Barack Obama Discusses Plan to Revitalize Economy in Roundtable with Northern California Women.

Economic Plan Will Help Working and Middle-Class Families Reclaim the American Dream

CHICAGO -- Today at the San Francisco Women's Building, Senator Barack Obama hosted a roundtable discussion with Northern California women about the challenges facing working families. Obama spoke about his plan to provide working families with a tax cut, to reduce childcare and dependent care costs, and to provide paid medical and sick leave. On Monday, January 14th, Obama unveiled his economic stimulus plan to jumpstart the economy and provide relief to America's working families.

"As the son of a single mother, I don't accept an America that forces women to choose between their kids and their careers. You shouldn't have to lose your wages or quit your job to care for a newborn baby, or a sick child, or an elderly parent. That's wrong for America's children. It's wrong for America's women. And it's wrong for families," said Senator Obama.

Obama was joined by several local working mothers who face the challenges of balancing work and family obligations, such as Kara Daillak, a San Francisco elementary school teacher and mother of an infant who is currently on maternity leave. When she returns to work, she expects her child care costs to consume nearly half of her monthly income.

"Most Americans have simple dreams. A job with a decent wage. The chance to raise a family and make sure our kids can dream a bit bigger than us. A retirement that is dignified and secure. But the price of the American Dream is going up. We've never paid more for health care, or child care, or college. It's harder to save and retire. And too many Americans have lost faith that their leaders can or will do anything about it," Senator Obama added.

Obama was also joined by Serena Kirk, who works for a non-profit health organization in Sacramento and who faces overwhelming childcare costs for her 4 year old son.

Senator Obama understands these challenges and his plans offer working mothers the support they need.

Obama's plan would:

* Make Work Pay for Working Families: The Obama plan will help ease the burden on working families by providing working Americans with a $500 "Making Work Pay" tax cut that will fully offset the first $500 of payroll tax they pay, or $1,000 per working family.

* Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: The federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which provides tax relief for child care expenses, gives too little relief to families that struggle to afford child care. Barack Obama will make it refundable and allow low income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their childcare expenses.

* Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Expanding access to high-quality afterschool programs will help children learn and strengthen a broad range of skills and provide relief to working mothers and fathers who have to juggle child care and work responsibilities. Barack Obama will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children. Obama will include measures to maximize performance and effectiveness across grantees nationwide.

* Paid Sick Days: Half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days and the problem is worse for employees in low-paying jobs, where less than a quarter receive any paid sick days. Barack Obama will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year for full-time workers.

* Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. As a result, only about half of American workers are eligible for leave under the FMLA. Barack Obama will expand the FMLA to cover businesses with 25 or more employees

* Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave: As president, Barack Obama will initiate a 50 state strategy to encourage all of the states to follow California's lead and adopt paid-leave systems. Obama will provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs and to help states offset the costs for employees and employers. Obama's Department of Labor will also provide technical information to the states on how to craft paid-leave programs consistent with their local needs.

* Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination: Workers with family obligations often are discriminated against in the workplace. Obama will prevent parents from being discriminated against because of caregiving responsibilities. Barack Obama will commit the government to enforcing recently-enacted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines on caregiver discrimination.

* Expand Flexible Work Arrangements: Working parents, especially mothers, often have to juggle not only child care responsibilities, but also care responsibilities for elderly relatives. Barack Obama will address this concern by creating a program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work schedules for productivity and establishing positive workplaces; helping businesses create flexible work opportunities; and increasing federal incentives for telecommuting.

Senator Obama's plan to support working women and families can be viewed in full HERE.