Category: public policy
Posted April 15th, 2009 in public policy |
We are one of the many businesses that support the Paid Family Leave Insurance plan that is being considered by the Oregon Legislature (SB 966). This modest program will establish an insurance fund (similar to unemployment insurance and other social insurance programs like Social Security) that would provide up to $300 a week in paid family leave for up to six weeks.
This leave could be used to welcome a new baby or care for an ailing family member. To pay for this fund workers at companies with 25 or more employees (and other companies that opt-in) would be assessed a two cent per hour payroll tax (or about $42 a year at most).
It is a small program that has a lot of potential to assist countless Oregonians with supporting their families during challenging times. For us, it is a no brainer that stronger families equals a stronger community and a stronger economy. Of course, we are “head in the clouds” people, we have reviewed the numbers, the program administration, and the expectations – it will be a simple, cost effective response to a growing need in our communities.
Want to find out more? Or be part of the Paid Family Leave conversation? Tune into Think Out Loud on OPB Thursday at 9 am. You can listen – – via radio or on-line streaming, call in, and/or post your own thoughts on this proposal here.
We won’t be able to tune-in so we posted a comment this morning.
Posted April 15th, 2009 in Art and Crafts, clothing, Events, public policy |
Be sure to join us this Saturday for our first Craft Mamas Bazaar of the year! There will be a many wonderful local vendors at this event including Lisa Stanger of Savvy N Kaj who makes fun shirts, bedding, bibs and pants – like these Rodeo pants – for babies and toddlers.
Lisa’s inspiration for starting Savvy N Kaj was her son:
“During my pregnancy with my second child, a son. I came to the realization that the clothing choice’s for boys was grim. Construction trucks and teddy bears not my thing. Everything was the same, and nothing was edgy and fun. I decided that I would have to make it myself. Thus the birth of Savvy n Kaj. Savvy after my daughter Savanna, and Kaj, my son Ocean Kaj.”
We also feature Lisa’s lovely items in-store at Milagros on a regular basis.
Posted April 6th, 2009 in public policy |
As you may know, some working parents are eligible to receive 12 weeks of time off to care for a sick family member or to welcome a new child under the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). However this leave is not paid time off in many cases and, thus many low-income employees do not take advantage of this right to time-off since they cannot afford to forgo a paycheck.
Right now, the Oregon Senate is SB 966 which will help low-wage workers have better access to family leave by creating a Paid Family Leave Insurance Fund. The Fund will enable workers who wish to excercise their right to family leave under OFLA to receive payment of up to $300 per week, $1,800 per year for that time-off. The Fund will be supported by a modest payroll deduction of not more than 2 cent per hour worked.
We fully support this innovative and cost effective plan to help low income families access time off to welcome a newborn baby, aid an ill family member, or address other family needs without having to worry about job and income loss.
So you will find us in Salem at the Statehouse on Wednesday, voicing our support for Paid Family Leave at the Commerce and Workforce Development Committee meeting. Please join us! or, if you can’t make to Salem, you can email a statement of support for SB 966 to the Committee Members:
Senator Diane Rosenbaum, Chair
Senator Chris Telfer, Vice-Chair
Senator Larry George
Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson
Senator Floyd Prozanski
Peace!
Posted January 31st, 2009 in Milagros News, public policy |
This is a interesting article on how a locally-based economy is a healthy economy. Perhaps the most telling information is that “for every $100 spent with a local business, $68 remains in the local economy compared to $43 for spending at a big box retailer.”
Of course, we don’t think you should shop at any local business ONLY because it is local – even Milagros. Ultimately, choosing local should be based on the overall experience.
However, if you are looking to use your money to support local jobs, it does give you a reason to go to try a local hardware store before heading to Home Depot, for instance.
Posted January 30th, 2009 in Milagros News, public policy |
We have connected with many local businesses who are concerned that the CPSIA will inadvertantly push responsible and ethical companies out of business. This group of concerned small, local business is known as the Northwest Children’s Bussiness Alliance.
Every member of the NWCBA supports enhanced safety of products designed for children. However the requirements to prove compliance with these regulations will create a huge burden on many small businesses and don’t always make logical sense. Our focus is working with congress and federal regulators to immmediately implement some common sense inmprovements to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
If you own a business that may be effected by the CPSIA, please join us for the next meeting of the NWCBA at Tumbleweed, 1812 NE Alberta, on Thursday, February 5 at 9 Am.
For more information about the law, we recommend viewing this free Webinar put together by the Outdoor Industry Association as well as connecting with the Handmade Toy Alliance.
Posted January 30th, 2009 in public policy |
Tired of reading about economic woes and want to help bring about change? On Saturday, January 31, from 1-5pm, there will be a town hall meeting on the economic downturn at People’s Co-op, 3029 SE 21st Avenue, PDX.
Economists, labor leaders, and community leaders, all experts in their fields, will share their perspectives on the critical economic questions facing our community, and all communities today. There will be workshops and conversations about winning back the right to organize, the role of the labor movement, the kind of health care reform we need, creating a green economy, staying united, building a thriving local sustainable economy, and much more.
The doors will open at 12:30pm, there will be food and a reception to follow. Join in the conversation, and find out what you can do to help. If possible, please bring non-perishable food items for the Oregon Food Bank to help those in need in our community.
Posted January 24th, 2009 in public policy |
From Activistas:
The legislative session has officially begun – which means our work to pass a paid family leave bill in Oregon is officially underway, too.
In recent weeks, we’ve collected many stories of parents who’ve had to return to work weeks after the birth of their child because they couldn’t afford to take needed time off. Or others who took the time, even though they couldn’t afford it because they wanted so much to bond with their new baby. Others still have suffered financial hardship because their babies were born early or with a health issue that required significant additional care. And still others have told us stories about needing paid time off to care for a parent or spouse who was sick; time they didn’t have, time that would have meant a lot to a family already suffering from the stress of illness.
Maybe these stories sound familiar to you. Maybe they sound like your own story. Or maybe you just feel like it’s time to stand up for all families, to provide them the time they so desperately need to care for each other. Whatever your reason, now is a time for action. Please, ask your Oregon legislators to support paid family leave insurance this session. Simply follow this link to send a quick but powerful e-mail, The message is drafted for you, but it is most effective if you personalize it, perhaps adding your own story or personal reason for supporting paid family leave.
Our legislators need to hear from you. Yours is the voice that matters.
Thank you for your support and willingness to take action on this very important issue. With the economy as it is now, let’s do what we can to help all Oregon families thrive.
Posted January 21st, 2009 in public policy |
If you are a Portland-area business involved in selling, crafting, designing or manufacturing children’s products, we invite you to join us at the next Northwest Children’s Bussiness Alliance (NWCBA).
The next meeting of the NWCBA is at Milagros on Thursday, January 29, at 9 Am – 5433 NE 30th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211.
Posted January 2nd, 2009 in Milagros News, public policy | Tags: CPSIA |
We recently posted about our concerns with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). As we get closer to the implementation of the CPSIA, there is a growing anxiety in the local, handmade craft community.
One of our local vendors, has decided to throw in the towel rather than wait and see if the CPSIA is amended. Others are waiting and hoping that much needed changes will be made but have made it clear that they will not be able to continue if the regulations are not modified.
When we opened our doors five years ago, we helped redefine the choices families had in Portland. We have prided ourselves on offering our customers practical, safe, environmentally-friendly products and have strived to provide local and USA made alternatives to imports whenever possible. During this time, we helped enhance the visibility of many locally made items and have seen some of these “cottage industries” grow from hobbies, to second incomes, to primary incomes, and to even more.
Our business standards have been emulated by a number of retailers since that time. We are more than flattered by the imitation. We are proud that an adherence to environmental and ethical values in the “baby marketplace” and a support of local vendors have been embraced. As such, it is more than a little distressing that the opportunities for work at home mothers and others to create their own ethical economic path is being threatened.
When you look at the issues that emerged last year, there were two common threads. First, every recalled toy was made in China. Second of all, the facilities that actually made the toys in question were independent overseas contractors. The toy companies – often US-based – that contracted these factories had limited objective oversight on safety and factory conditions. However these companies were active when it came to ensuring that production services were provided at as low a cost as possible.
Lack of oversight by the manufacturers and the local, regional, and national governments where the facilities were sited plus a lowest cost expectation created a perverse incentive for contractors to try and “cheat the system”. These are the factors that not only led to lead tainted toys but to other tragedies such as the toxic pet food and, more recently, dairy products.
The bottomline is that the violation of the public trust was not made by domestic manufacturers as well as companies in Canada and the EU that source all their materials, have full control of every step of the manufacturing process and are fully responsible for it. The CPSIA is a response to legitimate safety concerns but the fact that many small, responsible companies will end up paying the price for the “mistakes” made by Chinese manufacturers is more than ironic, it is a downright tragedy.
There is a path out of this regulatory mess. The handmade toy alliance and others have put forward solutions that will enhance safety in the marketplace without eliminating craft-industries and small and mid-sized enterprises from store shelves.
How can you help? We thought you would never ask 
Here are some ideas on what you can do to help in order of relevance in our opinion:
Thank you for your support!
The Fuentes Family
Milagros Boutique
Posted November 21st, 2008 in health, public policy |
The Oregon Environmetal Council has launched a Healthy Kids Campaign that is advocating for new legislation on the state level designed to eliminate some of the environmental threats facing Oregon’s children. Here is more info from the OEC on this and how you can get involved:
- The Children’s Safe Products Act of 2009 will protect children from toxic chemicals in toys, baby bottles and other products by prohibiting the use of dangerous chemicals and providing information to make safer buying choices. Read more about the Children’s Safe Products Act
- The Oregon Healthy Schools Act will help reduce student and staff exposure to chemicals, integrate green building principles in the design and construction of school facilities, and reduce facility maintenance and operational costs. Read more about the Oregon Healthy Schools Act.
There are many ways you can get involved in the Healthy Kids Campaign and make a difference. Make no mistake, we are facing entrenched, well-funded special interests in Salem as we advance these proposals to make Oregon a healthier place for us all to live. On this page you can find easy access to resources that will help you connect with your legislator, as well as ideas for making your own home environment a healthier place.
Thank you to Lisa at Activistas for letting us know about this campaign.
