

Building on actions he already has taken to help create real, lasting economic security for working families, today the President will announce a set of concrete steps that will create more opportunities for hardworking families to get ahead. Together with the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Center for American Progress (CAP), the White House is hosting the Summit on Working Families to set an agenda for a 21st century workplace. This fact sheet lays out these new announcements, along with a series of reports the White House Council of Economic Advisers has released ahead of todayfs Summit.

Already this year, the President has acted to move our country forward by raising the minimum wage for federal contractors, expanding retirement opportunities, strengthening overtime protections, and signing an Executive Order that protects workers from being retaliated against by their boss if they discuss their wages. At the Summit, the President will build on this progress by signing a Presidential Memorandum to help families better balance work and spending time at home, and announcing a package of both public and private sector efforts that will take a strong stand to protect pregnant working women, increase investments for research to understand the economic benefits of paid leave, expand apprenticeships for women, target resources to help more women enter higher-paying STEM and other fields, and make child care more affordable for working families.

The Presidentfs approach to the kitchen table issues that working families deal with every day is grounded in his own personal experience as well as his understanding that in order to stay competitive and economically successful, American businesses and our country as a whole need to bring our workplace policies into the 21st century. From growing up as the son of a single mom, to paying off his student loans, to raising two young daughters in a household with two working parents, the President learned the value of hard work and understands many of the struggles that American families face today.

Since the beginning of his Administration, President Obama has focused on how we can create real, lasting security for the middle class by strengthening our nationfs workplaces to better support working families. Yet, while studies show that family-friendly workplace policies can enhance businessesf profitability, many companies report that they lack the tools and expertise to redesign their workplaces to capture this competitive advantage. Too many workplaces still have policies that belong in a Mad Men episode – not the year 2014. When nearly half of all parents have said gnoh to a job because it would be too hard on their families, itfs time to act. The President will continue to work with Congress and make progress on his own because working families can no longer wait for Washington to move forward.

Todayfs Summit explores how, as the demographics of our workforce change, our workplaces can change to support working families, boost businessesf bottom lines, and ensure Americafs global economic competitiveness  in the coming  decades. The Summit will convene businesses, economists, labor leaders, legislators, advocates and the media for a discussion on issues facing the entire spectrum of working families – from low-wage workers to corporate executives, from young parents to baby boomers caring for their aging parents. The important efforts the President will announce today reflect our belief that we all have a role to play in changing our countryfs workplace policies and will be built upon coming out of todayfs Summit. In addition, today the White House Council of Economic Advisers is releasing a new report: gWork-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility,h which is attached and available here. In addition, in recent days, CEA has also released the following reports:

A Year of Action: Building on Progress

EXPANDING WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY AND EMPOWERING WORKERS
Taking Executive Action to Expand Workplace Flexibility. The President will issue a Presidential Memorandum directing federal agencies to implement existing efforts to expand flexible workplace policies to the maximum possible extent. In support of this goal, this executive action will direct agencies to review their workplace flexibilities and programs and report back any best practices and barriers to their use. In addition, the memorandum will make clear that Federal workers have the gright to requesth a flexible work arrangement without fear of retaliation, and will direct agencies to establish procedures for addressing these requests by employees. Finally, it will call for training all employees and their supervisors on the effective use of these tools and will direct the Office of Personnel Management to create a new Workplace Flexibility Index that will be published online and updated annually to measure agenciesf success.

Supporting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 took a crucial step toward protecting pregnant workers, too many women still face discrimination in the workplace and a serious and unmet need for reasonable accommodations that would allow them to keep working while they are pregnant. For that reason, President Obama will urge Congress to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would require employers to make reasonable accommodations to workers who have limitations from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions (unless it would impose an undue hardship on the employer). The legislation also would prohibit employers from forcing pregnant employees to take paid or unpaid leave if a reasonable accommodation would allow them to work.

Empowering Pregnant Workers with Better Information About Their Rights. At the Presidentfs direction, DOL will release a new online map that will be a one-stop shop where working families can learn about the rights of pregnant workers in each state. The map will also allow families to see which states are leading the charge in protecting their rights and which are lagging behind. This live map will continue to reflect any future changes in state and federal policy.

Extending Workplace Protections to All Families Equally. Last year, in United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. President Obama called the Courtfs decision a victory for same-sex married couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law, and he instructed the Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure the decision, including its implications for federal benefits and programs, was implemented swiftly and smoothly. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has concluded that review. In almost all instances, the government is able to extend benefits to same-sex married couples, regardless of where they live.  Also on Friday, DOL announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend the definition of a gspouseh under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) so that eligible employees in legal same-sex marriages will be able to take FMLA leave to care for their spouse or family member, regardless of where they live. This change will ensure that the FMLA is applied to all families equally, giving spouses in same-sex marriages the same ability as all spouses to fully exercise their rights and responsibilities to their family.

INCREASING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE
Promoting Access to Child Care for Workers in Job Training Programs. DOL will make funds available for technical skill training grants to provide low-wage individuals opportunities to advance in their careers in in-demand industries, with $25 million of the competition focused on addressing barriers to training faced by those with childcare responsibilities. With the help of additional public or private funding that it will leverage, these dedicated funds will promote greater availability of activities such as co-location of training and child care services, access to unconventional training delivery times or locations, flexibilities related to scheduling and child care exigencies, and improved access to related child care services. These funds will give more working families a path to secure, higher wage jobs by addressing the significant barriers related to finding and acquiring affordable, high quality child care—including emergency care—while attending skills training programs. For example, evidence shows that single parents who receive child care are much more likely to complete job training programs than those who do not have access to child care. The new competition, which will be launched next year, will aim to increase participation and completion rates of those in training by supporting sustainable and innovative approaches that expand workersf access to child care.

Expanding Access to High-Quality Child Care. The lack of quality, affordable child care and preschool has enormous economic implications for families. Greater availability of high-quality early care and education enables workers to succeed in their jobs while providing children the resources needed to support their healthy development and prepare them for success in school. Today the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will release a new report on the Obama Administrationfs investments to expand access to high-quality early care and education, including efforts under the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge program, Head Start and Early Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Fund. The report will highlight state progress on establishing standards and improving program quality as well as supporting family-friendly policies that help working parents find high-quality and sustainable child care for their children.

Supporting High-Quality Early Education for All Children. The President has proposed a series of new investments that will establish a continuum of high-quality early learning for a child—beginning at birth and continuing to age 5—including expanding evidence-based, voluntary home visits for parents and children, growing the supply of high-quality infant and toddler care through our new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, and providing all four-year-old children with access to high-quality preschool. These investments will help close Americafs school readiness gap and ensure that children have the chance to enter kindergarten ready for success.  In May, HHS announced a $500 million competitive grant opportunity to support the expansion of Early Head Start and the creation of Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. In addition, ED will launch a $250 million Race to the Top competition this year to partner with states and communities to expand access to high-quality, universal preschool programs. HHS will provide new grants in 2014 to serve additional at-risk families during pregnancy and childrenfs early years through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

MAKING PROGRESS TOWARD SOLUTIONS FOR PAID LEAVE
Supporting the Creation of State Paid Leave Programs. DOL is targeting funds for Paid Leave Analysis Grants to fund up to five states to conduct research and feasibility studies that could support the development or implementation of state paid leave programs. A preliminary announcement about these grants will be sent this week to all state Governors.  The selection process will give priority to states that can demonstrate commitment to building a knowledge base needed to implement paid leave programs, and can present clearly articulated strategies for leveraging this research to do so. 

Providing Additional Research to Inform and Develop Paid Leave Solutions. DOL is funding two new independent research studies related to employee leave that will examine how paid leave programs impact employers and workers. One study is already underway and focuses on state paid parental leave laws in California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. The first paper from this study, released today, analyzes the positive impact of the California law ten years after implementation. The second study, which begins next month, will assess the current use of leave by workers and the likely effects of alternative worker leave policies.

CONTINUING TO CLOSE THE PAY GAP BY INCREASING ACCESS TO NON-TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS
Closing the Gender Pay Gap and Expanding Womenfs Access to STEM and Other Non-Traditional Occupations. Ensuring that women earn equal pay is essential to improving the economic security of American families and the growth of our middle class and our economy. Women comprise nearly half of the American workforce – yet, on average, they still earn less than similarly qualified men for doing the same job. And the pay gap for women of color is even greater. A significant factor contributing to this persistent gap is the concentration of women in comparatively lower paying and non-supervisory professions. Many high-paying jobs are in fields that require scientific knowledge or technical skills, where women and minorities often have been underrepresented or excluded. For example, despite accounting for half of the college-educated workforce, in 2010, women constituted 37 percent of employed individuals with a highest degree in a science and engineering field and 28 percent of employed individuals in science and engineering occupations. The promise of equal pay for equal work must also be a promise of equal access to better paying, STEM and other non-traditional occupations and the Administration is doing its part to make sure that promise is kept by:

The Administration is joined in these efforts by private sector and non-profit partners:

EXPANDING TAX CREDITS THAT SUPPORT WORKING FAMILIES
Tax Credits for Working Families. Recognizing the importance of tax relief for working families, the President enacted, and Congress extended with bipartisan support through 2017, significant improvements to tax credits for working families. These include expansions to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit, which strengthen work incentives and help parents afford the costs of raising a family, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which helps working and middle-class families pay for college. Together, these improvements provide about $25 billion in tax relief to 26 million families every year. The Presidentfs Budget proposes to make these improvements permanent, while doing even more to promote work and support families through improving tax credits that help families with young children afford the rising costs of child care, and the EITC for workers without children, including non-custodial parents.

NEW PRIVATE SECTOR EFFORTS TO BRING SOLUTIONS TO MORE WORKPLACES
Convening Businesses and Stakeholders to Identify and Share Innovative Solutions. A group of companies and businesses, including Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Care.com, Ernst & Young, Johnson and Johnson, and KPMG are coming together to launch a working group that that will bring together companies across diverse industries to explore ways they can address the needs of working families in todayfs changing economy. In consultation with the Administration, the group will identify ways that employers can measure their own progress and help ensure they have effective practices in place to respond to workersf work-life needs, retain the best talent, and are well-positioned for success in the 21st century global economy.

Working with Unions and Labor Management Partnerships to Expand Quality Training Programs to Provide Pathways to Middle-Class Jobs. In partnership with ED, over forty unions and labor management organizations have pledged to expand low-skilled workersf access to their training programs and share best practices on effective workforce and career pathway programs. These organizations are well-positioned to expand opportunities for women to improve their foundation skills to access higher-wage occupations in the fields of healthcare, construction, transportation, and manufacturing. This collaboration represents partnerships with almost 8,000 employers and will provide unprecedented access to educational and training opportunities as well as supportive services necessary for women and working families to be successful.