Jersey City, N.J., became the sixth city to require paid sick days for employees at private businesses after the City Council passed the new rules on a 7–1 vote.  Mayor Steven Fulop (D) is a supporter of the measure and is expected to sign it into law.

Workers, businesses and community groups in Tacoma, Wash., have made that Northwest city the latest to mobilize around a paid sick days campaign. Meanwhile, the Washington, D.C., City Council is exploring strengthening the district’s paid sick leave law.

Steven Fulop (D), mayor of Jersey City, N.J., will propose a bill next week that would require most businesses in the city to offer paid sick days to workers. Any company with 10 or more employees would have to provide up to five paid sick days annually. The bill is expected to pass, as much of the City Council is aligned with Fulop.

A Los Angeles Times article reported today that workers get more vacation time these days but fewer paid sick days.

The article reveals that workers have gained more vacation days over the past two decades, but they have not gained or have actually lost paid sick days. So is more vacation days the route companies are taking to make up for fewer paid sick days?

In July, House Democrats released the When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families. The overall goal of this economic agenda is to address the realities, disparities and opportunities for working women and families through effective policy and legislation. 

Here's a roundup of blog posts this week from the working moms series on Blogher and Hello Giggles, brought to you by the AFL-CIO, that highlight the need for paid sick days, pay equity and child care for working women and families (see blog posts after the jump). 

For the millions of mothers who work in restaurants, it's hard enough to balance work with the responsibility of raising your children right. But a recent survey shows that many employers seem to not only not care, but they act as if they are purposefully trying to make things harder for moms. From subminimum wages to lack of career mobility, working mothers face a wide array of challenges that make their lives harder and less rewarding.

While thousands of North Carolina residents rally in opposition, the state legislature continues to push an extremist agenda that will harm the Tar Heel State's working families. The latest outrage is H.B. 74, which is targeted directly at the rights of not only workers, but local governments. A special section of the bill contains a giveaway to large agricultural manufacturers that would provide them a shield against farm workers organizing and bargaining for better rights. A separate bill, that has been a key target of "Moral Monday" protests, would make it harder for North Carolina residents to vote, creating the most restrictive voter suppression law in the country.

More than four in 10 private-sector workers and 80% of low-wage workers do not have paid sick days. This means people, especially women who are more likely to work in low-wage jobs, constantly have to choose between their health and a paycheck. 

The New York Times recently reported on how small business owners in certain cities are dealing with paid sick days laws. The takeaway? These new requirements have caused very little pain. The article highlights Bill Stone, the owner of Café Atlas in San Francisco's Mission District, who was initially leery of paid sick days for his employees back in 2007 when San Francisco became the first city in the nation to implement a paid sick leave law. In 2007 Bill felt that the new paid sick law would only make it more expensive to run his business.

The restaurant industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the United States. With hefty profit margins exceeding those of major retail chains such as Walmart and Target, the restaurant industry is expected to create up to a million more jobs by 2020. Many restaurants tout job creation yet pay some of the lowest wages to their employees. These low wages hinder people's ability to afford child care.