Raising Minimum Wage In Cleveland Can Help Nearly 100,000 Working Families
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On Equal Pay Day, One Policy Can Help
Women in Ohio earn just 78 cents, on average, for every dollar their male counterparts take home. To raise awareness of this continuing pay disparity, April 12 has been designated “Equal Pay Day,” a symbolic recognition of the day when the average woman catches up to what the average male earned in 2015. This year on Equal Pay Day, we are highlighting one workplace policy that could help to close the gap between men and women: paid parental leave.
Every year, thousands of Ohioans face the tough choice between earning a paycheck and caring for a new child. The U.S. holds the dubious distinction of being the only industrialized nation where new parents are not guaranteed paid time off after a birth or adoption. And just 13 percent of U.S. workers receive any form of paid family leave through their employers. Unfortunately, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, groundbreaking in its time, only guarantees a job will be there when a worker returns, not a paycheck while they are out. Clearly, twenty-first century policies are necessary to meet the needs of twenty-first century families.
After the birth or adoption of a child, too many new parents, particularly new mothers, are left with several terrible options: go back to work too soon after having a child, lose critical income by taking leave without pay, or exit the workforce temporarily. The choices are worse for low-income women and women of color. Just four percent of low-wage workers — who are more likely to be black or Latino, and for whom the pay gap between women and men is even larger — have access to paid family leave, compared to 22 percent of high wage-earners.
There is a direct connection between paid leave policies and equal pay. Because so few have access to paid leave policies, women in the U.S. are more likely to leave employment after childbirth, reducing their earnings compared to their male counterparts. And women with employment gaps are less likely to be considered for more senior positions which, in turn, further increases pay gaps between them and men in similar positions.
Paid Parental Leave also leads to a more equitable division of labor at home, which can in turn reduce gender pay disparities. Research shows that when even brief periods of paid leave are extended to fathers, men are more likely to be involved in childcare and domestic responsibilities months and years later. Further, when dad takes on some of the responsibility for caring for a new child, it gives mom the opportunity to return to work faster and advance in her career.
Recently introduced Ohio House Bill 511 would establish a paid family leave insurance program allowing up to 12 weeks of leave with pay. If enacted, Ohio would be the fourth state to adopt a statewide policy. The legislation would not only ensure that parents could bond and care for their newborn without giving up a paycheck or their job, but would also allow working Ohioans to address their own or a family member’s serious health condition. HB 511 is a step in the right direction for Ohio families and will create a workplace that is more conducive to family life and begin to reduce the gender pay gap.
For more on the benefits of paid parental leave, read our 2015 report: The Benefits of paid parental leave for women, families, employers and local communities
New Ohio Bill Would Fund Paid Family Leave
Individual’s Income vs. Average Weekly Wage | Benefit (as % of typical paycheck) |
20% or less | 95% |
More than 20% but less than or equal to 30% | 90% |
More than 30% but less than or equal to 50% | 85% |
More than 50% | 66% |
The State of the State in Marietta
- The median income in Marietta remains nearly $10,000 less than the statewide average, and 25 percent of Marietta residents – and nearly 4 in 10 children – live below the poverty line.
- The workforce in Marietta has shrunk by 5 percent over the last five years, declining from 6,868 in 2010 to 6,505 today.
- The bottom 20% of income earners in Marietta have seen state taxes increase as a result of a shift to a more regressive tax code.
- Medicaid expansion has resulted in over 3,000 Washington County residents gaining access to health care.
- State funding cuts have resulted in a nearly $1 million annual revenue loss to Marietta, an 11 percent reduction from the city’s 2010 budget.
- Marietta schools have lost $1.7 million (adjusting for inflation) in state aid since 2010, while local property taxes have increased 22 percent.
Ohio Cities Caught in Difficult Climate Look to Their Citizens for Support
![Lancaster_Ohio_Main_Street_sm](https://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Lancaster_Ohio_Main_Street_sm.jpg)
Journal News – City Manager John Jones said state budget cuts have decimated the city’s general fund by almost $200,000 per year. There are 13 people on the police force serving the city’s population of 12,500, including the chief, he said. That’s down from 17 people a decade ago when there were about 4,500 fewer people to protect.Gallipolis: 1 percent income tax increase for public safety expenses
Gallipolis Daily Tribune – Members of the public have asked why the city has seemingly lost so much money over the years. According to the three city officials, much of the funding has been loss due to cuts in state funding and tax law changes. According to budget records, in 2011, the city had access to $3.97 million to operate departments. Funding dropped to roughly $3.93 million in 2012. It fell further to about $3.55 million in 2013.Elyria: ½ percent income tax increase for multiple expenses
Newsnet5 – [Councilman] Jessie blamed an economic downturn and cuts to the state’s local government fund and the estate tax — cuts that have cost Elyria about $2 million a year. “Our governor can say he’s balanced the state’s budget and he’s done it on the backs of every city and municipality in the state,” Jessie said.Toledo: ¼ percent income tax increase for road repair
Toledo Blade – …state government has cut its aid to Toledo — often a matter of returning tax dollars Toledoans send to Columbus — by more than $83 million since 2008. Toledoans have benefited less than richer Ohioans from the state tax cuts these spending reductions helped pay for. Two-thirds of Toledo’s general-fund budget goes to personnel costs. Seven out of eight jobs funded by the budget are in public safety — police and fire protection and courts. Few Toledoans would suggest that the city should have fewer police officers and firefighters, or that their pay should be cut.Cities across Ohio are dealing with difficult budget constraints as a result of policy changes at the state level. Starting in 2011, Governor Kasich and the Ohio legislature enacted cuts in revenue shared with local communities, eliminated the estate tax, and phased out reimbursements revenue lost in the last round of state tax cuts in 2005. Distributions from the Local Government Fund were cut in half, dropping from $647 million in 2004 to $347 million in 2014. Overall, cities are estimated to lose a total of $495 million per year thanks to the collective changes in policy. While cuts have been made to our cities, state lawmakers have elected to deposit over $2 billion into the state’s rainy day fund. Maintaining a cushion for a rainy day, while prudent, should not come at the expense of adequate local police & fire protection, parks and a safe and well-maintained infrastructure. The sound bite of tax cuts and creating a $2-billion-dollar rainy day fund may sound good on the campaign trail, but the real world consequences, including higher taxes at the local level, must be considered as well.
SEBRING: STUNNINGLY SLOW TO RESPOND
![dirtytapwater](https://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/dirtytapwater.png)
Ohio Lawmakers Set to Defund Planned Parenthood
Blog: Ohio’s Dropout Recovery Schools Embarrassingly Poor Performing
- There are only two Dropout Recovery Schools (out of 93) that have any kids reportedly accomplishing industry credentials, and only two schools have any kids achieving dual enrollment credit in an institution of higher education. And the percentage of kids that have achieved this are 1.3% or less of the Class of 2014 that graduated from each of the schools.
- The State of Ohio says a Dropout Recovery School meets its “standard” if 28 out of 210 eligible students graduate … IN 8 YEARS!
- The State of Ohio says a Dropout Recovery School meets its “standard” if 8.4% of the school’s students graduate in 4 years.
- The Greater Ohio Virtual School graduated a stunning 3 out of 149 students … IN 8 YEARS!
- Out of the 1,100 students eligible to graduate in four years from the state’s 13 Life Skills Centers (run by major political donor David Brennan’s White Hat Management), only 57 graduated — 18 of whom came from one school. That’s a stunningly low 5.2% four-year graduation rate overall. Eliminating the one Life Skills Center with the 18 graduates drops the average in the remaining 12 schools to an incredible 4.4% — only about 1/2 of the state’s minimum graduation rate.
- Overall, there were 7,324 students eligible to graduate from Dropout Recovery schools in four years. Only 1,590 did. That rate of 22% is actually 3 percentage points higher than the eight-year graduation rate, which was an amazing 19% (1,527 out of 8,015).
- Schools “exceed” state standards on four-year graduation rates if they have rates higher than 37%. Only 23 schools met that criterion.
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