On Monday June 23, nearly one thousand people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the White House Summit on Working Families to discuss challenges facing working women and their families. The conference brought together businesses, elected leaders, state advocates and others to explore workplace policies that would help to ensure that women and their families get ahead, as opposed to struggling to merely get by. The day-long conference, hosted by the Center for American Progress, the White House, and the United States Department of Labor, featured speeches from President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, and others.
Notably, Maureen Conway was a featured panelist in one of the event’s breakout sessions in a discussion on hourly wage workers. Conway was joined by Ai-jen Poo, Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jennifer Piallat, CEO and Owner of Zazie Restaurant, and Lynn Albright, Vice President of stores, Gap Inc.
While hourly workers make up only half of the workforce, their jobs are often the lowest paid, with additional challenges, such as inflexible and unpredictable work schedules. Hourly workers are also less likely to have access to paid sick or family medical leave.
Learn more about the summit here.
