Archive for the 'Vicki Shabo' Category

Bloomberg’s Veto Will Not Stop Paid Sick Days in New York City

Published on June 8, 2013 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Today, despite the tremendous benefits paid sick days would have for the city’s working families, businesses, economy and public health, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the paid sick days bill passed by the City Council last month. As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said, the move was “short-sighted and the City Council should act quickly to make its effect short-lived.”

Fortunately, the City Council is poised to do just that. It voted 43-5 to approve the measure – a majority large enough to override the mayor’s veto. When it does and this law takes full effect, approximately one million New Yorkers will be able to earn the paid sick days they need and deserve. And New York City will be the fifth city to pave the way for all workers in this county to have this common sense right.

Momentum Sparks New Campaigns, More Progress

Published on May 24, 2013 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

The success and progress of paid sick days campaigns in Portland, Ore., and New York City have added to the momentum around this common sense policy and sparked new campaigns and progress in other states and cities.

Here’s the latest:

  • In New Jersey, the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition – a diverse group of more than 65 unions and research, advocacy and community-based organizations – welcomed the introduction of a paid sick and safe leave bill for the state in the Assembly this week. The New Jersey Star-Ledger Editorial Board has already weighed in with its support for the measure.
  • In Tacoma, Washington, a broad-based coalition led by Healthy Tacoma is building off of Seattle’s successful paid sick days campaign and the growing support for state paid sick days legislation by launching its own initiative. Unions, businesses, local public officials and others are getting on board to support the effort, which would increase access to paid sick days for the more than 40,000 Tacoma residents who currently cannot earn them.

We will keep you posted as these exciting campaigns progress!

Paid Sick Days Opponents Continue to Hide Behind Preemption

Published on May 10, 2013 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Cross-posted from the National Partnership for Women & Families.

Last month, I wrote about a disturbing trend: States are passing “preemption” laws that prohibit a growing number of cities and counties from adopting their own paid sick days standards. Sadly, these misguided attacks on local democracy have been spreading rapidly, as legislators put the interests of the national big business lobby ahead of the interests of their constituents. Now, there are paid sick days preemption bills or laws in 13 states.

This trend is no coincidence. In fact, it is a well-coordinated effort to thwart paid sick days bills just as momentum for this common sense policy continues to build. We know that the National Restaurant Association circulated a draft preemption bill at a 2011 meeting of the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Since then, the association and other groups have been working behind the scenes to advance very similar bills.

Take the case of Florida. Eighty percent of Floridians say that workers should be able to earn paid sick days, and six in 10 want localities to be able to make their own laws. But Florida legislators refuse to listen to voters. Instead, big business associations and local power players like Disney and Darden Restaurants have convinced them to shut down local governments’ ability to pass their own paid sick days standards. It is shameful that the same state legislators who claim to be for “local government” are pushing through a policy that essentially ties its hands.

Michigan’s battle against preemption is also ongoing. As Working America points out, legislators in the state who have railed against “big government intrusion” have changed their tune to fulfill the wishes of the business lobby. As in Florida, Michigan voters say that workers should be able to earn paid sick days. They know that if Michigan’s preemption bill passes, it will be families – like the moms who make up the local advocacy group Mothering Justice and their kids – who will suffer most.

This same pattern is repeating itself across the country: Louisiana. Mississippi. Kansas. Tennessee. Arizona. A preemption bill is introduced – usually by a legislator who is an ALEC member, and usually with the support of the big business lobby – and then it’s fast-tracked through the legislature and quietly signed by the governor. In these five states, the new laws preempt not only paid sick days, but also local minimum wage and other ordinances proven to improve workers’ lives.

The bill in Arizona – now law – is particularly disturbing. In 2006, Arizona voters passed a statewide ballot measure forbidding the legislature from doing exactly what it just did: preempting local wage and benefits standards. According to the state constitution, the legislature must meet certain strict requirements to overturn a voter-approved measure. It hasn’t done so, making the preemption bill illegal and open to litigation. Arizonans can thank legislators like the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Thomas Forese (an ALEC member), for the costly lawsuit that will almost certainly be filed.

The Indiana bill is also troubling. In addition to preempting workers’ rights, it may overturn local anti-discrimination ordinances meant to protect the right of LGBT individuals to keep their jobs.

The other states considering preemption legislation are Alabama and South Carolina. The South Carolina bill was introduced by an ALEC Task Force chair, Rep. William Sandifer, and is being pushed through quickly and under the radar, leaving concerned advocates little time to speak out.

Washington and Oklahoma also considered preemption bills in 2013, but those bills have not passed.

Almost all of these preemption bills have been pushed through quietly, without the knowledge of activists or legislators who might ask questions about their provenance and usefulness. But, as the intent of the big business lobby becomes clearer, and as it becomes more obvious that these bills have nothing to do with the well-being of states or their residents, sponsors will surely have a tougher time defending their attempts to usurp power from the people to whom it truly belongs: voters.

Preemption: A Growing, Calculated Threat to Democracy

Published on April 5, 2013 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Cross-posted from the National Partnership for Women & Families.

From Vermont and New York City to Washington state, momentum and support for paid sick days policies are high. More than a dozen campaigns are working across the country to advance paid sick days and, last month, we celebrated victories in Portland and Philadelphia when city councils in those cities approved paid sick days measures. But with the great success of paid sick days and other pro-worker policies has come a disturbing trend: State-level legislation designed to prevent cities and counties from passing their own paid sick days standards and other workplace protections.

This “preemption” strategy first appeared in 2011 in Wisconsin, where the state legislature passed and Governor Scott Walker signed legislation to effectively void a Milwaukee paid sick days measure that passed in 2008 with the approval of nearly 70 percent of voters. It was an outrageous abridgement of local democracy. And it was just the beginning.

There is growing evidence that anti-worker groups such as the National Restaurant Association and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are supporting these preemption bills. In 2012, the strategy surfaced again inLouisiana, where state legislators passed a more expansive preemption law than Wisconsin’s. The Louisiana law prevents local authorities from passing any basic workplace protections.

Now, preemption bills are being considered in even more states:

  • A bill in Mississippi passed quickly through the state House and Senate and has been signed by the governor. Now law, it preempts both paid sick days and minimum wage standards, to the detriment of Mississippi workers.
  • In Florida, where opponents kept the citizens of Orange County from voting on a local paid sick days measure last fall, state legislators are attempting to prohibit all localities from passing their own standards. This far-reaching legislation threatens to preempt not only paid sick days ordinances, but also to void local policies that affect living wage, domestic violence leave and other standards. The Florida Coalition for Local Control is fighting back.
  • In Michigan, preemption legislation was introduced with the backing of the Michigan Restaurant Association and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. Advocates on the ground, along with allies in the legislature, are fighting it, armed with the fact that 60 percent of Michigan voters support paid sick days standards.
  • Legislators in Arizona and Indiana have also introduced broad preemption bills that are in danger of passing. In Arizona, the preemption of local wage and benefit measures by the state legislature is actually illegal according to a 2006 ballot measure and the state constitution. So, if the bill passes, the state – and taxpayers – could face a costly lawsuit. Indiana’s bill is also controversial: In addition to usurping local control, it may overturn existing municipal non-discrimination ordinances.
  • In Washington state, legislators have introduced a preemption bill in response to the paid sick days ordinance that Seattle passed in 2011. Local advocates have rightly identified it as an attempt to undermine the democratic process and silence the will of the people. In the meantime, Washington is considering a statewide paid sick days bill.

Most legislators who are promoting preemption bills claim workplace standards should not be enacted at the local level, but none have offered state-level solutions at a time when millions of workers and their families suffer without the basic paid sick days protection they need. This is irresponsible and one more reason that state legislators should see preemption efforts for what they are: misguided and harmful efforts to undermine democracy.

Local paid sick days advocates are increasingly aware of the threat posed by preemption bills, and they are redoubling their efforts. State preemption bills make an even stronger case for a national standard like the one proposed in the Healthy Families Act, which was introduced in Congress last month.

No matter where you live or work, no one should have to choose between job and family because he or she cannot earn paid sick days. Workers and families know it. Business leaders know it. And lawmakers increasingly know it. Preemption efforts may continue, but they will not stop the push to increase access to a standard that all workers so urgently need.

A Sad Day and a Hopeful Lesson in Orange County

Published on September 19, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Cross-posted from MomsRising.

Late yesterday, it became disappointingly clear that voters in Orange County will not see a proposal for earned sick time on their ballots in November. Despite the will of at least 46,000 Orange County voters and a broad coalition of workers, businesses and advocates who played by the rules, Mayor Teresa Jacobs and county commissioners ignored their duties and caved to special interests to keep citizens from being able to vote. This is the most blatant example I’ve seen of moneyed special interests using their clout to subvert the purest tool of citizen democracy: the right of citizens to petition the government.

As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said, “it is a sad day for democracy.”

But what happened in Orange County is not just worrisome and harmful for working families, businesses and the democratic process in Florida. What happened in Orange County is the latest example of a growing, far-reaching and coordinated attack led by big business special interests with unlimited financial resources and access.

Early on, the Florida corporate business lobby made taking down a popular earned sick time measure in Orange County a priority. Perhaps they were worried that momentum built through wins last year in Connecticut and Seattle (and before that in San Francisco, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C.) was coming their way. And perhaps that’s a silver lining in all this – it’s a testament to the strength of the nationwide movement to let workers earn paid sick days.

Through baseless yet extremely well-funded tactics, the Florida business lobby sought to systematically undermine democracy and keep voters from having the opportunity to approve a measure that would strengthen the local economy, protect public health and provide stability for working families. First they sued. When they lost in court, they went to the county commission and the mayor. Why? Because, if Orange County voters had the chance to weigh in, they just might have approved the measure – and that would’ve been unacceptable to the corporate interests who ignore the clear benefits of paid sick days laws in favor of job-killer rhetoric proven time and again to be false.

The truth is this: This powerful lobby has fought for decades against every major advance for workers and their families – from Social Security to minimum wage to the Americans with Disabilities Act. These special interests, which falsely claim to represent the interests of all employers, misconstrue the facts and ignore the significant and widespread benefits of paid sick days for businesses and the economy. They pit businesses against each other, play on myths that distract from the essence of the problems that working families face, and keep voters and legislators from carefully and honestly considering reasonable proposals.

There’s no question that this makes for a daunting road ahead as workers, advocates and enlightened businesses continue to advance paid sick days proposals at the local, state and federal levels. But it should give us hope. We are making progress, and we have the power of common sense and a growing public will behind us.

It may be a sad day in Orange County, but the fight for earned sick days there is not over. The Orange County earned sick time coalition will not give up. Paid sick days will prevail there and across the country.

Vicki Shabo is the director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.

A Story of Deliberate Disregard for Democracy in Orange County

Published on September 14, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Cross-posted from MomsRising.

What is going on in Orange County, Florida?

For anyone paying attention to the effort to establish an earned sick day standard in the Sunshine State, this is a legitimate question. The events of the past few days have been confusing at best – and, quite simply, they defy reason and threaten to subvert democracy.

Let’s recap:

First, more than 43,000 Orange County voters pledged their support for putting an earned sick days proposal on the November 6th ballot. Soon after, that petition was certified – officially qualifying the measure for the November ballot.

In accordance with the county charter, the Orange County Commission had two options: adopt the proposal as an ordinance or refer it to the ballot.

But, just as the commission was slated to decide, Mayor Teresa Jacobs and county commissioners proposed an ill-conceived countermeasure to be placed on the ballot alongside the earned sick days proposal. If passed, the countermeasure would invalidate the earned sick days ordinance – and all other countywide employment laws related to employee benefits and protections. The county commission and the mayor got a lot of heat from the community for this, but they would not back down.

Still with me?

On Tuesday, the mayor and the county commission met to consider both measures.* For more than six hours, they heard compelling testimony in support of earned sick days from Orange County workers, residents, businesses and advocates. But, instead of listening and honoring the will of voters, the commissioners chose to delay consideration of the measure for a month to clarify its language – ensuring it won’t get on the November ballot because the printing deadline is next week.

The commission’s callous and subversive move was designed to deny voters the opportunity to approve a common sense proposal that would protect the county’s working families, public health and the local economy.

Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story. The Orange County earned sick time coalition immediately filed an emergency request for a hearing on the commission’s failure to either pass or put to a vote the earned sick time measure within a given timeframe – a mandatory duty according to the county’s charter. Now, a three-judge panel will determine whether commissioners will be required to follow the law by putting earned sick time on the ballot.

So, what is happening in Orange County? Deliberate disregard for democracy. But there’s still a chance at a happy ending. Workers, advocates and voters continue to call on the mayor and commissioners to let voters decide the fate of earned sick time in the county. Tell your family and friends in Orange County to take action today – before it’s too late.

Vicki Shabo is the director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.

* Also on Tuesday, a judge threw out the organized business lobby’s lawsuit challenging the ballot language. But that’s another chapter in the story!

 

An Energizing Event for Family Friendly Policy Advocates

Published on July 23, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

Cross-posted from the National Partnership for Women & Families.

This month, more than 200 advocates from across the country were here in Washington, D.C., to discuss best practices and next steps in the effort to increase working families’ access to paid sick days and paid family and medical leave. We reflected on past victories; assessed current challenges and opportunities; brainstormed campaign strategies; heard from champions like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Rosa DeLauro and the nation’s top labor leaders; and took our stories straight to nearly 60 congressional offices. I know I’m not alone when I say it was an inspiring and productive event.

As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said of the gathering in her opening remarks, “We are a room full of people for whom it is in our DNA to constantly test and reach beyond boundaries. The spirit, energy, wisdom and experience we share over the next couple days will, without question, help us reach a time when our country recognizes as a given that 21st century workplace policies must enable all workers to thrive as responsible workers and responsible family members.”

The 2012 National Summit on Paid Sick Days and Paid Family Leave, co-hosted by the National Partnership and Family Values @ Work, launched with an impressive discussion moderated by Jared Bernstein, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The panel, which included Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry, Lake Research President Celinda Lake and National Domestic Workers Alliance President Ai-Jen Poo, discussed the current policy and economic climate and the significant opportunities and challenges it provides. The panelists’ emphasis on the power of diverse and well-coordinated coalitions and the need to embed our issues in a broader social justice narrative was especially inspiring.

But that opening panel was just the beginning. From there, we talked about best practices and lessons from paid sick days campaigns with leading advocates in New York, Florida, Oregon and Massachusetts. We heard the heart-wrenching story of Carolyn Pinkston, a 9to5 member from Atlanta whose family struggled without access to the paid time off they needed to help her recover from brain surgery. Latifa Lyles, acting director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, told us about the department’s efforts to improve workplace policies for working families. And we broke into 12 small groups to focus on specific aspects of our campaigns and develop new skills.

We closed out the day with another memorable and thought-provoking panel featuring Equality Maryland Executive Director Carrie Evans, Color of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson and Florida Immigrant Coalition Founding Director Maria Rodriguez. This panel’s emphasis on recent wins provided inspiration and highlighted best practices for moving progressive issues in the current climate.

That evening, many of us attended an event generously hosted by SEIU, the AFL-CIO and the Labor Project for Working Families. We heard moving stories from workers across the country and from great labor leaders and allies Mary Kay Henry, Gerry Hudson, Liz Shuler and Netsy Firestein. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D – Conn.) closed out the evening with rousing remarks about the need for paid sick days and paid leave and a strong call-to-action for Congress. It was the perfect way to end a full and energizing day.

The next day, we took our enthusiasm to the halls of Congress. The morning kicked off with a tribute to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D – Calif.) for her 25 years of service and commitment to improving the lives of women and families. Senator Tom Harkin (D – Iowa), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, rallied the crowd with his words of support. And workers and business owners from Oregon to Illinois told their inspiring stories.

After that, 133 of us went straight to the Hill to talk to lawmakers and staff at nearly 60 congressional offices about the need for the Healthy Families Act and the state paid leave fund. Along with our partners from Working Mother magazine, MomsRising, Ultraviolet and Family Values @ Work, we delivered the signatures of more than 46,000 people who signed a petition in support of a national paid leave program to key members of Congress.

Overall, the event was a tremendous success. With the great energy, dedication and expertise of all of the advocates, policy experts, workers and business leaders who attended the Summit – along with the hundreds who couldn’t make it – more victories for working families are certainly on the horizon.

To get the latest news on paid sick days efforts throughout the country and new research and resources on the importance of this basic labor standard, visit PaidSickDays.org. For more information on paid family leave, check out our paid leave research library.

Check out photos from the petition deliveries and a “day in the life” of one group of activists.

Fathers, Families and the Urgent Need for Paid Sick Days

Published on June 15, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

Just in time for Father’s Day, the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire released the results of a new study on working parents. Its findings are a stark reminder of the effect that our failure to provide paid sick days can have on families, but also of the potential that this basic workplace standard holds for businesses and the well-being of workers.

The report, Who Cares for Sick Kids? Parents’ Access to Paid Sick Time to Care for a Sick Child, looked at working parents’ access to paid sick days, specifically whether they are able to earn at least five days per year to recover from illness or care for their children. According to the report, 34 percent of employed parents do not have access to at least five paid sick days to deal with their own health needs, and a striking 52 percent don’t have at least that many to use to care for a sick child.

These results mean that fewer than half of employed parents – mothers and fathers – are able to care for a sick child without fear of risking their jobs or financial security. And the numbers are even worse for those with low education levels and low wages – the very workers who, arguably, need paid sick days most.

Everyone gets sick. Any parent knows that kids inevitably get sick and need routine medical care. But when nearly two-thirds of children in the United States live in households where all parents work, working parents are too often forced to risk their families’ health or their economic security when illness strikes because they can’t get a reasonable amount of time away from work. As a result, families, businesses and our communities suffer.

The irony in all of this, as the Carsey Institute study shows, is that paid sick days reduce conflicts between work and family for workers and, thus, increase job satisfaction. In fact, the study finds that employed parents with paid sick days to care for a sick child are nearly twice as likely to report being very satisfied with their jobs as those who do not. Satisfied and happy workers are more productive and less likely to quit, making paid sick days a win-win for businesses, families and our economy.

It’s appropriate to talk about basic workplace standards like paid sick days around Father’s Day. After all, fathers are integral to families and their economic security. But the lack of paid sick days has a disproportionate impact on women. Seventy-four percent of employed mothers surveyed for this report said they have stayed home from work to care for a sick child, compared to only 40 percent of fathers. Women are now the primary or co-breadwinners in two-thirds of families, and often their families’ primary caregivers. When they don’t have paid sick days, entire families suffer.

So, this Father’s Day, a time for celebration and thoughts of family, let’s all be grateful for the fathers in our lives. But let’s also remember and remind our state and federal lawmakers that there are working parents in this country – women and men – who are struggling without a fundamental workplace protection that many take for granted. For the good of all parents and families, it’s time to support paid sick days efforts. Fathers, mothers and families are counting on it.

Legislation America Needs

Published on February 3, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

On Wednesday morning, at an event sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) described for the first time sweeping new legislation that he plans to introduce this spring: the Rebuild America Act.  This welcome and badly needed bill aims to help restore economic growth and rebuild the middle class by addressing inequality and creating good jobs.

It is a powerful legislative package that working Americans need.  Senator Harkin has long been a champion for workers and for all who struggle to find good jobs, to meet the dual demands of work and family, to overcome discrimination, and to pay for food, housing, health care, child or elder care and other necessities.  That has long been evident in his work as a member – and now Chair – of the powerful Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Senator Harkin is a key sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, which would give most workers the right to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days a year to use if they get sick or face domestic violence, or if a family member needs care.  So it is no surprise that, as he described his upcoming legislative package, he pointed to paid sick days as a key measure that can strengthen families and our workforce.  “Today’s workers are caring for children and aging parents.  They need jobs that support them and allow families to care for each other,” Senator Harkin said.  He expressed concern for those in the “sandwich generation” who care for children and older relatives at the same time; too often, he noted, they fall out of the middle class and into hardship and poverty.

Senator Harkin said that his Rebuild America Act will include the Healthy Families Act, which now has support from more than 100 members of Congress and more than 200 advocacy groups nationwide. It will also include measures to raise the minimum wage, protect workers’ right to stand together, and fund investments in education, child care and infrastructure.

Panelists Heather Boushey of the Center for American Progress, John Schmitt of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution echoed Senator Harkin’s themes.  “A strong middle class is not in opposition to a strong economy,” Boushey said. “We need to invest in families with things like child care and paid sick days…. Most other countries offer a rich basket of benefits [to their employees], including paid sick days and paid family leave. Parents are able to care for their children… it’s not only good for people, but also good for the economy.”

Senator Harkin closed his remarks by saying, “For three decades, our economy has been held back by failed trickle-down economics. It’s time for percolate-up economics. The middle class is the backbone of this country. It’s time for Washington to have the backbone to defend it.”

The National Partnership applauds Senator Harkin for including paid sick days as a crucial protection for working families.  We look forward to the day when he introduces the Rebuild America Act, and pledge to work hard to help advance it.  I hope you will join us.

Honoring the Nation’s Family Caregivers with the Policies They Need

Published on November 23, 2011 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

When President Obama proclaimed November National Family Caregivers Month this year, he described family caregiving as “heroic work… often done while caregivers balance other commitments to their families, jobs, and communities.” He couldn’t be more right, especially in this economy and as an increasing number of older Americans need care. That’s why policies like paid sick days and paid family leave, that help family caregivers manage their responsibilities while they provide essential care to their loved ones, are critical.

Nearly 30 percent of the adult population – 66 million Americans – served as unpaid family caregivers in the past year, and most of them held jobs in addition to caring for a loved one. Working family caregivers inevitably need short periods of time off of work to administer medication, attend doctors’ appointments or deal with medical emergencies. Yet more than 44 million workers, including many family caregivers, don’t have basic paid sick days they can use to meet family caregiving needs or recover from their own illnesses. And millions don’t have access to longer periods of leave they can use when loved ones face serious illnesses.

Challenges for family caregivers and our nation are growing steadily. As the population ages and people live longer, the need for family caregivers is increasing. It’s estimated that, by 2050, there will be 88.5 million older adults. And we all know that people are in greater need of routine medical care and treatment as they age. Right now, 91 percent of adults over age 65 are living with at least one chronic condition that requires routine care. Seventy-three percent have at least two. At this rate, without policies that support family caregivers, the country won’t be able to keep up with the amount of care the population needs.

Paid sick days allow family caregivers to earn paid time away from work to help their elderly loved ones get the care they need. Paid family leave insurance provides longer periods of time off when loved ones have serious health conditions and need care. These policies also play a critical role in protecting the health of family caregivers themselves. Family caregiving is both physically and emotionally demanding, and employed family caregivers often find it difficult to deal with their own ailments and get routine care because their time and finances are stretched thin. For those without paid sick days, getting care for themselves can be nearly impossible.

There is a clear imperative to make sure caregivers can meet their responsibilities at work and at home in order to keep older adults and their families safe, healthy and happy. No one who takes on the selfless task of caring for a loved one should be forced to choose between that loved one and the economic security of their family. So as we approach the end of National Family Caregivers Month and the start of the holiday season, let’s all remind legislators at all levels and all across the country that working families and caregivers truly need: modest, supportive policies that help caregivers manage their work obligations while caring for their loved ones.

Vicki Shabo is the director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.