Sarah Jaffe is the Web manager/Senior Writer at GRITtv with Laura Flanders and an independent journalist and critic. You can find her on Twitter at @seasonothebitch
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn gave in to relentless pressure from unions, community groups, and the Working Families Party and agreed to pass a bill that will ensure that almost no New Yorker can be fired for taking a day off due to illness.
Christine Quinn’s silence was notable because she is widely perceived to be the only obstacle standing between the bill and its passage.
New York’s city council has a bill that would require paid sick days for more than 1.2 million workers. Research shows it’s an economic no-brainer. But the bill’s been stalled for more than 1,000 days, even as a natural disaster and flu epidemic hit the city.
In his State of the State speech in January, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made passing the Women’s Equality Act a centerpiece of his agenda for this year, including legislation protecting women’s rights to safe abortion care. But his political allegiances make the fate of the bill unclear. Does he really support it, or is he trying to play both ends?
Ask him why funding NASCAR is more important than funding Planned Parenthood.
Meet Jerry Costello. He loves fetuses! More than women, apparently, since he’s a cosponsor of both the formerly-rape-redefining H.R. 3 and the currently let-women-die H.R. 358.
Meet Daniel Lipinski! He represents the 3rd Congressional district in Illinois, and has since 2005. He was preceded in that seat by…Bill Lipinski. Yes, that’s his dad. Yay, nepotism!
Peterson voted against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal and supported the Federal Marriage Amendment. He was one of the original 19 who threatened to tank health care reform over abortion, as well as part of the crew that helped kill the public option
Dan Boren not only voted to strip you of your reproductive rights, he also voted AGAINST the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. That’s right, ladies, he wants to tell you what you can do with your bodies and how much your work is worth.
Ross voted against healthcare reform, voted to repeal healthcare reform, and with his vote to defund Planned Parenthood, has made his standing on health care pretty clear.
