Sherk also says the Family Medical Leave Act has led to abuses and has constrained employers’ ability to discipline or fire employees who are habitually late or absent and can produce a doctor’s note for chronic headaches or back pain. “Employers want to be reasonable, but it’s not just the mom taking care of the sick kids, it’s also the guy who calls in with a sprained shoulder but shows up in the newspaper the next day for bowling a 300 game in a tournament,” says Sherk, referring to an incident reported at a Delaware casino resort, one of many examples of abuse Sherk has catalogued. As for paid leave, he asks, “Where are you going to get the money for this? You are already running horrendous budget deficits. What’s a payroll tax? It’s a tax on new jobs. Is this really a time we want to put a new tax on jobs?”
Carrie Lukas, head of policy for a Washington-based conservative women’s group, the Independent Women’s Forum, warns that the ideas would be a radical departure for American labour policy. “Depending on what is passed, it would be a considerable step toward government micromanaging employment contracts—and that is a step toward European-style socialism and away from the belief that free markets and free labour laws are best for employers and employees,” she says. Lukas adds that expressing opposition to paid leave “makes you sound like a jerk,” but government should not dictate the terms of employment to employers and job seekers.
But Stern says that, given the current economic climate, labour reform—especially the institution of unpaid sick leave—cannot wait. “We see this standard as necessary now more than ever before,” she says. “A lot of the most important social policies of the last century—Social Security, fair labour standards, child labour laws—were enacted during the Great Depression.”
Work-life balance isn’t Michelle Obama’s only policy interest. She has also identified “national service” as a top issue. The Obamas have shown up at soup kitchens and urged Americans to volunteer. But the policy changes Michelle Obama supports go beyond rallying volunteers to do good. They include a massive expansion of federal spending on public service programs that critics say are sometimes ideologically motivated.
Once again, her interest in this area comes from personal experience. After leaving her job as a corporate lawyer in the spring of 1993, Obama became the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, a non-partisan public service program that trains young people as community organizers and leaders. It is mainly funded by tax dollars through AmeriCorps, another Clinton-initiated program that allows young people to earn tuition assistance and living stipends in exchange for participating in community service projects. Republican critics say that AmeriCorps has funded some activities that cross the line between providing direct services and political advocacy. But Michelle Obama says such efforts are crucial to building stronger communities.
On March 17, she appeared at an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of YouthBuild, an AmeriCorps-funded program that trains troubled young people in the construction trades and builds homes for low-income families. There, she made her case on national television for proposed legislation known as the “Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act,” which will expand the number of AmeriCorps slots from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2017 at a cost of US$6 billion over five years. The legislation was controversial among some Republicans who worried that it would be used to subsidize left-wing advocacy groups, and create competition for volunteers that could put other non-profits out of business. One Republican congresswoman, Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, has gone so far as to say the White House was trying to put in place “re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward.”
For its anniversary celebration, the YouthBuild organization showed off several dozen of its young participants in white tents on the National Mall. In past years, they’d made the same lobbying trek to Congress to ask for more funding for AmeriCorps, and said they’d never seen so much media interest. Three rows of TV cameras competed for shots; a travelling pool of reporters and a clutch of photographers arrived with the first lady’s caravan. Antonio Almeida, a clean-cut 20-year-old former homeless drug user from Fall River, Mass., who credited the organization for turning his life around, was awed. “The minute Michelle Obama shows up, everybody realizes how serious this is,” he said.
As Obama arrived, a wave of murmurs washed through the crowd, which then fell solemnly silent. She first watched a YouthBuild member in goggles demonstrate green construction technique and materials. She smiled, nodded and cameras flashed. The audiences began to clap, hoot, and shout “Michelle!” After inspecting energy-efficient windows and a sample of eco-friendly insulation, she finally took to a podium and began a speech that was frequently interrupted by exuberant shouts of “Yes ma’am!” “Participating in national and community service is not just an escape for the wealthy or for those students who can afford it—which is something that I couldn’t do growing up,” she said. And, she added: “Barack Obama gets it. He gets it because he’s lived it. He started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago. I was impressed with that.”
So far, Michelle Obama’s record as policy advocate is 1-0. The Serve America Act passed both houses of Congress this month with bipartisan support, and the President said he plans to sign it upon his return from Europe and the Middle East. As for his wife’s next political move, the nation is watching and waiting. Carl Sferrazza Anthony, the historian at the National First Ladies’ Library in Canton, Ohio, says Obama can’t help but be aware that the clock is ticking on her influence—a message that may have been emphasized when she first met with her predecessor for a private chat in the White House. “Laura Bush recently admitted that she didn’t realize early enough the power she had to change people’s lives,” he noted. “I would not be surprised that she mentioned that to Michelle.” M
