President Trump signed an Executive Order today to dismantle much of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). “The order is an affront to our children and the future of our country,” said Jessica Lee, Co-Director of WorkLife Law and Co-Founder of WorkLife Law’s Pregnant Scholar Initiative. “While the Trump administration is not legally permitted to shut down the Department of Education, this order will accelerate major cuts that will shutter much of the Department’s work in practice— harming students and entire communities.” 

WorkLife Law is pleased to announce a new award of $75,000 by the California Access to Justice Commission’s Infrastructure and Innovation Grant Program that will expand legal support to working family caregivers. Through this critical funding, WorkLife Law will launch a pilot community-legal partnership with the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center, empowering low-income caregivers in the Los Angeles area to access paid family leave and other workplace rights.

This week, WorkLife Law Co-Director Liz Morris trained Ob-Gyns on creating policy change to advance reproductive justice at ACOG’s 2025 Congressional Leadership Conference. Through the success story of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, participating healthcare providers learned about their role in supporting pregnant workers’ rights– from advocacy to implementation.

For the hundreds of thousands of families with children hospitalized each year, facing employment discrimination or difficulty accessing leave can be devastating. WorkLife Law is proud to launch a new initiative to provide critical legal support to safeguard these families in their time of need. We are joining forces with the Unbuckled Foundation, an organization founded by parents to empower caregivers of children with long-term illness or disability. By combining Unbuckled’s deep community connections and knowledge with WorkLife Law’s employment law expertise this partnership creates a comprehensive support system for vulnerable families.

Over 10,000 family physicians in California will now be better equipped to support their pregnant and breastfeeding farmworker patients. The California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) has adopted a comprehensive policy based on our research and advocacy that establishes three vital priorities for their network of physicians.

The Center for WorkLife Law is celebrating the appointment of Leah Kennedy as Staff Attorney. Leah will manage and provide services on our free legal helpline; serve workers who need assistance with employment issues related to pregnancy, abortion and pregnancy loss, lactation, and family caregiving; as well as develop know-your-rights resources and practical tools for workers and their allies.

Today, during his State of the State Address, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced an impactful proposal to provide all state workers with 12 weeks of parental leave with full pay. “The adoption of paid family leave for state workers would help address the maternal health crisis, protect the health and wellbeing of babies, and have positive ripple effects across the state. In addition to the health benefits, when employees have access to paid family leave they are more likely to return to work and to be more productive when they do,” said Liz Morris, Co-Director of the Center for WorkLife Law.

Today WorkLife Law submitted comments to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on the agency’s proposed rule, “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.” Our comments were informed by our legal helpline which has provided direct assistance to scores of employees requesting accommodation and challenging denials, including those related to heat exposure in the workplace. 

WorkLife Law has compiled know-your-rights information and resources for workers impacted by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area who are pregnant, parenting, or providing care to a loved one. Information available in English and Spanish. 

On January 9, a federal district judge in Kentucky vacated the 2024 Title IX Rule for the entire country. “This shameful decision puts pregnant and postpartum students, and millions of others, in harm’s way,” said Jessica Lee, Co-Director of the Center for WorkLife Law and co-founder of the Center’s Pregnant Scholar Initiative. “Without the protections offered by the 2024 Title IX regulations, pregnant students will struggle to get the accommodations and leave they need to stay healthy and continue their education.”