WOMEN'S GROUPS PRESS CONGRESS ON PARENTAL LEAVE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00530R000400740001-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 8, 1988
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/08/21 :CIA-RDP90-005308000400740001-1
~~ _'THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER B, ).988
omen's Grou s Press Con ess on Parental Le
p gr ave
z
;Politicians A~arned to Pay Attention to `Family Issues' or Pay the Prue on Election Day
By Tom Kenworthy
Washington Post Staff Writer
A coalition of women's groups
mobilized on Capitol Hill yesterday
to secure passage of legislation to
guarantee American Workers un-
paid medical and parental leave,
warning politicians of bath parties
that they would pay a price at the
polls for opposing the measure.
Speaking at a news conference,
;National Women's Political Caucus
chairwoman Irene Natividad re-
'~ minded lawmakers and the Dem-
ocratic and Republican presidential
nominees of what she called the
"looming shadow" cast by the so-
called gender gap, citing studies
that indicate 10 million more wo-
men than men may vote in Novem-
ber. "No one can get elected with-
out us, not to the Senate, not to the
House and certainly not to the pres-
idency;'she said.
The Family and Medical Leave
Act, tentatively scheduled for a
House vote next week, is one of
several "family issues" that had
been expected to be at the top of
this year's political agenda but that
may founder as Congress rushes to
adjourn for the year next month,
House Democratic leaders yes-
terday said that they would bring
'the measure to the floor only if
they are convinced it can pass, and
that there are not yet enough votes
to guarantee passage. In addition,
"Afe will not
schedule a vote if
the votes aren't
there,"
--Rep. Tony Coelho
the parental and medical leave bill is
competing for space on the calendar
with separate legislation, awaiting
consideration in the Senate, to
boost federal day-care assistance.
"We will not schedule a vote if
the votes aren't there," said House
Majority Whip Tony Coelho (D-
CalifJ. "The issue is if you have the
House going for parental leave and
the Senate going for day care, are
you defeating both."
With just eight weeks left before
the general election, congressional
leaders are under pressure from
moderate and conservative mem-
bers to not force votes on too many
bills considered pro-labor. Besides
the day-care and parental-leave
measures, labor also has pushed for
an increase in the minimum wage.
House and Senate leaders are
meeting this week to determine
which of the bills will take priority.
One Senate aide predicted that the
child-care bill could take prece-
dence if Republicans and Demo-
cratscan compromise on competing
proposals and if it is clear there are
not enough votes in the House to
pass the parental-leave legislation.
Business interests led by the Na-
tional Federation of Independent
Business are fighting hard to defeat
the parental-leave bill, arguing that
a mandated leave benefit would im-
pose an unnecessary and expensive
burden on small businesses.
The Reagan administration also
is opposed to the bill, which would
require employers with more than
50 workers to permit employees to
take up to 10 weeks of unpaid leave
to care for newborn or seriously ill
children, or parents requiring care.
Arguing that voters overwhelm-
ingly support the concept of unpaid
parental and medical leave, leaders
of women's groups ranging from
the American Association of Uni-
versity Women to the National Fed-
eration of Business and Professional
Women also called on presidential
and vice presidential nominees to
push for enactment of the measure.
"If politicians truly want to cap-
ture women's votes, they must go
beyond pro-family rhetoric and pho-
to opportunities,' said Judith Licht-
man, president of the Women's Le-
gal Defense Fund.
Natividad noted that Democratic
presidential nominee Michael S.
Dukakis suppoxts the bill, but called
on him to "show leadership" on the
issue by helping to get it passed.
She also urged Republican presi-
dential nominee George Bush to
drop his opposition.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/08/21 :CIA-RDP90-005308000400740001-1