[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY: WHAT POLICIES BEST SUPPORT AMERICAN
FAMILIES?
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WORKFORCE PROTECTIONS
COMMITTEE ON
EDUCATION AND LABOR
U.S. House of Representatives
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JUNE 21, 2007
__________
Serial No. 110-49
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor
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COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
GEORGE MILLER, California, Chairman
Dale E. Kildee, Michigan, Vice Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon,
Chairman California,
Donald M. Payne, New Jersey Ranking Minority Member
Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin
Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott, Virginia Peter Hoekstra, Michigan
Lynn C. Woolsey, California Michael N. Castle, Delaware
Ruben Hinojosa, Texas Mark E. Souder, Indiana
Carolyn McCarthy, New York Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan
John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Judy Biggert, Illinois
Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania
David Wu, Oregon Ric Keller, Florida
Rush D. Holt, New Jersey Joe Wilson, South Carolina
Susan A. Davis, California John Kline, Minnesota
Danny K. Davis, Illinois Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Kenny Marchant, Texas
Timothy H. Bishop, New York Tom Price, Georgia
Linda T. Sanchez, California Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Charles W. Boustany, Jr.,
Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania Louisiana
David Loebsack, Iowa Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Mazie Hirono, Hawaii John R. ``Randy'' Kuhl, Jr., New
Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania York
John A. Yarmuth, Kentucky Rob Bishop, Utah
Phil Hare, Illinois David Davis, Tennessee
Yvette D. Clarke, New York Timothy Walberg, Michigan
Joe Courtney, Connecticut Dean Heller, Nevada
Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire
Mark Zuckerman, Staff Director
Vic Klatt, Minority Staff Director
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WORKFORCE PROTECTIONS
LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California, Chairwoman
Donald M. Payne, New Jersey Joe Wilson, South Carolina,
Timothy H. Bishop, New York Ranking Minority Member
Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire Tom Price, Georgia
Phil Hare, Illinois John Kline, Minnesota
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on June 21, 2007.................................... 1
Statement of Members:
Biggert, Hon. Judy, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Illinois.......................................... 9
Prepared statement of.................................... 11
DeLauro, Hon. Rosa L., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Connecticut....................................... 6
Prepared statement of.................................... 8
Wilson, Hon. Joe, ranking minority member, Subcommittee on
Workforce Protections...................................... 4
Prepared statement of.................................... 5
Woolsey, Hon. Lynn C., Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Workforce
Protections................................................ 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Statement of Witnesses:
Lindsay, Melissa, bookkeeper, Marlin Steel Wire Products..... 18
Prepared statement of.................................... 20
Quarberg, Missy, former Wal-Mart employee.................... 13
Prepared statement of.................................... 15
Rowe-Finkbeiner, Kristin, cofounder, MomsRising.............. 22
Prepared statement of.................................... 24
Wankoff, Barbara, director, Workplace Solutions, KPMG........ 16
Prepared statement of.................................... 17
BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY:
WHAT POLICIES BEST SUPPORT
AMERICAN FAMILIES?
----------
Thursday, June 21, 2007
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Committee on Education and Labor
Washington, DC
----------
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 1:30 p.m., in
Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Lynn Woolsey
[chairwoman of the subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Woolsey, Payne, Bishop of New
York, Shea-Porter, Hare, Wilson and Kline.
Also present: Representative McKeon.
Staff Present: Aaron Albright, Press Secretary; Tylease
Alli, Hearing Clerk; Lynn Dondis, Senior Policy Advisor for
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections; Jody Calemine, Labor
Policy Deputy Director; Michael Gaffin, Staff Assistant, Labor;
Joe Novotny, Chief Clerk; Michele Varnhagen, Labor Policy
Director; Robert Borden, Minority General Counsel; Cameron
Coursen, Minority Assistant Communications Director; Steve
Forde, Minority Communications Director; Ed Gilroy, Minority
Director of Workforce Policy; Rob Gregg, Minority Legislative
Assistant; Richard Hoar, Minority Professional Staff Member;
Jim Paretti, Minority Workforce Policy Counsel; Molly Salmi
McLaughlin, Minority Deputy Director of Workforce Policy; and
Linda Stevens, Minority Chief Clerk/Assistant to the General
Counsel.
Chairwoman Woolsey. A quorum is present. The hearing of the
Workforce Protections Subcommittee on Balancing Work and
Family; What Policies Best Support American Families? will come
to order. Pursuant to committee rule 12(a), any Member may
submit an opening statement in writing, which will be made part
of the permanent record.
I now recognize myself followed by Ranking Member Joe
Wilson for our opening statements.
First, I want to thank everybody who is here for coming
today for what will be the first of a series of hearings before
this subcommittee on balancing work and family. This is a very
important topic. It is a serious one for our country because
most of us work, and our lives revolve around work and family.
That was certainly the case with me. It has been many, many
years, but I was a single mother, raising four children. I
worked full time, at first, for 3 years as the sole breadwinner
for three of those four children. Then I was remarried, but I
kept on being a full-time worker, and we were a blended family,
so I was the mother of four children.
I was also a human resources professional for over 20
years, so I know not because of my own experience; I know how
hard it was for the people who work in our company, the
families, not just the mothers, but the mothers and fathers--
how hard it was for them to balance coming to work and taking
care of their children and not having to give one up for the
other.
Today, in about 80 percent of families with two parents,
both parents work, and 75 percent of all mothers, single and
married, are in the workplace today. Parents work long hours,
they commute long distances, and they do that to put food on
the table, and too often they are not even there to sit at the
table to eat that food with their children.
As a result, balancing work and family has become an
important challenge not just for myself, not just for this
subcommittee, but for our Nation in general. This is made all
the more difficult because of the lack of family-friendly
policies in the United States of America, and by family
friendly, I am talking about paid sick leave, family and
medical leave that is paid, affordable childcare, flexible
schedules, just to name a few.
To appreciate the uphill battle faced by working families,
here are some statistics to consider. Forty-six million people
lack health care coverage in this country, including 9 million
children, or 12 percent of all children in this country do not
have health care. At least 40,000 kindergartners each day go
home to an empty house when school is over because we lack
after-school programs. Only 28 percent of full-time workers
have flexible schedules that allow them to vary the time that
they begin and end work, and one-half of private-sector
employees in this country do not have a single day of paid sick
leave.
Our country, while great in many, many ways, is stuck in a
time warp when it comes to providing workers with help in
balancing work and their families, and it lags far behind other
countries in this arena. It is a shame, too, because studies
have told us that family-friendly policies work. They increase
recruitment and retention rates, they decrease absenteeism, and
they improve productivity. For example, Corporate Voices for
Working Families did a study on work flexibility and found that
workers with flexible work schedules were 40 to 50 percent more
committed to their work and 30 percent less likely to leave
their current employer within a 2-year period.
There are many good employers in this country, many, and
they realize that family-friendly policies actually help, they
do not hurt, their bottom line. Bank of America has a program
that reimburses workers for childcare. It has found that
workers who use the program are twice as likely to stay with
the company as those who do not. At KPMG, the company that Ms.
Wankoff, one of our witnesses today, works for has great
benefits for workers, including backup care for children or
elderly relatives if there is a need, and KPMG's retention
rates are up.
But employers need to be encouraged. They need to be
encouraged to step up to the plate, and we in Congress and in
other parts of the government have very important roles to play
in making sure our workers can balance their lives. That is why
I have introduced the Balancing Act, which puts into place a
whole host of family-friendly policies, such as paid family and
medical leave, benefits for part-time workers, improved
childcare, universal voluntary preschool, before- and after-
school programs, school meals, and a pilot program to explore
telecommuting.
That is why Representative Rosa DeLauro is here today and
has introduced her Healthy Families Act, which will provide
workers with 7 days of paid sick leave to care for their own
medical needs and the needs of family members. That is why
Carolyn Maloney from New York has introduced a bill that would
allow breastfeeding at the workplace. That is why many others
have introduced legislation, legislation that proves that we
know parents should not be put in a situation where they are
forced to choose between their jobs and their families. We know
you can, we know you must bridge work and family, and I am so
anxious to hear from our witnesses today. This is the beginning
of a series of important hearings we are going to be having.
[The statement of Ms. Woolsey follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Lynn C. Woolsey, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on
Workforce Protections
I want to thank everyone for coming here today for what I hope will
be the first of a series of hearings before this Subcommittee on
balancing work and family. This is a very important topic and a serious
one for our country, because most of us work. And our lives revolve
around work and family.
That was certainly the case with me. I was a single mother raising
four children and worked full-time at first as the sole breadwinner and
then after a second marriage.
And it was hard.
I was also a human resource professional for 20 years, so I not
only know how hard the balance was for me, but how hard it was for the
people I dealt with over the years. Today, in about 80 percent of
families with 2-parents, both parents work. And 75 percent of all
mothers--single and married--are in the workplace today. Parents work
long hours and commute long distances to put food on the table, and too
often they aren't there to sit down and eat with their kids. As a
result, balancing work and family has become a real challenge. This is
made all the more difficult because of the lack of ``family-friendly''
policies in this country.
To appreciate the uphill battle faced by working families, listen
to some of these statistics:
46 million people lack health care coverage in this
country, including 9 million children--or 12 percent of all children in
this country;
At least 40,000 kindergartners each day go home to an
empty house when school is over for lack of after-school programs;
Only 28 percent of full-time workers have flexible
schedules that allow them to vary the time that they begin and end
work; and
One-half of private sector employees in this country do
not have a single day of paid sick leave. Our country, while great in
many ways, is stuck in a time warp when it comes to providing workers
with help in balancing work and family.
And it lags far behind other countries in this arena. It is a shame
too, because studies have told us that ``family-friendly'' policies
work. They increase recruitment and retention rates, decrease
absenteeism and improve productivity. For example, Corporate Voices for
Working Families did a study on work flexibility and found that workers
with flexible work schedules were 50 percent more committed to their
work and 30 percent less likely to leave their current employment
within a 2-year period. There are many good employers in this country
who realize that ``family-friendly policies'' actually help, not hurt
their bottom line.
Bank of America has a program that reimburses workers for child
care.
It has found that workers who use the program are twice as likely
to stay with the company as those that do not. And KPMG, the company
that Ms. Wankoff--one of our witnesses here today--works for has great
benefits for workers, including backup care for children and elderly
relatives. And KPMG's retention rates are up. But more good employers
need to step up to the plate, and we in Congress and other parts of
government have very important roles to play in making sure our workers
can balance their lives. That is why I have introduced the Balancing
Act, which puts into place a whole host of ``familyfriendly'' policies,
such as paid family medical leave, benefits for part-time workers,
improved
That is why Representative DeLauro has introduced her Healthy
Families Act, which will provide workers with 7 days of paid sick leave
to care for their own medical needs or the needs of a family member.
And that is why others have introduced legislation to make the
workplace more ``family friendly.''
Again thank you for coming today and I look forward to hearing from
our witnesses.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. Now, Mr. Wilson.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Madam Chairman. I would like to
thank you for having this hearing today.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our
witnesses, and I have to tell you that I was particularly
pleased to see the first two witnesses. A few minutes ago when
I saw Representative Biggert, I thought certainly that she was
going to be sitting up here, and she said, ``No. I am a
witness.'' So this is wonderful. Both of you, thank you for
being here today.
I want to thank the other two employees who will appear on
our second panel for taking time out of their busy schedules or
time away from their families, as the case may be, to share
their experiences of work/family balance with members of this
subcommittee.
The issue of work/family balance is one confronting most
workers. The reality of today's workforce is that many workers
feel pressed for time, time for themselves to further their
education or to improve their job-related skills, to take up a
hobby or to volunteer. Others need time to be with their
children and to be involved in their children's school
activities, while others need time to care of a sick or an
elderly relative.
While the pressures of time fall heavily on working
parents, particularly those with childcare responsibilities,
the vast majority of workers face the dilemma of how best to
balance the demands of work and still have time for personal or
family commitments and responsibilities.
In today's competitive economy, companies who want to
attract and to retain valuable employees recognize that
progressive, family-friendly policies and flexible work
arrangements are an important tool. In return for increased
flexibility, employees are more productive and committed to
their work. Some workers, primarily those who are management or
who are salaried employees, are able to benefit from having
greater flexibility in their weekly work schedules to juggle
work and family responsibilities, but the Federal law that was
put in place, that of a 40-hour workweek back in 1938,
frequently acts as an obstacle to private-sector, hourly paid
workers who desire regular flexibility in their schedules.
For example, most of these employees are prohibited under
the law from choosing to bank overtime hours worked as paid
time off to be saved up and taken at a later date to tend to
the needs of their families, yet oftentimes these are the
people who need flexible work options the most.
The question is then what can we do to encourage and to
facilitate a work environment that is family friendly and
flexible? We must keep in mind--and we will no doubt hear today
from our witnesses--that employees themselves have different
needs on different days, just as employers have different
business considerations depending on the nature and size of the
company. A one-size-fits-all approach to mandating certain
benefits or leave programs would have the effect of stifling or
otherwise limiting innovative methods of helping workers better
balance work and family responsibilities.
I am concerned that government interference may produce
unintended negative consequences, so I look forward to hearing
today's testimony, and, again, I thank the witnesses for
agreeing to appear here today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
[The statement of Mr. Wilson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Joe Wilson, Ranking Republican Member,
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to thank you for having this
hearing today. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our
witnesses, particularly the two employees who will appear on our second
panel, for taking the time out of their busy schedules or time away
from their families, as the case may be, to share their experiences on
work-family balance with the Members of this Subcommittee.
This issue of work-family balance is one confronting most workers.
The reality of today's workforce is that many workers feel pressed for
time: time for themselves to further their education or improve their
job-related skills, take up a hobby or volunteer; others need more time
to be with their children and be involved in their children's school
activities; while others need time to care for a sick or elderly
relative. And while the pressures of time fall heavily on working
parents, particularly those with child care responsibilities, the vast
majority of workers face the dilemma of how best to balance the demands
of work and still have time for personal or family commitments and
responsibilities.
In today's competitive economy, companies who want to attract and
retain valuable employees recognize that progressive family-friendly
policies and flexible work arrangements are an important tool. In
return for increased flexibility, employees are more productive and
committed to their work.
Some workers--primarily those who are management or salaried
employees--are able to benefit from having greater flexibility in their
weekly work schedules to juggle work and family responsibilities. But
the federal law that put in place a 40 hour workweek back in 1938
frequently acts as an obstacle to private sector hourly-paid workers
who may desire greater flexibility in their work schedules. For
example, most of these employees are prohibited under the law from
choosing to bank overtime hours worked as paid time off, to be saved up
and taken at a later date to tend to the needs of their families. Yet
oftentimes, these are the people who need flexible work options the
most.
The question is then, what can we do to encourage and facilitate a
work environment that is family-friendly and flexible? We must keep in
mind--and we will no doubt hear today from our witnesses--that
employees themselves have different needs, just as employers have
different business considerations, depending on the nature and size of
the company. A ``one-size-fits-all'' approach to mandating certain
benefits or leave programs could have the effect of stifling or
otherwise limiting innovative methods of helping workers better balance
work and family responsibilities.
And so I look forward to hearing today's testimony and again thank
the witnesses for agreeing to appear today.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. Now I would like to introduce our very
distinguished first panel of witnesses who will speak, but we
will not be going through questions and answers, because, as I
said, we do not put our Members of Congress in front of us and
make them go under the scrutiny we put our other witnesses
under.
Rosa DeLauro, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, has represented
Connecticut's Third District since 1990. She currently serves
as the cochair of the House Steering and Policy Committee. She
is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and chairs
the committee's Ag-FDA Appropriations Subcommittee.
Congresswoman DeLauro first introduced the Healthy Families Act
nearly 10 years ago and has actively sought to help families
balance their work and family lives. Congresswoman DeLauro
earned her bachelor's degree with honors from Marymount College
and a master's degree in international politics from Columbia
University.
I am going to introduce Congresswoman Biggert, too. Then we
will start with Congresswoman DeLauro.
Congresswoman Judy Biggert is in her fifth term as a
Representative from the 13th District of Illinois. She
currently serves on the full Education and Labor Committee as
well as on the Financial Services and Science and Technology
Committees. She is also Ranking Member of the House Financial
Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development.
Representative Biggert served as the cochair of the
Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues in the 107th Congress.
She graduated from Stanford University and received her law
degree from Northwestern University of Law.
Welcome, both of you. Thank you for being here.
Ms. DeLauro.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. ROSA DeLAURO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT
Ms. DeLauro. Thank you very much, Chairwoman Woolsey. What
an honor to be here before you and Ranking Member Wilson and to
share this table with my colleague Judy Biggert and her
commitment to balancing work and families these days.
I would just say that this is--and you mentioned that you
sometimes lose track of the time when you have introduced
legislation, but it has been 10 years, and I just want to say
thank you. This is the first hearing we have been able to have
on the opportunity for paid sick days in the United States. So
I am very, very pleased of that.
I just would add one more item to your list of what we can
do for working families today, and that is to have a Paycheck
Fairness Act which says that women should be paid 100 cents on
the dollar and not just 75 cents on the dollar. It would go a
long way to helping those families balance their economics.
This is a very, very important issue, and I applaud your
leadership, and I thank you for holding the hearing.
It is a battle every day, as you know, to put working
families center stage. In recent years the shape and role of
America's working middle-class families have changed. So have
their economic prospects. In 1975, less than half of mothers of
school-aged children worked outside the home. Now it is nearly
70 percent. Today, one in four households are caring for an
elderly relative, and that number is expected to rise. We have
today the rising cost of living, the need to balance work and
family, parents stretched thin, struggling just to make sure
that their kids get the attention and the care that they
deserve.
There is simply no answer, no simple answer, as to how we
strengthen our working and middle-class families, but there are
a number of critical steps that we can take, initiatives which
have proven successful in making opportunity real for families
and for children, and that is why I really am so proud of the
Healthy Families Act. I believe it is important. I believe that
paid sick days are a basic right for people in the workplace.
More than half of the workforce already has the right to take
time off when they are sick or when they need to stay home to
care for a sick child or for an elderly relative.
The truth is, though, 57 million people in our workforce do
not have that right. It is something that I think most
Americans would find shocking. I think most Americans believe
that being a working parent should not mean having to choose
between your job, taking care of yourself and taking care of
your family. Paid sick days are a matter of common sense and a
matter of values. Yet unlike 145 other nations, the United
States does not guarantee a single paid sick day to workers,
not 1 day. We do have family and medical leave, as you have
pointed out. It provides leave for serious illnesses, but it is
unpaid, and it only covers about 60 percent of the workforce.
As a result, nearly half of private-sector workers, including
more than three-quarters of low-income workers, have no paid
leave of any kind. They have no paid sick days, no paid
vacation and no paid personal days. Zero. Nothing.
The Healthy Families Act, which I introduced with Senator
Kennedy, would help to alleviate this injustice. It requires
employers with 15 or more workers to provide 7 days of paid
sick leave annually for their own medical needs or to care for
a family member. It is about setting a floor on what we can all
agree is good corporate citizenship. Ensuring that employees
are productive and healthy helps businesses as well. Many
businesses already know, as the Journal of Managerial Issues
found, offering workers the option of taking time off to care
for a sick family member has a positive effect on morale and on
profits.
Last month we had a National Summit on America's Children,
which the Speaker put together. Jody Heymann, with the Project
on Global Working Families, spoke about paid sick days and its
integral role in maintaining our competitive edge in a global
economy. She reported that all of the 20 most competitive
countries, with the exception of the United States, guaranteed
paid sick days. In fact, 18 of them provide 31 or more days.
This includes Lesotho and Papua New Guinea. It would seem to me
that if they could do it, we could do it.
When working parents have to go to work sick, they risk
infecting the entire workplace. Then we all pay the price for
denying employees paid sick days, especially if they work in
health care, childcare or food service. As an interesting fact,
well below every other major industry, only 15 percent of
workers in food service have paid sick days, endangering
hundreds, even thousands of patrons.
Let me mention working women, and I will conclude.
Working women and their families in particular would
benefit from our bill. We all know that the brunt of the
responsibility for caring for our children still falls upon
women. That is just the way it is. Half of all working mothers
report that they must miss work when a child is sick. Half of
them do not get paid. When nearly a third of all working
mothers fear their job evaluations might suffer from missing
work, imagine what this legislation could mean to them. It is
about peace of mind.
I would just say paid sick days will make a difference. It
is not a silver bullet. We need to embrace the comprehensive,
profamily agenda, Chairwoman Woolsey, that your legislation,
the Balancing Act, shows us as having the right path forward.
Today's families' fortunes are increasingly tied to a more
volatile economy. We have a weak safety net, stretched thin.
Those who bear the brunt have a difficult time bouncing back,
and we have a responsibility, I believe, to confront the unique
challenges that income insecurity places on working and middle-
class families, and whether it is raising the minimum wage,
expanding the EITC, supporting childcare, paid equity or paid
sick days, I believe that our decisions and actions must
reflect a broader world view that begins with equal opportunity
and giving people who strive to better themselves the tools
that they need to succeed. It is about honoring work and
responsibility, and it is the basis of our shared community.
Thank you for the good work that you are doing. I thank you
and your Ranking Member and my colleagues sitting here today
for listening, and I appreciate the opportunity to testify.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you, Congresswoman.
[The statement of Ms. DeLauro follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Rosa L. DeLauro, a Representative in
Congress From the State of Connecticut
Good morning. Chairman Woolsey, thank you very much for the
opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
today. I appreciate your leadership on this issue and thank you for
holding this important hearing on work and family.
As you know, it is a battle everyday to put working families center
stage. In recent years, the shape and role of America's working and
middle class families have changed. So have their economic prospects.
In 1975, less than half of mothers of school-age children worked
outside the home, now it is nearly 70 percent. Today, one in four
households are caring for an elderly relative and that number is
expected to rise.
These days, with the rising cost of living and the need to balance
work and family, parents are stretched thin, struggling to make sure
their children get the attention and care they deserve.
There is no simple answer when it comes to strengthening our
working and middle class families. But there are a number of critical
steps we can take--initiatives which have proven successful at making
opportunity real for families and children.
And that is why legislation like the Healthy Families Act is so
important. Paid sick days are a basic right for people in the
workplace. More than half of the workforce already has the right to
take time off when they are sick, or when they need to stay home to
care for a sick child or elderly relative.
But the truth is that 57 million people in our workforce do not
have that right--something I think most Americans would find shocking.
I think most Americans believe that being a working parent should not
mean having to choose between your job, taking care of yourself, and
taking care of your family--that paid sick leave is a matter of common
sense--of values.
Yet unlike 145 other nations, the United States does not guarantee
a single paid sick day to workers--not one day. We do have the federal
Family & Medical Leave Act, which provides leave for serious illnesses.
But that is unpaid and only covers about 60 percent of the workforce.
As a result, nearly half of private sector workers, including more
than three-quarters of low-income workers, have no paid leave of any
kind--no paid sick days, no paid vacation, and no paid personal days.
Nothing.
The Healthy Families Act, which I introduced with Senator Kennedy,
would correct this injustice, requiring employers with 15 or more
workers to provide 7 days of paid sick leave annually for their own
medical needs or to care for of a family member. This is really about
simply setting the floor on what we all can agree is good corporate
citizenship.
Ensuring that employees are productive and healthy helps businesses
too. As many businesses already know and as the Journal of Managerial
Issues found, offering workers the option of taking time off to care
for a sick family member has a positive effect on morale--and profits.
Last month, here at our National Summit on America's Children, Jody
Heymann, with the Project on Global Working Families, spoke about paid
sick days' integral role in maintaining America's competitive edge in a
global economy. She reported that all of the 20 most competitive
countries, with the exception of the United States, guarantee paid sick
days. In fact, 18 of them provide 31 or more days.
When working parents must go to work sick, they risk infecting
their entire workplace, then we all pay the price for denying employees
paid sick days--especially if they work in health care, child care, or
food service. Indeed, well below every other major industry, only 15
percent of workers in food service have paid sick days--endangering
hundreds even thousands of patrons.
Working women and their families, in particular, would benefit from
our bill. We all know that the brunt of the responsibility for caring
for children still falls upon women--that is the way it is. Half of all
working mothers report that they must miss work when a child is sick--
and half of them do not get paid. When nearly a third of all working
mothers fear their job evaluation might suffer from missing work,
imagine what this legislation could mean to them: peace of mind.
Of course, while paid sick days will make a tremendous difference,
it is no silver bullet. We must embrace a comprehensive pro-family
agenda. Chairman Woolsey, your legislation ``The Balancing Act'' shows
us the right path forward--paid leave for parents to care for newborns
and attend school events, quality and accessible child care, in-school
nutrition, after-school assistance, expanded funds for voluntary
universal preschool.
Today, families' fortunes are increasingly tied to an ever more
volatile economy. Yet with a weak safety net stretched thin, those who
bear the brunt have a very difficult time bouncing back. We have a
responsibility to confront the unique challenges that INCOME INSECURITY
places on working and middle class families. And there is no limit to
what we can do to improve the odds for their success.
Whether it is raising the minimum wage, expanding the EITC, or
supporting child care, pay equity and, yes, paid sick days--I believe
our decisions and actions must reflect a broader worldview that begins
with equal opportunity and giving people who strive to better
themselves the tools to succeed. It is about honoring the work and
responsibility that is the basis of our shared community.
Thank you again, Chairman Woolsey, for the opportunity to testify
this morning.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. Congresswoman Biggert.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. JUDY BIGGERT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Mrs. Biggert. Thank you, Madam Chairman and Ranking Member
Wilson and members of the committee. I appreciate the
opportunity to testify.
I must say I think I like sitting on the other side of the
table, where you can ask the questions, a little bit better,
but it is nice to be here with Congresswoman DeLauro. I do not
have a chance to serve with Congresswoman DeLauro on other
committees, so it is nice to have the opportunity to be with
you.
The issue of work/family balances is an important one that
impacts most, if not all, workers at some point in their lives.
The American workplace has certainly undergone a dramatic
change in composition, character and demands. What was
previously a static agricultural- and manufacturing-based
economy with a mostly male workforce--and I do know that for a
fact because I was told by professors in law school that I was
taking the place of someone who should be there, a man, but
that is a subject for another hearing.
The workforce has evolved into a fast-paced, global
services and high-technology environment with nearly equal
numbers of men and women in the workforce. The movement of
mothers into the workplace has brought new challenges for the
American families. Families with two working parents now make
up a majority of the American families. Nearly two-thirds of
all mothers with children under the age of 3 are currently in
the workforce. Yet these changes in the workplace and the
workforce have not been reflected in the law.
As you will no doubt hear from the second panel of
witnesses, Americans feel very strongly about trying to achieve
a reasonable balance between the demands of a job and the
responsibilities of a family. While these challenges, perhaps,
confront working mothers to a greater degree, many workers,
male and female, are willing to make sacrifices in their jobs,
in their careers and education to achieve more balance in their
personal lives.
Providing working men and women with more control over
their work schedules should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the
private-sector employees and employers alike are constrained by
the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, and I think it is
fair to say that FLSA does not permit a great deal of
flexibility because it was designed for a different workforce
with different needs.
This subcommittee previously held a number of hearings on
FLSA. Out of those hearings came a number of proposals, perhaps
the most significant of which was the Family Time Flexibility
Act, or the so-called ``comp time bill.'' The concept behind
the bill was simple. It was designed to help working men and
women better manage work and family pressures by providing them
with increased flexibility to spend quality time with their
families. The bill proposed a common sense solution to allow
private sector employees a choice that their colleagues working
in the Federal, the State and local governments have had for a
long time. That choice is the option of cash wages or paid time
and a half off as compensation for working overtime hours. I am
not suggesting that employees should be required to take
compensatory time instead of overtime pay nor am I suggesting
that we alter the way that overtime pay is calculated or that
we alter the 40-hour workweek.
What I am suggesting is that we allow private sector
employers and employees to have an agreement to have the option
of using comp time, paid time and a half off in lieu of
overtime pay. Employees could then decide, based on their needs
and that of their families, whether to choose paid time off or
extra pay for working overtime. Obviously, there will always be
working men and women who want and need the extra pay that
comes from working overtime hours. Likewise, there may be some
employers who decide that comp time just does not work for
their particular business, but in situations where employers
and employees can agree, Congress ought to allow hardworking
men and women to choose for themselves either having overtime
pay or paid time and a half off. I would note that this is an
issue which was previously enjoyed bipartisan support through
the 104th Congress. Then President Clinton transmitted his own
comp time proposal to Congress. The chairman of the full
committee, George Miller, offered his own comp time substitute
amendment on the House floor when the issue was considered and
passed by the whole House.
In closing, I would encourage the subcommittee to consider
a comp time option for private-sector workers. It would be good
for workers, good for women, and especially good for families
because it would help them to better manage their personal and
professional obligations. I would hope my colleagues can agree
that employees and employers should not be prevented by an
outdated law from 1938 from agreeing upon options that provide
additional flexibility in work schedules.
Thank you again, Madam Chairman, for the opportunity to
testify.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you very much, Congresswoman.
[The statement of Mrs. Biggert follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Judy Biggert, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Illinois
Thank you Madam Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to testify. I
commend you for holding this hearing today. The issue of work-family
balance is an important one that impacts most, if not all workers, at
some point in their lives.
The American workplace has undergone a dramatic change in
composition, character, and demands. What was previously a static,
agriculture and manufacturing-based economy with a mostly male
workforce has evolved into a fast-paced, global services and high
technology environment with nearly equal numbers of women and men in
the workforce.
The movement of mothers into the workplace has brought new
challenges for American families. Families with two working parents now
make up the majority of American families. Nearly two-thirds of all
mothers with children under age three are currently in the workforce.
Yet, these changes in the workplace and in the workforce have not been
reflected in the law.
As you will no doubt hear from the second panel of witnesses,
Americans feel very strongly about trying to achieve a reasonable
balance between the demands of a job and the responsibilities of a
family. While these challenges perhaps confront working mothers to a
greater degree, many workers--both men and women--are willing to make
sacrifices in their jobs, careers and education to achieve more balance
in their personal lives.
Providing working men and women with more control over their work
schedules should be a ``no brainer.'' Unfortunately, private sector
employees and employers alike are constrained by the 1938 Fair Labor
Standards Act or ``the FLSA.'' I think it's fair to say that the FLSA
does not permit a great deal of flexibility, because it was designed
for a different workforce with different needs.
This subcommittee previously held a number of hearings on the FLSA.
Out of those hearings came a number of proposals, perhaps the most
significant of which was the ``Family Time Flexibility Act,'' or the
so-called ``comp time'' bill. The concept behind the bill was simple:
it was designed to help working men and women better manage work and
family pressures by providing them with increased flexibility to spend
quality time with their families. The bill proposed a common-sense
solution: to allow private sector employees a choice that their
colleagues working in federal, state and local governments have had for
many years. That choice is the option of cash wages or paid time-and-
ahalf off as compensation for working overtime hours.
I'm not suggesting that employees should be required to take
compensatory time instead of overtime pay. Nor am I suggesting that we
alter the way that overtime pay is calculated or the 40-hour workweek.
What I am suggesting is that we allow private sector employers and
employees, where there is agreement, to have the option of using comp
time--paid time-and-a-half off--in lieu of overtime pay. Employees
could then decide, based on their needs and that of their families,
whether to choose paid time off or extra pay for working overtime.
Obviously, there will always be working men and women who want and
need the extra pay that comes from working overtime hours. Likewise,
there may be some employers who decide that comp time just doesn't work
for their particular business. But in situations where employers and
employees can agree, Congress ought to allow hardworking men and women
to choose for themselves either overtime pay or paid time-and-a-half
off.
I would note that this is an issue which has previously enjoyed
bipartisan support. During the 104th Congress, then-President Clinton
transmitted his own comp time proposal to Congress. The Chairman of the
Full Committee, George Miller, offered his own comp time substitute
amendment on the House floor, when the issue was considered and passed
by the whole House.
In closing, I would encourage the Subcommittee to consider a comp
time option for private sector workers. It would be good for workers,
good for women, and especially good for families because it would help
them to better manage their personal and professional obligations. I
would hope my colleagues can agree that employees and employers should
not be prevented--by an outdated law from 1938--from agreeing upon
options that provide additional flexibility in work schedules. Thank
you again, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to testify.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. Panel number two will be seated. While
we are seating the second panel, I want the Finkbeiner kids to
know that your mother's going to be last, not first, so be
patient.
It appears, just so everybody knows what is going on, that
we will have votes in just a few minutes, but we will have time
first to go through the witness statements, 5 minutes each. Let
me first introduce our witness panel, panel number two.
Missy Quarberg, thank you for coming. Missy lives in Amery,
Wisconsin, with her husband and two children, ages 3 and 5. She
grew up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She graduated from Grand
Rapids High School. She also attended the Brown Institute of
Minneapolis.
Barbara Wankoff is a television star. I turned on my
television this morning, and she was on Good Morning, America.
Barbara is the director of workplace solutions at KPMG,
managing work-life programs and other initiatives, including
building a mentoring culture and KPMG's Networks for Women. She
has 25 years of professional experience in human resources. She
joined KPMG in the year 2000. She has been at her current
position since 2003. Prior to joining KPMG, she worked in human
resources at Swissair and at the Chubb Group of Insurance
Companies. Ms. Wankoff received her B.A. From Brandeis
University.
Melissa Lindsay lives in Maryland--hello, Melissa--with her
husband and 6-month-old daughter. She grew up in Massachusetts
and attended the public schools there. She attended Fitchburg
State College where she majored in early childhood education.
Ms. Lindsay is currently a bookkeeper at Marlin Steel Wire
Products in Baltimore.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is the cofounder and executive
director of MomsRising.org, an on-line network with more than
120,000 members working for policies to support families. With
Joan Blades, the cofounder of MomsRising, she authored the book
``The Motherhood Manifesto,'' which this year won the Ernesta
Drinker Ballard Book Prize. She has written frequently about
public policy, motherhood, health, and new feminism. In 2002,
she was given an Excellence in Journalism award by the Society
of Professional Journalists. She holds a bachelor's degree from
Evergreen State College in Washington.
Let me tell you how this all works if you have never done
this before. You will have 5 minutes. When the light turns
yellow, you will know you have 1 minute to wrap up. When the
light is red, then that is about the end of it. Certainly,
finish your thought; finish your sentence. Then when all four
of you have spoken, we will probably go vote, and then we will
come back, and we will have a round of questions from the
Members.
So we will start with you, Ms. Quarberg.
STATEMENT OF MISSY QUARBERG, FORMER WAL-MART EMPLOYEE
Ms. Quarberg. Good afternoon.
My name is Missy Quarberg, and I want to thank the
chairwoman and the subcommittee for inviting me to testify
today on balancing work and family. I know a lot about that
subject since I have tried to balance two full-time jobs, one
as an employee and one as a mom.
I am a married woman with two young children. We live in
Amery, Wisconsin. My husband Dan is a car mechanic. My
children, Joseph, who is 3 years old, and Jasmine, who is 5
years old, are both developmentally delayed and need special
care. While all working moms juggle many responsibilities, my
children's special needs mean many visits to the doctors as
well as regular therapy for both of them.
Last year, my husband and I decided we wanted to begin
planning to buy a house. Since we would need to save money, I
would have to get a job, and I found one at our local Wal-Mart
as a cashier. My starting pay was $7.30 an hour; 9 months
later, I was earning $8.30 an hour working in Wal-Mart's
optical department. My benefits for working at Wal-Mart
included minimal life insurance and the option to pay into the
health and dental plan. I paid $204 a month to cover the family
plan. This was a huge cost, almost one-third of my monthly
salary. Wal-Mart does not provide any vacation, sick or
personal days in the first year. It did not take long to
realize that Wal-Mart's policies make it extremely difficult,
if not impossible, for Wal-Mart workers to balance work and
family.
For example, Wal-Mart has a policy called ``open
availability scheduling,'' which means that employees have to
work ever-changing schedules whenever Wal-Mart calls you in.
When you never have regular work hours, how can you schedule
doctors appointments for your children? Scheduling anything to
do with your family is virtually impossible because you can be
called in to work at any time, whenever you are needed,
regardless of conflicts.
Wal-Mart also has a very restrictive attendance policy. The
company penalizes associates if you need to take a day off from
work for medical, family or other reasons. If this is not hard
enough, if you need to take 3 days off when you were scheduled
to work, you run the serious risk of losing your job. When I
first started at Wal-Mart, I worked the 3:00-to-11:00 shift.
This schedule allowed me to be at home with my children during
the day and work while my husband was home with them in the
evenings. While it was hard to be away from my family in the
evenings, and my husband and I barely saw each other, the 3:00-
to-11:00 schedule did help save money on childcare costs. We
only needed to pay for the childcare for about 3 hours per day.
After 9 months, I decided to move into the optical
department. The job was attractive because of the slight pay
raise and increased responsibilities, but unfortunately, the
late shift was not available, and I started working from 1:00
to 9:00. This meant we needed to pay for childcare for our
children for more hours per day, which increased our childcare
costs, and it became more difficult to have the time I needed
for my children.
Because of Wal-Mart's restrictive attendance policies and
lack of paid sick leave or personal days, it was extremely
difficult to take time off to tend to the needs of my two
children. One time my daughter Jasmine had a cavity that needed
to be fixed. I gave my supervisor more than 3 days' notice that
I needed a couple of hours off to take her to the dentist's. I
was given the time off, but when we were at the dentist's, we
learned that my daughter actually needed an emergency root
canal. Following the procedure, Jasmine became ill, and I
needed to stay home with her. I called my work to tell them I
was taking the entire day off to care for her. Later, when I
got back to work, my supervisor reprimanded me for not giving
her enough advance notice for taking the entire day off. I
received a verbal warning and was told to watch it. My
supervisor told me that, next time, I needed to plan these
things more in advance. How could I have known that a simple
procedure would become complicated and that my child would need
an emergency procedure or that she would be ill afterwards? If
any of you can plan your children's sudden health problems in
advance, I would like to know about it.
From that time on, I was very concerned about taking any
days off. I did not want to lose my job. When my children were
sick, I still took them to the childcare provider. I knew that
I should be home with my kids to help them when they were ill.
In addition, when I was sick, I usually went to work anyway. I
felt like I was neglecting my children and my own health. I
felt I had no choice if I wanted to keep my job. Clearly, given
Wal-Mart's priorities and policies, the only way to keep my job
was to be at work regardless of how sick I was or how sick my
children were.
Ultimately, given the childcare expenses and nightmare
scheduling problems, I realized that working at Wal-Mart was
not cost-effective or worth it to my health and to my family's.
If I were going to work outside the home, I needed a new job
that would provide me with some benefits, a more stable
schedule and, hopefully, a more family-friendly work
environment. I wanted to work again, but this time for a
company that would help me contribute to my family, not take me
away from them.
While Wal-Mart and corporate America talk about family
values, they certainly do not mean it. If they did, their
policies would be more flexible to help employers and employees
deal with legitimate family needs. They would not make it so
difficult to be a good parent and a good employee. I believe
that no worker, no father, no mother, no family member should
ever have to choose between their jobs and their families.
I hope that somebody, maybe one of you, can help working
mothers like me. We need paid sick and family leave, flexible
working hours and help with childcare so that we can do both of
our jobs, taking care of our families while holding down our
jobs. We need somebody to tell big companies like Wal-Mart that
they are not above the law, and that, while low prices are
important, so are people, people like me who help companies
like them make a profit.
Thank you again for letting me tell my story. I would be
happy to answer any questions.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Quarberg follows:]
Prepared Statement of Missy Quarberg, Former Wal-Mart Employee
I want to thank the Subcommittee for inviting me to testify today
on the subject of balancing work and family. I know a little bit about
that subject. I am married with 2 young children, ages 3 and 5. Both my
children are developmentally delayed and need special care. This means
going to the doctor and therapy for them often.
Last year, I went to work at Wal-Mart. We needed the money and were
looking at buying a house. I also felt that it was important for me to
work. My starting pay was $7.30 an hour as a cashier. When I left Wal-
Mart 10 months later I was making $8.30 and working in the optical
department as an optician.
In 2005 before I started at Wal-Mart, the company implemented a
series of policies designed to push out full-time, tenured workers and
replace them with ``healthier'' workers in order to drastically cut its
benefit costs. Since then, Wal-Mart has implemented a series of
policies that serve these purposes and have made it increasingly
difficult for me and other Wal-Mart workers to balance work and family.
For example, Wal-Mart has a policy called ``opening availability
scheduling,'' which means that you have to work changing schedules
whenever Wal-Mart wants it.
It also has a restrictive attendance policy, which penalizes you if
you need to take a day off from work for medical, family or other
reasons. After you have taken 3 days off when you were scheduled to
work, you run the risk of losing your job.
Initially, I worked evenings on the 3-11 shift. While this took me
away from my family in the evenings, this allowed me to save on child
care since my husband could be home in at night to take care of the
children. When I started as an optician, this shift was no longer
available to me and so I had to work from 1-9.
Of course this increased my child care costs. And because of the
Company's restrictive attendance policies, and the fact that I had no
paid sick leave available to me, it was very difficult for me to take
time out to tend to my children's needs.
One time my daughter had a cavity and I gave my supervisor more
than 3 days notice that I needed a couple of hours off to take her to
the dentist. While at the dentist, it was discovered that my daughter
needed an emergency root canal. My daughter who is very young was not
feeling well afterward so I had to call into my work to tell them I was
taking the entire day off. When I got back to work my supervisor
scolded me for not giving her enough advance notice, and I was
penalized under Wal-Mart's attendance policy. My supervisor told me
that in the future, I needed to plan these things more in advance. How
could I possibly plan my children's sudden health problems in advance?
I was very concerned about taking any days off, so if my children
were sick, I often took them to the child care provider even though I
knew I should stay home with them. And when I was sick, I usually went
to work anyway.
Many of my co-workers had similar problems taking care of family
and doing their job, especially with regards to taking care of their
children when they were sick, and having scheduling problems with
dropping off and picking up their children at day care or school.
I ultimately chose to leave my job at Wal-Mart because when I
factored in my child care expenses with my salary, it wasn't cost
effective for me to continue working. I plan to look for a new job,
which I hope will provide some benefits so that I am able to work again
and contribute to my family.
My employer--Wal-Mart--used to talk about family values, but my
employer did not seem to care about family. No worker, no father, no
mother should have to choose between their job and their family. No
company, including the company I worked for, should want that.
I hope that this Subcommittee will continue to do something to help
working people, especially working mothers. We need policies like paid
sick and family leave, flexible working hours and help with child care
so that we can do both our jobs: to take care of our family and to hold
down a job.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. I forgot to say that Ms. Quarberg was
also a television star this morning.
Ms. Wankoff.
STATEMENT OF BARBARA WANKOFF, DIRECTOR,
WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS, KPMG
Ms. Wankoff. Good afternoon.
Chairwoman Woolsey. You need to turn that on.
Ms. Wankoff. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Woolsey, Ranking
Member Wilson and other members of the committee.
My name is Barbara Wankoff, and I am KPMG LLP's national
director of workplace solutions. I am responsible for the
firm's work-life benefits and programs, supporting our goal to
be an employer of choice. Thank you very much for the
opportunity to testify before you today.
KPMG, a tax, audit and advisory firm employing over 20,000
employees and 1,700 partners in the United States, believes
that helping employees manage their responsibilities both
inside and outside of work is beneficial to everyone and to our
bottom line. Our policies and programs support this belief. Our
employees tend to be ambitious and career-oriented. They want
to develop professionally and build a career, but they also
have lives as parents, sons or daughters and spouses. So, at
KPMG, we are promoting a culture of flexibility to help them
manage the complexities of work and life.
For example, among the many benefits we offer is generous
paid time off. Employees have a minimum of 20 paid days they
can use for vacation, sick time, sick children or for any other
personal need. We recognize the critical need for new mothers
to bond with their children, so we allow them to take up to 26
weeks of leave, going beyond FMLA, while guaranteeing that
their jobs will be waiting when they return, and this applies
to births, adoptions or foster care placement; and by paying
women 100 percent of their regular salaries for up to 8 weeks
as well as additional weeks at two-thirds pay, we are making it
easier for women to take the time off that they want. New
fathers also receive 2 weeks of paid parental leave.
We try to ease the transition for new mothers who are
coming back to work by providing privacy rooms for
breastfeeding and by allowing them to phase in their return to
work instead of jumping back in full time. Other leave programs
are also available, and one we are particularly proud of is a
program called Shared Leave, which allows an employee who is
caring for a seriously ill relative and who has exhausted his
personal time to request an additional 12 weeks paid time off
that is donated by fellow employees. This program is a Godsend
for those facing difficult times and who need additional time
off.
We know from study after study that allowing for flexible
work schedules can reduce stress and boost productivity and job
satisfaction. That is why KPMG offers a range of such programs,
including flex time, a compressed workweek, telecommuting, job
sharing, reduced workloads, part-time work, and day-to-day
flexibility where employees can leave the workplace to attend a
school or a sports event or a doctor's appointment and return
later to resume work.
To further support working parents at KPMG, we contract
with third-party providers to offer free backup childcare for
the inevitable emergencies when the sitter is sick or bad
weather closes the daycare center. It is a tremendous relief
for parents to know they have access to safe, reliable backup
care in these situations and to know they can meet both their
work and family obligations. Similar backup care is available
to those caring for an elderly relative even if the relative
lives in a distant city.
Oftentimes solid, timely information is what parents need
to meet a challenge. That is why we provide a resource and
referral program that makes it easy for them to gain
information about such topics as parenting, wellness and
emotional well-being. We also recognize that approximately one
in five families in the U.S. has a child with special needs and
that the parents of these children have unique challenges. To
support these families, we have established a KPMG network
which provides resources, information and a chance to connect
and to support one another.
Our commitment to a culture of flexibility and to helping
working families has not gone unnoticed. KPMG has earned a spot
on Working Mother Media's list of the 100 Best Companies for
Working Mothers 10 times. We have made the Companies That Care
honor roll four times. In this past year, Fortune Magazine
named KPMG one of the 100 best companies to work for in 2007.
Collectively the programs I have described meet the needs
of both our employees and of our business. They demonstrate
that we care about our employees and are committed to helping
them balance work and life. These programs help us attract and
retain key talent, which is critical to meeting clients' needs
and to the overall success of the firm. At KPMG retention rates
are up, and so is morale.
Thank you for this opportunity to share KPMG's views with
you today.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you.
[The statement of Ms. Wankoff follows:]
Prepared Statement of Barbara Wankoff, Director,
Workplace Solutions, KPMG
Good Afternoon. My name is Barbara Wankoff and I am KPMG LLP's
National Director of Workplace Solutions. I am responsible for the
firm's work life benefits and programs supporting our goal to be an
employer of choice.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify before you
today.
KPMG, a tax, audit and advisory firm employing over 20,000
employees and 1700 partners in the United States believes that helping
employees manage their responsibilities both inside and outside of work
is beneficial to everyone, and to our bottom line. Our policies and
programs support this belief.
Our employees tend to be ambitious and career oriented. They want
to develop professionally and build a career, but they also have lives
as parents, sons or daughters and spouses--so at KPMG we are promoting
a culture of flexibility to help them manage the complexities of work
and life.
For example, among the many benefits we offer is generous paid time
off. Employees have a minimum of 20 paid days they can use for
vacation, sick time, sick children or any other personal need.
We recognize the critical need for new mothers to bond with their
children, so we allow them to take up to 26 weeks of leave, going
beyond FMLA, while guaranteeing that their job will be waiting when
they return. And this applies to births, adoptions or foster care
placement. And by paying women 100% of their regular salary for up to
eight weeks, as well as additional weeks at two-thirds pay, we are
making it easier for women to take the time off that they want. New
fathers also receive 2 weeks of paid parental leave.
We try to ease the transition for new mothers coming back to work
by providing privacy rooms for breastfeeding and allowing them to phase
in their return to work instead of jumping back in fulltime.
Other leave programs are also available and one we're particularly
proud of is a program called shared leave, which allows an employee
caring for a seriously ill relative, and who has exhausted their
personal time, to request an additional 12 weeks paid time off that is
donated by fellow employees. This program is a Godsend for those facing
difficult times and who need additional time off.
We know, from study after study, that allowing for flexible work
schedules can reduce stress, and boost productivity and job
satisfaction. That's why KPMG offers a range of such programs,
including flextime, compressed work week, telecommuting, job sharing,
reduced workloads, part time work and day to day flexibility where
employees can leave the workplace to attend a school or sports event or
doctor's appointment and return later to resume work. .
To further support working parents at KPMG, we contract with third-
party providers to offer free back-up childcare for the inevitable
emergencies when the sitter is sick or bad weather closes the daycare
center. It's a tremendous relief for parents to know they have access
to safe, reliable backup care in these situations and can meet both
their work and family obligations. Similar backup care is available to
those caring for elderly relatives, even if the relative lives in a
distant city.
Oftentimes, solid, timely information is what parents need to meet
a challenge. That's why we provide a resource and referral program that
makes it easy for them to gain information about such topics as
parenting, wellness, and emotional wellbeing.
We also recognize that approximately one in five families in the US
has a child with special needs and that parents of these children have
unique challenges. To support these families, we established a KPMG
network, which provides resources, information and a chance to connect
and support one another.
Our commitment to a culture of flexibility and to helping working
families has not gone unnoticed. KPMG has earned a spot on Working
Mother Media's List of 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers ten
times; we have made the Companies that Care Honor Roll four times, and
this past year, Fortune Magazine named KPMG one of the 100 Best
Companies to Work For in 2007.
Collectively, the programs I've described meet the needs of both
our employees and our business. They demonstrate that we care about our
employees and are committed to helping them balance work and life.
These programs help us attract and retain key talent, which is critical
to meeting clients' needs and to the overall success of the firm. At
KPMG, retention rates and morale are up. Thank you for this opportunity
to share KPMG's views with you today.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. Ms. Lindsay.
STATEMENT OF MELISSA LINDSAY, BOOKKEEPER,
MARLIN STEEL WIRE PRODUCTS
Ms. Lindsay. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Woolsey, Ranking
Member Wilson and members of the subcommittee.
My name is Melissa Lindsay, and I am the bookkeeper at
Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore, Maryland. Thank you
for this opportunity to appear today on behalf of Marlin Steel
Wire and, most importantly, on behalf of my 23 excellent
coworkers. I was pleased to learn of the subject of today's
hearing, balancing work and family life, and I appreciate that
the Members of Congress are taking the time to discuss the
issues many working families face every day.
Since 2003, I have worked for Marlin Steel Wire Products as
its bookkeeper. Marlin was founded in 1968. We manufacture wire
baskets, hooks, rack hooks, and wire forms. We also have the
capability to produce custom products for many of our
customers. Our products are used in the medical industry and by
large international companies like Caterpillar, Boeing and
Toyota.
My husband Ed and I are both from Massachusetts. When Ed
learned of an opportunity to join the Fort Meade Fire
Department, we moved to Maryland in 2003. Soon after arriving
in Baltimore, I got my job at Marlin. In 2006, we were proud to
welcome our first child Jayden into our family. Prior to that I
had worked 40 hours a week up until the very Friday before I
had her, at which time I began my maternity leave for 6 weeks.
While out on maternity leave, I made myself available by e-mail
to assist Marlin if an occasion arose. I then returned to work
part time on January 4th of 2007.
Because my husband is a firefighter, he works crazy hours.
For instance, he works 24-hour shifts and then has the next day
off. Other times, Ed has to work mandatory overtime, which
could be up to 24 hours. We knew that once Jayden joined our
lives, we would need to find a way so that Ed and I could be
home with her as much as possible to care for and raise her.
I spoke with Drew Greenblatt, president and owner of
Marlin, about how best to meet the needs of my family and those
of Marlin. So, each week Drew and I sit down to determine my
work schedule for the upcoming week. This is after I get a
sense of what Ed's schedule will be. When Ed is home, I can
spend a full day at the office. Other times, I work from home
or work a partial day. There are even times when I bring Jayden
to the office for important meetings. My fellow coworkers
always warmly welcome both of us.
Marlin Steel Wire Products provides all of its employees
with great benefits and with a great environment in which to
work. For instance, I participate in the 401(k) plan to which I
contribute 10 percent of my earnings. My employer then matches
40 percent of my contribution. I also receive paid time off for
sick days, vacation days, holidays, and bereavement. Marlin has
even paid for my college courses in accounting so I am better
at my job and have additional skills that I can use the rest of
my working life. I was even offered health insurance, but my
husband and I chose to stay with the insurance through the fire
department.
I currently work part time, and this is my choice to meet
the needs of my family. A normal workweek for me consists of 30
or more hours either at the office or telecommuting from home.
A typical day for me starts like any other mommy's day. I wake
up--well, Jayden usually wakes me up--and then I get dressed,
prepare us both for breakfast. If it is a stay-at-home day, I
turn on my computer and check my work e-mail and address
anything that needs attention. I leave the computer on most of
the day so that, as soon as I am notified of new e-mail, I can
quickly respond. If it is a go-to-the-office day, I then leave
my daughter, and she stays home with Daddy. Occasionally, there
are issues that arise that require me to go into the office, so
Jayden and I will go to the office together.
Recently, Jayden and I came to the office for a meeting.
She is 6 months old now, so she is very awake and very alert.
She was staring at Drew, the president, the entire time,
fixated on his voice and on exactly what he was saying almost
as if she understood. She just sat there and smiled the entire
time he was talking. A few employees actually thank me for
bringing her by. It brightens their day, they tell me.
The fact that I am able to do this and not miss these
important meetings is one of the things I love most about my
job. Without the family-friendly atmosphere of Marlin Steel
Wire, we would not be able to raise our daughter the way we
want to. You might be thinking to yourself, ``Wow, did Melissa
find the right job or what?'' Well, I did. I know that the main
reason I was able to ask for and to receive these benefits is
because I work hard at my job and take pride in being a part of
the team at Marlin, and my boss is very employee-friendly.
In working closely with Drew and in managing Marlin's daily
operations, I can personally attest to how challenging it is
for a small wire company in Baltimore to succeed against
cheaper products from our larger competitors, many in foreign
countries with little or no environmental and labor laws, not
to mention cheaper taxes.
I think we are successful because of the hard work of
everyone at Marlin to produce the quality of product that more
than meets the needs of our customers. Plus, I believe that
Drew goes the extra mile to take care of each of us. I would
like to share with you some of the benefits my coworkers also
take advantage of.
Like me, one of the employees, Dong Moon, works part time.
He is an operator of one of our assembly robots. He is in his
midseventies and participates in the 401(k) plan. Aaron
Heisler, who is an engineer and who has a longer commute than
most of us, takes care of telecommuting.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Try to sum up, and then we will use
those examples in questions and answers.
Ms. Lindsay. Okay. Sure.
It is clear to see when a company is successful, it is
because of its employees. Thankfully for all of us at Marlin,
our employer realizes this and goes that extra mile to help
meet our personal needs.
I would like to thank you for this opportunity today, and I
would be more than welcome to answer your questions.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you very much.
[The statement of Ms. Lindsay follows:]
Prepared Statement of Melissa Lindsay, Bookkeeper,
Marlin Steel Wire Products
Good morning, Chairwoman Woolsey, Ranking Member Wilson and members
of the subcommittee. My name is Melissa Lindsay. I am the bookkeeper at
Marlin Steel Wire Products in Baltimore, MD. Thank you for the
opportunity to appear today on behalf of Marlin Wire, and most
importantly, my 23 excellent coworkers. I was pleased to learn of the
subject of today's hearing--balancing work and family life--and
appreciate that members of Congress are taking the time to discuss the
issues many working families face every day.
Since 2003, I have worked for Marlin Steel Wire Products as its
bookkeeper. Marlin was founded in 1968. We manufacture wire baskets,
hooks, rack hooks and wire forms. We also have the capability to
produce a wide range of custom products for our customers. Our products
are used in the medical industry and by large international companies
like Caterpillar, Boeing and Toyota.
My husband Ed and I are from Massachusetts. When Ed learned of an
opportunity to join the Fort Meade Fire Department, we moved to
Maryland in 2003. Soon after arriving in Baltimore I got a job at
Marlin. In 2006, we were proud to welcome our first child, Jayden, into
our family. Prior to that I worked forty hours a week until the Friday
before I had my daughter in November, at which time I began my
maternity leave for 6 weeks. While out on maternity leave I made myself
available by email to assist Marlin Steel Wire if an occasion arose. I
then returned to work on a part-time basis on January 4, 2007.
Because my husband is a firefighter, he works crazy hours. For
instance, he works 24 hour shifts and then has the next day off. Other
times, Ed has to work mandatory overtime, which could be up to 24 hours
at a time. We knew that once Jayden joined our lives, we would need to
find a way so that Ed or I could be home as much as possible to care
for and raise Jayden. I spoke with Drew Greenblatt, President and owner
of Marlin, about how best to meet the needs of my family and Marlin
Steel Wire.
So each week, Drew and I sit down to determine my work schedule for
the upcoming week. This is after I get a sense of when Ed will be
working. When Ed is home, I can spend a full day at the office. Other
times, I work from home or work a partial day. There are even times
when I bring Jayden to work for important meetings. My fellow coworkers
always warmly welcome both of us.
Marlin Wire Products provides all of its employees great benefits
and a great environment to work. For instance, I participate in the
401(k) plan, to which I contribute 10 percent of my earnings. My
employer matches 40 percent of my contribution. I also receive paid
time off for sick days, vacation days, holidays and bereavement leave.
Marlin even paid for my college courses in accounting, so I am better
at my job and have additional skills that I can use the rest of my
working life. I was even offered health insurance, but I declined and
Ed and I chose to stay with his insurance through the fire department.
I currently work part-time, and this is my choice to meet my needs
and the needs of my family. A normal work week for me consists of 30 or
more hours either at the office or telecommuting from home. A typical
day for me starts like any other Mommy's day. I wake up, well Jayden
usually wakes me up, and then I get Jayden dressed, and prepare us both
breakfast. If it's a stay at home day, I turn on my computer and check
my work email and address anything that needs attention. I leave the
computer on most of the day so as soon as I am notified of a new email
I can quickly respond. If it is a go to the office day then I leave and
my daughter stays home with Daddy. Occasionally, there are issues that
arise that require me to go into the office, so Jayden and I will go to
the office together. Recently, Jayden and I came to the office for a
meeting. She is 6 months now so she is always very awake and alert. She
stared at Drew the entire time fixated on his voice and what he was
saying almost as if she understood. She just sat there and smiled the
entire time he was talking. A few employees actually thank me for
bringing her by. It brightens up their day, they tell me. The fact that
I am able to do this and not miss these important meetings is one of
the things I love most about my job. Without the family friendly
atmosphere of Marlin Steel Wire, we wouldn't be able to raise our
daughter the way we want to.
You might be thinking to yourself, ``Wow, did Melissa find the
right job or what?'' Well, I did. I know that the main reasons I was
able to ask for and receive these benefits is because I work hard at my
job, take pride in being a part of the team at Marlin, and my boss is
employee friendly. Working closely with Drew in managing Marlin's daily
operations, I can personally attest to how challenging it is for a
small wire company in Baltimore to succeed against cheaper products
from our larger competitors, many in foreign countries with little or
no environmental and labor laws, not to mention cheaper taxes. I think
we are successful because of the hard work of everyone at Marlin to
produce a quality product that more than meets the needs of our
customers. Plus I believe that Drew goes the extra mile to take care of
each of us.
I'd like to share with you some of the benefits my coworkers take
advantage of at Marlin. Like me, Dong Moon works part-time. He is an
operator of one of our assembly robots. He is in his mid-70's and
participates in the company 401(k) plan. Aaron Heisler, an engineer,
has a longer commute than most of us, so he takes advantage of
telecommuting too. He sometimes transmits blue prints for product
designs remotely from his home office. Right now, Chung Lim, another
robot operator, is taking five weeks of vacation in Korea. Hector
Carmona, a model maker, has taken a month off every July since the
1990's to visit family in the Dominican Republic. Our plant manager,
Simon Matthews, took advantage of Marlin's tuition benefit and attended
college by taking night courses in Mechanical Engineering. Finally,
last week, Kendall Browning, a fixture maker, took the morning off to
present to his daughter's class for ``career day''.
It's clear to see that when a company is successful it is because
of its employees. Thankfully for all of us at Marlin, our employer
realizes this and goes the extra mile to help us meet our personal
needs. Drew tells us all the time that it is so hard to find a skilled,
dedicated person to hire that our team can rely on to do the job, so he
works hard to keep us. I feel blessed that Drew found me and that I now
have a job that allows me to be there for my family and to build a
company that provides good jobs to its employees and make good products
for its clients.
I thank you for the opportunity to speak today about not only my
story but that of the wonderful people at Marlin whom I have the
pleasure of working with everyday. I would be happy to answer your
questions.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. Ms. Finkbeiner.
STATEMENT OF KRISTEN ROWE-FINKBEINER, COFOUNDER, MOMS RISING
Ms. Rowe-Finkbeiner. Hello. Thank you for holding this
critically important hearing today. It is an honor to be here.
I am Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, and I am here today on behalf
of MomsRising.org, a new, fast-growing, on-line grassroots
organization that works to advocate for family-friendly
policies and programs. Our membership is open to everyone who
is a mom and to everyone who has ever had a mom.
MomsRising addresses issues that are critically important
to a wide cross-section of our Nation. Eighty-two percent of
women in the United States have children by the time they are
44 years old, and we all have mothers. Only a little over a
year old, MomsRising already has more than 120,000 members
across the United States, and we are growing quickly at a rate
of 500 to 3,500 members a week lately. This rapid growth speaks
to the fact that we have touched a nerve.
Americans are struggling to balance work and family, and
they want to see policymakers put laws in place that will let
them fulfill their responsibilities both at work and at home.
This is crucial not only because it is the right thing to do,
but also because in order to have a healthy economy now as well
as in the future, we must also have healthy families.
Why are these issues pressing right now? Well, our Nation
has changed over the past several decades, as many other people
have testified to today, but our country's work-family policies
have not changed much. Currently a full three-quarters of
American mothers are in the labor force, yet we are stuck with
a 1950 support structure.
It is time for our policies to catch up to the dynamics of
modern life, and we are so excited to be here today talking
about just that. This is essential because, without these
policies, American families are in trouble. A full quarter of
American families with children under 6 years old are living in
poverty, and having a baby is, in fact, a leading cause of the
poverty spell, which is a time when your income dips below what
is needed for basic expenses like food and rent.
Nine million children, one in nine, have no health care
coverage at all, and the lack of after-school care and flexible
work options means that 40,000 kindergartners are at home, each
day, alone after school.
Our country's lack of family-friendly policies also drags
down mothers' wages. Women without children now make about 90
cents to a man's dollar; women with, 73 cents; and single moms
make the least at about 60 cents. Countries with family-
friendly policies and programs in place, like paid family leave
and subsidized childcare, do not have pay gaps as wide as we do
here, and we are, quite frankly, behind the rest of the world
when it comes to family-friendly policies. For example, in over
173 countries studied in a Harvard University study, there were
only 4 countries that do not provide some form of paid family
leave for new mothers. The four countries that did not and do
not provide paid leave for new mothers are the United States,
Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Liberia. In fact, we lack many
family-friendly programs that citizens of most other
industrialized countries take as a given, programs like
universal health care coverage, paid family leave and a minimum
number of paid sick days.
These and other critically important family policies are at
the core of MomsRising's agenda, which is spelled out with the
acronym MOTHER. ``M'' is for maternity and paternity leave.
``O'' is for open, flexible workplaces. ``T'' is for television
and other after-school programs. ``H'' is for health care for
all kids. ``E'' is for excellent childcare. ``R'' is for
realistic and fair wages.
If we want to say that we have family values, then we also
have to value families by passing the kind of policies that
have long been championed by groups like the National
Partnership for Women and Families, the National Women's Law
Center, the Children's Defense Fund, FamiliesUSA, and 9to5.
These are five of MomsRising's more than 80 nationally aligned
organizations that are working together. We need to pass
policies like the Balancing Act, like the Healthy Families Act,
as well as fully fund and reauthorize the State Children's
Health Insurance Program and the Childcare and Development
Block Grant.
MomsRising is actively engaging members to support family-
friendly policies. For example, in February we sent out an e-
outreach, asking our members to support the Healthy Families
Act, and in less than 36 hours over 17,000 e-mailed letters
went in to Congress. But we do much more than generate e-mailed
letters. MomsRising's members have held hundreds of house
parties across the country, and are still holding them, to
watch the Motherhood Minutes documentary film. Our offices are
overflowing with decorated baby ONEsies, which you can see on
line on our Web site if you would like to see some pictures,
but we are exhibiting those baby ONEsies at forums around the
country.
MomsRising was instrumental in getting paid family leave
passed in Washington State this year, making it the second
State in the Nation to have paid family leave after California,
and we are working right now in New York, New Jersey and in
Oregon, as well as elsewhere, to have similar laws be passed.
We will continue to work with our more than 120,000 members--
and growing quickly--who are in every State to support Federal
legislation, again like the Healthy Families Act and the
Balancing Act, as well as to support State legislation that
makes workplaces more family friendly and to speak out and to
take action on the issues that matter most to families, because
when this many people are having the same problem at the same
time, we have a national structural issue that needs to be
addressed and not an epidemic of personal failings. It is time
to make those changes.
Thank you for leading the way.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you very much.
[The statement of Ms. Rowe-Finkbeiner follows:]
Prepared Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, MomsRising
Madam Chairwoman and Members of the Committee: I am Kristin Rowe-
Finkbeiner and I'm here today on behalf of MomsRising.org, a new, fast-
growing online grassroots organization that works to promote and
advocate for family-friendly policies. Our membership is open to
everyone who is a mom, and everyone who has a mom. MomsRising addresses
issues that are critically important to wide cross-section of our
nation: 82% of women in the United States have children by the time
they are forty-four years old; and we all have mothers.
Only a little over a year old, MomsRising already has more than
120,000 members across the United States. And we're growing quickly--at
a rate of 500 to 3,000 new members a week. That rapid growth speaks to
the fact that we have touched a nerve. Americans are struggling to
balance work and family, and they want to see policy makers put laws in
place that will let them fulfill their responsibilities at work without
giving short shrift to their families. This is crucial, not only
because it is the right thing to do, but also because in order to have
a healthy economy now, as well as in the future, we must also have
healthy families.
Why are these issues pressing right now? Our nation has changed
over the past several decades, but our country's work/family policies
have not: Currently a full three-quarters of American mothers are in
the labor force. Yet we are stuck with a 1950s support structure. It's
time for our policies to catch up to the dynamics of the modern
American family.
This is essential because without these policies, American families
are in trouble: A full quarter of families with children under six
years old live in poverty; and having a baby is a top cause of
``poverty spells'' in this country--a time when a family's income dips
below what it needs for basic living expenses like food and rent. Nine
million children--one in nine--have no healthcare coverage at all. And
the lack of afterschool care and flexible work options are two of the
main reasons that 40,000 kindergarteners are home alone each day after
school.
Our country's lack of family-friendly policies also drags down
mothers' wages. While women without children make 90 cents to a man's
dollar, women with children make only 73 cents to a man's dollar, and
single mothers, about 60 cents to a man's dollar.
Countries with family-friendly policies and programs in place--like
paid family leave and subsidized child care--don't have wage gaps as
wide as we do here. And we are, frankly, behind the rest of the world
when it comes to family-friendly policies.
For example, of the 173 countries that were the subject of a study
of international workplace policies by Dr. Jody Heymann of Harvard and
McGill Universities, there were only four countries that didn't provide
some form of paid family leave for new mothers. The four countries that
did not--and do not--have some form of paid leave for new mothers are
Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, Liberia and the United States.
In fact, we lack many family-friendly programs that citizens of
most other industrialized countries take as a given. Programs like
universal health care coverage, paid family leave, and a minimum number
of paid sick days. Of the 20 most competitive economies in the world,
the U.S. is the only one that does not require businesses to provide
paid sick days.
These and other critically important family policies are the core
of MomsRising's agenda which is spelled out in the word ``mother.'' M
for Maternity and Paternity Leave; O for Open Flexible Work; T for
Television and other Afterschool Programs; H for Healthcare; E for
Excellent Childcare; R for Realistic and Fair Wages.
If we want to say we have family values; then we have to also value
families by passing the kinds of policies that have long been
championed by groups like the National Partnership for Women and
Families, the National Women's Law Center, the Children's Defense Fund,
FamiliesUSA, and 9to5, five of MomsRising's more than 80 aligned
organizational partners. Policies like the Healthy Families Act, and
the Balancing Act, as well as fully funding and reauthorizing the State
Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); and the Child Care and
Development Block Grant.
We, as a nation, are competing in a global economy in which all the
other top economies are investing in their children and families while
we lag behind. Children, quite literally, are the economic engine of
our future; and study after study shows that investing in children and
family policies now, saves funds later because of less reliance on
government entitlement programs, less severe illnesses, lower infant
mortality, fewer grade repetitions, less interaction with the criminal
justice system, and the list of areas where costs are saved goes on. It
is horribly short-sighted to ignore these pressing national issues.
MomsRising actively and regularly engages members to support
family-friendly policies. For example, in February, we sent out an e-
outreach asking our members to urge their Members of Congress to
support the Healthy Families Act. In less than 48 hours we had
generated more than 17,000 emailed letters.
But we do much more than generate emailed letters. MomsRising
members have held hundreds of house parties across the country to
discuss the issues they care about and to screen The Motherhood
Manifesto film which delves into the MOTHER agenda. Our offices are
overflowing with thousands of decorated baby ONEsies that our members
have sent us as a show of support for family-friendly policies--and
we're getting ready to exhibit those ONEsies at forums around the
country. MomsRising was instrumental in getting paid family leave
passed in
Washington State--making it only the second state to have paid
leave, after California. And we're working in New York, New Jersey,
Oregon and elsewhere to get similar laws passed.
We'll continue to work with our more than 120,000 members (and
growing), who are in every state, to support federal legislation like
the Healthy Families Act and the Balancing Act, as well as to support
state legislation that makes workplaces more family-friendly, and to
speak out and take action on the issues that matter most to families--
because when this many people are having the same problems at the same
time, we have a national structural issue that needs to be addressed,
and not an epidemic of personal failings. It's time to make those
changes.
Thank you.
______
Chairwoman Woolsey. I thank all four of you. We do not have
votes yet, so we are going to start right off with questions.
I am going to start with a question for you, Ms. Wankoff.
Wankoff?
Ms. Wankoff. That is right.
Chairwoman Woolsey. As a human resources professional and
as a single mom, I had no idea that my pushing what my company
was doing right would make such a difference to the workers,
but it was always clear to us--and this was clear in the 1970s
and 1980s--that family-friendly policies would make the
difference.
What is offered by KPMG, is that offered to everybody in
the company or to just some level of workers?
Ms. Wankoff. Employees at all levels are offered the
benefits that I described today. They are offered to the most
senior as well as to the most junior benefits-eligible
employees. We have very few handfuls of employees who work only
a few hours a week for us who do not get benefits.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Well, then, Ms. Quarberg, how would
that have made a difference in your life and with your children
and your family? Would you still be in the workforce?
Ms. Quarberg. Let us put it this way: If I could work for
her company, I would be more than happy to be there, and I
would stay there. It would benefit my family greatly if we had
that kind of company.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Ms. Lindsay, why do you think your
employer is willing to risk higher costs and competing with
outsourcing? I mean, when you were speaking, I kept thinking
that is exactly the kind of company that is going overseas.
Has anybody measured productivity and how much less
turnover you have?
Ms. Lindsay. He just really focused on having good
employees who want to work at the company, and he believes that
it should be made here in the U.S.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Kristen, it is really nice to see you
here today. I have been working with you all along and with
Joan Blades.
What are other women, working parents saying to you? What
is their number one most important priority?
Ms. Rowe-Finkbeiner. You know, it was really interesting.
We did a survey of our members, and I talked about the MOTHER
acronym, M-O-T-H-E-R, and all of them came up almost equally as
top priorities. We really have a Nation where many people are
juggling multiple things at the same time. They are juggling
work. They are juggling children. They come up pretty much
evenly. Health care pops a little bit up higher, but I think
that is why it is so important for your bill, the Balancing
Act, to be brought forward as a whole solution together that we
can look at as addressing these issues.
Chairwoman Woolsey. I saw ``SiCKO'' last night, the
premiere of Michael Moore's new film. It is going to start a
whole revolution in this country, let me tell you.
Why do you think the United States is lagging behind all of
industrial countries in these family-friendly policies?
Ms. Rowe-Finkbeiner. Well, that is the million-dollar
question. I think part of our issue here right now is that we
have a corporate culture of short-term monetary returns as
opposed to long-term returns. Many CEOs, for example, are given
bonuses based on their quarterly reports, but what we have
right now, as many of us talked about, is that we are competing
in a global economy where the majority of our other competitive
nations are providing these family-friendly policies and
programs. This is critically important because all of the
studies show that, when you invest in young children, invest in
families, you make back more money later. So, for every $1
invested in, for example, early childcare, early childhood
development, the smallest number I have seen back is $7. The
biggest is $27. It really runs the gamut, but I have never seen
it come out negatively. So investing in children and families
now is critically important to our global competitiveness later
because children are the economic engine of our future.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Thank you very much.
Who is the ultimate loser when we make parents or
grandparents stay at work instead of going to their kids'
school meeting with the teacher or to watch a school play?
Missy.
Ms. Quarberg. Ultimately the children lose out.
Also, just to let you know, too, in the time that my
children have been going to early childhood, my husband has not
been able to come to any of the conferences, the end-of-the-
year picnics or anything, or even to their graduations, because
he has had to stay there to work to make the money, and right
now he feels awful because he has missed out on so much.
So I sorely believe that it is mostly the children who will
lose out, but it is also probably the other parent, too.
Chairwoman Woolsey. And the parent. All right.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Wilson.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you again, all of you, for being here
today.
Ms. Lindsay, I want to apologize. While you were speaking,
I had to jump up. I was trying to balance. We have a group of
Scouts from my daughter-in-law's home church, Saint Peter's
Catholic Church of Columbia, and so I was racing out there.
Indeed, while you were speaking, I was thinking of Scouting,
and my wife--I give her so much credit. We have got four sons.
All four are Eagle Scouts. I always point out that this would
not have been possible if it had not been for the efforts of my
wife, and I point out very clearly that--it can be so easily
understood--there is no dad who knows how to put on a merit
badge on a sash. So, again, I appreciate her efforts, and it
has been reflected in what you are doing, too.
Ms. Lindsay, it sounds like you have got an ideal working
situation, given your needs and time limitations, in terms of
balancing your family's responsibilities. You noted in your
testimony that you worked full time until your daughter was
born. When did you first approach your employer about working
on a reduced work schedule?
Ms. Lindsay. When I was around 5 months pregnant, I went to
him and we discussed different options, if I could work from
home, if I needed to still come to the office, and that is how
we came up with the solution. It was best if I could come to
the office on some days, but then on other days still have the
opportunity to work from my house.
Mr. Wilson. Additionally, as the company's bookkeeper, you
are aware of the challenges, and it has been pointed out by
Chairman Woolsey, too, that small businesses are trying to
maintain competitiveness in the global environment that we are
in and to compete with foreign businesses.
Would you say that part of Marlin Steel Wire's ability to
be competitive lies with its commitment to its workforce?
Ms. Lindsay. Oh, absolutely. The benefits that we're given,
even the limited amount of hours that I work, I am still given
vacation, sick time, it really makes it a good place to work
and it makes you work harder at your job to produce the quality
of products.
Mr. Wilson. It is very impressive. Another company I
certainly have a high regard for is KPMG, and I am delighted
Ms. Wankoff that you're here. Your company clearly has placed a
high priority on its employees and created a culture in which
workforce flexibility not only is offered, but encouraged.
Could you elaborate on some of the criteria that are used
to decide which companies make it to the list of the best
companies to work for and best companies for working mothers?
Ms. Wankoff. Well, I can't really speak for how those lists
are determined, that is really up to the Working Mother Media
and Fortune Magazine. We do know that we are ranked with our
competitors according to the policies that we offer, as well as
the utilization of those programs. And there is an extensive
application process that we complete and provide lots of
information on those statistics to the organizations.
Mr. Wilson. You noted in your testimony that KPMG believes
that helping employees manage their responsibilities both
inside and outside of work is beneficial to everyone.
Is it difficult in today's environment--and you are with
HR, I am impressed that you have been in that for the few years
you have been because that is a tough position--is it difficult
to find enough qualified employees?
Do you believe that KPMG's benefits have a large impact in
the company's ability to attract and retain qualified
employees?
Ms. Wankoff. Absolutely. We are always seeking out top
qualified employees, and we believe that our programs and
policies and, clearly, our reputation as a employer of choice
plays into the decision that potential candidates make as to
whether to come to work for us or not.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you again. In the interest of time since
we will be voting soon, I yield the balance of my time.
Chairwoman Woolsey. I will go to Mr. Bishop and Mr. Payne,
and we might tie it up so you don't have to wait 45 minutes.
Mr. Bishop.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Madame Chair, thank you very much
for holding this hearing. And to the panel, thank you all very
much for your testimony.
Ms. Wankoff, in a previous life I was a senior
administrator of a college, and KPMG was our auditing firm; and
they did a first-rate job and were always delightful to work
with. Now I understand why. I am very impressed with what KPMG
has done for their workers.
Let me ask, your policy of paid sick days, vacation times,
do you have any incidents where you believe that the generosity
is being abused or taken advantage of?
Ms. Wankoff. Absolutely not. We do track time that people
take and we do not track why someone is taking the days, they
are there for their use. It is built into our business model
that people can take the time.
And frankly, we encourage them to take it, because we
believe that that does reenergize our employees when they are
taking time off, whether it be for vacation or for their own
sick time to recover or for the sick time for their children
and their families.
Mr. Bishop. How would you characterize some of the
important measures such as productivity, longevity, things of
that type?
Ms. Wankoff. Our retention has improved over the last 5
years. Turnover is down from 26 percent to 18 percent, and it
is a 30 percent reduction over that period of time. And we
strongly believe that our programs and policies and our strong
message about being an employer of choice has contributed to
that reduction in turnover.
Mr. Bishop. Ms. Lindsay, your company seems to be similarly
enlightened to KPMG. How would you characterize employee morale
and productivity and longevity at your company?
Ms. Lindsay. I agree with her also. If people take the time
off and get the rest that they need they are more apt to be
more productive. And if they given vacation, they take a
vacation and enjoy it, they are more happy when they do come to
work.
As far as turnover, we don't have much turnover either.
Mr. Bishop. Ms. Quarberg, how would you have characterized
morale at your previous employer and productivity?
Ms. Quarberg. First of all, can I have a job with you two?
Mr. Bishop. That is why we had the hearing.
Ms. Quarberg. I have to admit, I don't care for what Wal-
Mart stands for as far as their policies are concerned. I did
grow to care about the people that I worked with, but as far as
company policies, if you were to bring something up as far as
the attendance policy or if something came up with someone in
their family, morale would immediately go downward. It is bad.
Mr. Bishop. One final thing, if I have time: Just from my
own experience with KPMG, I know you are very quantitative in
terms of the assessments that you make. Is it fair for me to
assume that KPMG has done, in effect, a cost-benefit analysis
and has made the judgment that making this kind of investment
in their employees pays off in terms of money saved on new
training and all of those issues? Is this a reasonable
assumption for me to make?
Ms. Wankoff. Absolutely, knowing that we quantify
everything.
One example, we did look at the backup child care program
and determined that we get a 221 percent ROI on the cost of
that program for us. It brings our employees back to work with
peace of mind that their children are cared for in a safe and
healthy environment.
Mr. Bishop. Thank you very much.
In the interest of time, I will yield back as well.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Mr. Payne.
Mr. Payne. Thank you very much. I was going to ask
questions about the child care, do you--the companies that are
rated higher, do they provide child care at the institutions
primarily?
Ms. Wankoff. I really can only speak to what KPMG offers. I
know that our competitors tend to offer similar programs, and
we do try to stay competitive.
We offer a backup care program versus an onsite program,
because many of our employees do not go into KPMG offices every
day, they are traveling to client sites and that does change
over time. So the solution for us that makes sense for our
employees and our workforce is the backup care program.
I think the----
Mr. Payne. What is the backup care program?
Ms. Wankoff. When your primary care breaks down, which it
does, on average, six to eight times a year, whether it is
because the sitter is sick or there is a gap from when school
closes until camp starts or other, you are able to secure
either center-based or in-home care, really immediately; you
make a phone call and within probably an hour or 2 care can be
set up.
Mr. Payne. That is amazing. I just raised a question about
child care because I know it is probably the most difficult for
a single parent. I was a teacher, and I was a single parent
with two very young children, raising them; and the problem
was, my kids always had a temperature, it seemed like, so you
have to try to leave your place to go pick up the child because
the day care people don't want to be left there with it.
So I think that is probably one of the strongest parts that
any company could have to really provide for that child care.
We have 5 minutes left. Just finally too, do companies
still have family picnics or holiday parents and those things?
Do you find that those kinds of things happen and if that has
anything to do with the morale of the company?
Ms. Wankoff. We certainly look for opportunities to both
celebrate our successes, as well as get together with family,
so we do a lot of that. We have 93 offices around the country
and many of those happen on a local basis, whether they are
holiday parties, or family picnics or other outings, ball games
or circus or things like that, to really build and strengthen
the KPMG family community.
Mr. Payne. Thank you very much. I yield back.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Well, I want to thank all four of you
for being here, and for sharing your time and your information
with us. What a difference a family-friendly workplace makes.
We have two examples here. We have the difference between
Ms. Lindsay, who had support at work, and Ms. Quarberg, who
clearly did not. And I have to say to everybody in this room
and to my colleagues and anybody that is going to pay attention
to this; this inequality is unacceptable. Ms. Quarberg should
not have had to leave her job because of child care expenses
being too high and because her job was threatened, because her
child needed her to be at home occasionally. We should have
laws in place that ensure that she and others in her situation
have the same opportunities of support that Ms. Lindsay and the
workers at KPMG have.
Today, was our initial hearing on the challenges of
balancing work and family, and we learned some very valuable
information. And we will take that along with us as we have
other hearings. There will be other hearings. We are the
family-friendly side of the aisle and we will be putting
together legislation that will be all-encompassing and
hopefully make a difference over the long run for families.
And, Kristen, we will be using you, as always, as a guide
in that regard. So thank you very much, all of you for being
here.
Any member who wishes to submit follow-up questions in
writing to the witnesses should coordinate with the majority
staff within 7 days.
Chairwoman Woolsey. Without objection, this hearing is
adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 2:44 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]