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Inimai Chettiar

@inimai.bsky.social
332 followers 270 following 170 posts

President of A Better Balance. Attorney fighting for workplace justice for women, caregivers, and people with health needs of their own. Social justice reformer. Previously in the movement to end mass incarceration at the ACLU and the Brennan Center.

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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The next front in the fight for the rights of American women is not in the doctor’s office. It’s in an Amazon fulfillment warehouse and a Speedway convenience store. My latest for @thehill.com: thehill.com/opinion/civi...
thehill.com
The war on women is happening in a warehouse, not in the statehouse
Policy decisions that deeply affect millions of working women will be finalized this November.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
It was great to join the @liberatemotherhood.bsky.social podcast, where we discussed how our legal system can better support women, the importance of paid leave, defending pregnant workers, and how my own experiences as a mother of color brought me to this work: zawn.substack.com/p/inimai-che...
zawn.substack.com
Inimai Chettiar: Fighting for Women's Legal Rights
Inimai Chettiar discusses her work to fight for women workers' legal rights, as well as the effects of mass incarceration on women. She also shares her experience with and research on IVF.
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NYCLU @nyclu.org · 16/05/2026
New York's paid medical leave program is woefully outdated. "The result is a system that forces people into impossible choices and financial crises," write @inimai.bsky.social @abetterbalance.org and @garrar26.bsky.social @citizenactionny.org in a new op ed 👇
timesunion.com
Commentary: Could you live on $170 a week? That's all paid medical leave offers.
New York’s paid medical leave program is stuck in 1989. Pass legislation to increase the benefit and help sick and injured workers avoid financial crises while they recover.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Without updates to New York's paid medical leave law, workers are forced to survive off just $170/week when they're seriously ill or injured. In 2026, this is unliveable – @garrar26.bsky.social @citizenactionny.org are calling for change in the @timesunion.com: www.timesunion.com/opinion/arti...
timesunion.com
Commentary: Could you live on $170 a week? That's all paid medical leave offers.
New York’s paid medical leave program is stuck in 1989. Pass legislation to increase the benefit and help sick and injured workers avoid financial crises while they recover.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
As Trump attacks "woke" health infrastructure, my story serves as a warning: moms and babies will pay the price. Flowers and chocolates aren't enough this Mother's Day – we need a healthcare system that doesn't leave moms like me behind. @msmagazine.com: msmagazine.com/2026/05/07/m...
msmagazine.com
When Mothers Speak, Medicine Must Listen
As Trump dismantles federal programs studying racial disparities in healthcare, mothers of color warn of consequences for children and families
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Really exciting news out of Virginia today! Passing paid leave during a nationwide affordability crisis sends a life raft to thousands – and sets a standard for how states can truly support families.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
One hidden cost of fertility struggles, especially for women of color, is the emotional toll it takes. Proud to have participated in this important new Fordham study exploring how women like us cope, paving the way toward solutions: gss.news.fordham.edu/faculty/new-...
gss.news.fordham.edu
New Research Explores the Emotional Toll of Infertility for Women of Color
Fordham GSS Associate Professor Binta Alleyne-Green, PhD, along with co-authors (and GSS alumnae) Kimberly Grocher PhD ’22 and Caitlin Kreutz, LMSW, MSW ’24 recently published a qualitative study in F...
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Massive corporations can afford to let a pregnant worker sit down or carry a water bottle once in a while. But denying legally-protected accommodations sends a message that they're above the law – we beg to differ. Our clients speak out in the @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/w...
nytimes.com
3 Years After a Landmark Law, Some Pregnant Workers Still Don’t Get Basic Accommodations
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 14/04/2026
Corporations like Amazon and Speedway are still forcing pregnant workers to risk their health and firing women for being pregnant. Our clients Jennifer, Kristina, and Arya are speaking out about what happened to them in today's @nytimes.com. They deserve justice. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/w...
nytimes.com
3 Years After a Landmark Law, Some Pregnant Workers Still Don’t Get Basic Accommodations
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Today on AANHPI Equal Pay Day, we recognize the wage gap that Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women still shoulder. It's time for our leaders to take action: guaranteeing more supportive workplaces is an important, concrete place to start.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Egg freezing has gained a reputation as an insurance policy to have the perfect baby on the perfect timeline. Of course, it's not that simple. For Motherwell, I shared my own experience – the ups, downs, and importance of supportive workplaces: motherwellmag.com/2026/04/06/e...
motherwellmag.com
I froze 21 eggs. Twenty didn’t make it. One became my daughter.
I held onto ‘statistically speaking’ like a talisman. By Inimai Chettiar
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I’m one of the 75 million working women in this country. It’s past time to make paid leave, fair pay, and safe workplaces a reality for women in the U.S. We need the #WorkingWomensBillofRights. @the75million.bsky.social
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
For months, my newborn daughter screamed in pain, barely eating. I knew something was wrong, but doctors dismissed me. In my new essay for Girl Talk HQ, I share my experience with medical gaslighting – a barrier many moms of color face when seeking care: www.girltalkhq.com/doctors-gasl...
girltalkhq.com
Doctors Gaslit Me About My Baby’s Pain And It Turned Into An Infant Eating Disorder
By Inimai Chettiar When my baby was just a few months old, she developed an eating disorder.  In her first few weeks of life, she was in constant distress, crying around the clock and refusing…
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 23/02/2026
As of yesterday, NYC workers have stronger paid sick time rights! Now, the city's law covers paid sick time for childcare, emergency-related closures, housing- and benefits-related legal proceedings, workplace violence, and more. Learn more: www.abetterbalance.org/local-victor...
abetterbalance.org
Local Victory: NYC Expands Paid Sick Time Law to Include More Covered Purposes and Protections! - A Better Balance
This newest expansion to the city’s law will provide new protections to workers and ensure that New Yorkers can attend to their real-life needs without being forced to risk their job or income.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Imagine a future where moms aren't financially punished for having + caring for their children. Countries like Denmark model what's possible with supportive policies like paid leave and childcare – it's past time for the U.S. to catch up. @msmagazine.com: msmagazine.com/2026/02/13/c...
msmagazine.com
Denmark’s Generous Childcare and Parental Leave Policies Erase 80 Percent of the ‘Motherhood Penalty’ for Working Moms
Denmark’s expansive public benefits like childcare and paid family leave blunt the long-term economic costs of motherhood for working women.
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 13/02/2026
In a new Motherwell essay, ABB President @inimai.bsky.social discusses unconventional tools moms use to make their voices heard in a healthcare system that can be dismissive – and questions why some doctors would rather listen to AI than women's own words: motherwellmag.com/2026/02/11/a...
motherwellmag.com
AI became the only voice doctors listened to about my baby
Parents are drowning; AI has become the life raft they never expected to grab. By Inimai Chettiar
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 12/02/2026
Today, @sanders.senate.gov and @delauro.house.gov reintroduced the Healthy Families Act, which would create a right to paid sick time for workers nationwide. Here's what to know 🧵
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
When my newborn daughter had life-threatening health problems, doctors dismissed me – until I found an unlikely ally: ChatGPT. But why should moms need a robot middleman just for our healthcare system to take us seriously? My latest for @motherwellmag.bsky.social: motherwellmag.com/2026/02/11/a...
motherwellmag.com
AI became the only voice doctors listened to about my baby
Parents are drowning; AI has become the life raft they never expected to grab. By Inimai Chettiar
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Cycles of abuse can often run parallel to cycles of incarceration. It's heartening to see states like Massachusetts providing a pathway home for incarcerated survivors. @msmagazine.com: msmagazine.com/2026/01/30/m...
msmagazine.com
Massachusetts Could Be the Next State to Give Abuse Survivors a Pathway Out of Prison
The Massachusetts Survivors Act would allow for reduced sentences for women survivors in prison with domestic violence-related crimes.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Four-day workweeks have been a hot topic lately. Beyond leaving room for leisure time and rest, a shorter workweek can also give parents and caregivers some breathing room – will be interesting to see the ripple effects as more companies try it out: www.fastcompany.com/91473059/the...
fastcompany.com
These are the real reasons Gen Z wants a four-day workweek
Not only does the youngest generation of workers think this shift is ideal—they also think it’s inevitable.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
"Climate solutions are also cost-of-living solutions." Interesting that most Americans now recognize the climate crisis as inextricable from our current affordability crisis: thehill.com/policy/energ...
thehill.com
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Each year, thousands of pregnant women are incarcerated. Prison nursery programs can promote early bonding with babies and help support moms as they transition from incarceration back into their communities. Powerful reporting: stateline.org/2026/01/09/t...
stateline.org
'Teaching us how to grow with our babies': How prisons allow mothers and infants to nest for months • Stateline
Prison nursery programs allow babies to live behind walls with their mothers — a rare and controversial approach that forces states to confront how punishment, public safety and early childhood develo...
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
This administration's attacks on trans people continue to be petty, nonsensical and inhumane. Thankfully our labor laws beg to differ here.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Renee Good deserved to come home to her family yesterday. This administration is letting ICE tear apart families, terrorize communities and now murder bystanders with impunity.
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 05/01/2026
This year, thanks to several new laws taking effect, more U.S. workers than ever have access to paid leave! 🎉 www.abetterbalance.org/in-2026-more...
abetterbalance.org
In 2026, More Workers Nationwide Than Ever Will Have Paid Leave: New Laws You Should Know About - A Better Balance
Thanks to several new laws taking effect in 2026, more workers than ever will soon have the legal right to take the time they need to care for themselves and their loved ones.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Happy New Year! With new paid leave laws taking effect today in Mississippi, Minnesota, Delaware and more, it's clear that 2026 is going to be a big year for building on state-level momentum as we keep fighting for #PaidLeaveForAll.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
In a challenging political climate, 2025 still saw a lot of exciting progress for workers' rights. Proud to lead an organization that is driving meaningful change for millions of families: www.abetterbalance.org/our-impact-1...
abetterbalance.org
Our Impact: 10 Wins for Workers and Their Loved Ones in 2025 - A Better Balance
This year saw great progress for workers' rights, including new paid sick time laws, state paid leave expansions, and more.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Too many parents and caregivers are at the whim of unpredictable, unfair work schedules. Grateful to see federal legislation introduced that would ensure predictability and benefits for millions of workers.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
As I told Vox, for those going through IVF a missed appointment can mean missing a precious chance at a successful pregnancy. Attacks on the PWFA's protections for fertility care are attacks on Americans' ability to grow their families on their own terms: www.vox.com/policy/47264...
vox.com
The looming showdown over IVF, explained
Trump says he supports IVF. That’s about to be tested.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
A huge win for maternal and infant health worth celebrating: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which passed three years ago this month, has helped lower the national miscarriage rate by helping expectant moms protect their health on the job. www.abetterbalance.org/new-study-th...
abetterbalance.org
New Study: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Reduces Miscarriage Rates by 9.6% - A Better Balance
New data confirms that the PWFA is a critical tool for promoting positive health outcomes for parents and babies alike.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
"Deloitte’s Women @ Work survey suggests that the top two reasons that women are considering leaving their current employer, collectively totaling 43 percent, are the inability to achieve work/life balance and lack of flexibility around when they work." www.inc.com/angela-genna...
inc.com
Work-Life Balance Isn’t Dead—It Was Never Real
A complicated look at a simple concept.
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 15/12/2025
Three years ago, we passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act into law. Since then, this landmark law has been a lifeline for countless pregnant and postpartum workers, who no longer have to choose between their jobs and staying healthy while pregnant.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Nobody – neither families nor employers – wins when women are implicitly punished for choosing to work remotely. Flexibility stigma is part of a broader, disturbing pattern in corporate America of workplaces becoming less inclusive and supportive. www.fastcompany.com/91458285/new...
fastcompany.com
New study: Women are more likely to be penalized for working remotely than men
The Women in the Workplace report reveals a retreat from DEI, rising flexibility stigma, and dwindling sponsorship for women—especially women of color.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
It's absolute shameful that so many incarcerated women in the U.S. routinely face abhorrent conditions when they're pregnant or give birth in prison. Reproductive justice means guaranteeing the right to a safe, healthy birth for ALL mothers. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
'Why won't you help me?' Pregnant women and their babies are dying in jail
Dozens of pregnant women locked up in county jails described excruciating pain, saying their cries for help were ignored as they miscarried or gave birth into cell toilets or on filthy jail floors.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Some exciting updates on the progress A Better Balance has achieved in 2025 below – so grateful for our supporters who make this important work possible.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
As important as maintaining boundaries can be for working parents, the onus to balance work with care shouldn't rest solely on them. Employers can ensure parent-friendly workplaces by providing supports like paid leave and flexibility. www.forbes.com/sites/lieket...
forbes.com
4 Tips For Working Parents To Achieve Work-Life Balance
Finding balance is challenging for most, but can seem impossible for working parents. These four tips help to drop the idea of balance and move toward happiness instead
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
It was invigorating to join so many trailblazers driving our culture forward last week for @washingtonpost.com's Global Women's Summit! We have a blueprint for building an economy that actually supports women with policies like paid leave – now, our elected officials must act.
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 21/11/2025
"It's truly absurd that the U.S. is only one of two countries that doesn't offer paid leave," said @inimai.bsky.social at @washingtonpost.com's 2025 Global Women's Summit, noting that 82% of voters support paid leave, across red states, blue states, and purple states.
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 19/11/2025
No worker should ever be punished because of their caregiving responsibilities. Today, we submitted an amicus brief defending caregivers who work for Amazon in NYC against discrimination. www.abetterbalance.org/new-amicus-b...
abetterbalance.org
New Amicus Brief Defends Anti-discrimination Protections for Caregivers in NYC - A Better Balance
Employers like Amazon must support caregivers by implementing fair policies, instead of forcing them to make impossible choices between work and family responsibilities.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
The climate crisis hits agricultural workers especially hard – they're an astounding 35x more likely to die from occupational heat exposure than workers in other industries. This is why it's so important for OSHA to pass a federal heat standard and protect workers. www.newamerica.org/planetary-po...
newamerica.org
How Heat Is Reshaping the Workforce
Protecting workers is no longer about climate adaptation alone, argues Aryn Baker. What is the future of labor in our warming world?
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Amazon's practices put warehouse workers in the position of needing to choose between their safety and their pay. Read about A Better Balance's new class action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of disabled Amazon workers in @cbsnews.com: www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-...
cbsnews.com
Amazon sued in class action lawsuit over workplace absence practices
A class action lawsuit filed in a New York federal court on Wednesday claims Amazon uses a "punitive absence control system" against its employees.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
It's heartening to see companies stepping up to model how paid leave is good for employees AND employers – still, time off to welcome a new child should be a fundamental legal right for all workers across industries and income levels. www.forbes.com/sites/michel...
forbes.com
Which Large U.S. Companies Scored Best On Paid Parental Leave In 2025?
New data reveals key trends on paid leave policies among the 500 largest U.S. companies and highlights ten companies that scored highest on paid parental leave in 2025.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Incarceration devastates women, families, and communities – this new report from @thecouncilus.bsky.social's FreeHer Institute shares the lived experiences of incarcerated women to illustrate the policy solutions they and their loved ones need: www.nationalcouncil.us/work-to-be-d...
nationalcouncil.us
Work to Be Done: Exposing the Truth About Women’s Incarceration and the Urgent Need for Change — The National Council
For decades, women’s incarceration has been ignored in research and policy, leaving deep scars on families and communities. Work to Be Done, the inaugural FreeHer Institute report, exposes how the car...
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 10/11/2025
Remember to join us for the @washingtonpost.com's 2025 Global Women’s Summit on 11/20, where we'll join leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to discuss the policy solutions women need in order to thrive. Register to watch live: www.washingtonpost.com/washington-p...
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Claiming to care about protecting children and families while playing politics with millions of Americans' ability to put food on the table, especially ahead of the holidays – just unspeakably cruel. There's nothing family-friendly about this.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
One under-discussed aspect of how incarceration impacts families: long prison sentences often prevent individuals from having the children they want. prismreports.org/2025/11/05/l...
prismreports.org
Long prison sentences function as involuntary sterilization of incarcerated people
By keeping me imprisoned through the years when I might have become a parent, the prison system reproduces eugenicist logic
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
While boundaries are an important part of work-life balance for moms, we can't understate how important concrete supportive policies like flexible work are, especially for moms in lower wage jobs with rigid shift schedules. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What Women Really Want: To Not Answer Work Emails at 10 p.m.
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
New analysis from @npwf.bsky.social and @the75million.bsky.social sounds the alarm on how a lack of support is causing a mass exodus of moms of color from the workforce, and why we need a more family-friendly economy: nationalpartnership.org/report/share...
nationalpartnership.org
The Share of Mothers Who Work Is Shrinking – and Black Mothers Face the Steepest Declines | National Partnership for Women & Families
New analysis from the National Partnership for Women & Families and The 75 Million Project finds that Black mothers of young children are facing the steepest declines in labor force participation in r...
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Inimai Chettiar @inimai.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Important updates on the fight for gender justice in @msmagazine.com this week, including the rally ABB joined calling on Amazon to follow the law and respect pregnant workers' rights, plus abhorrent conditions for pregnant women in ICE detention facilities: msmagazine.com/2025/10/28/f...
msmagazine.com
Keeping Score: No Kings Protest Turnout Makes History; SCOTUS Threatens Voting Rights; Gen Z Women Are Most Liberal in U.S.
Feminist News / Keeping Score: No Kings Protest Turnout Makes History; SCOTUS Threatens Voting Rights; Gen Z Women Are Most Liberal in U.S.
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A Better Balance @abetterbalance.org · 29/10/2025
This summer saw record-breaking heat waves and dangerous wildfire smoke in many areas. Farmworkers are especially vulnerable to climate-related workplace hazards, but states can protect their workforce by passing heat and smoke protections. www.lung.org/blog/climate...
lung.org
Farmworkers on the Front Lines of the Climate Crisis
There are still no federal heat or smoke protections for workers; states can help fill the gaps.
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