New York is the first state to do *this*

Hey there! ICYMI: President Biden signed the ‘TikTok ban’ bill into law, meaning the app has just nine months to sort out an acquisition. 

Don’t worry: The ban still has a ways to go and likely won’t make it past the courts (it’s a clear violation of the first amendment). 

But hey, it doesn’t hurt to throw us a follow on our Instagram and YouTube just in case things go awry. 🙃

 1   New York to offer the nation’s first paid prenatal leave program 🍼

Caring for a baby starts way before they’re born: Pap smears, ultrasounds, pelvic exams…the list goes on. So why does standard parental leave only begin after those appointments? 

New York was thinking the same thing. So, as part of New York’s FY 2025 budget, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that pregnant employees will be eligible for 20 hours of paid prenatal care (separate from the state’s 12-week paid family leave) starting in 2025.  

This is a big deal. Not only is New York the first state to offer fully paid prenatal care, but it’s also rolling out: 

• ➜ 30 minutes of paid break time for nursing employees up to three years after a child’s birth. 

• ➜ Financial incentives for hospitals to reduce the number of unnecessary C-sections. 

• ➜ Doulas (i.e. someone who provides physical and emotional support during pregnancy) to be covered under Medicaid. New York is also creating a doula directory to help pregnant women connect with these professionals. 

Hats off to New York. Hopefully, they’ll pave the way for other states to follow the lead. 

 2   Thousands of app workers go on strike on International Workers’ Day ✊

What do we want? Fair pay and app deactivation protections. When do we want it? Now! 

Thousands of rideshare and delivery drivers across the nation, from Atlanta to Orlando, Charlotte to Philadelphia, and more, went on strike on International Workers Day on May 1 to protest for better working conditions, per The Tennessean. 

• Zoom In: “The cost of living is climbing, and drivers are seeing less and less money from each ride,” said The Justice For App Workers, representing over 130,000 app workers. “We’re tired of seeing Silicon Valley executives become millionaires off our hard work.” 

This isn’t the first time these workers have gone on strike. On Valentine's Day, hundreds of Lyft, Uber, and DoorDash drivers across Canada, the US, and the UK protested against what they call “a mobile sweatshop with virtually zero protections on the job.” 

Will anything change? It’s hard to tell. Despite Biden pushing a rule to make it harder to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees, it’s been met with lawsuits and congressional gridlock as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies spend millions on direct congressional lobbying. 

In the meantime, here’s how you can help: Follow the Justice For App Workers on social media and spread their message. And of course, don’t forget to tip the workers who come to your doorstep.

 3   Microfeminism is taking off on TikTok–but what is it? 🙆‍♀️

A new trend has gone viral on TikTok…but it’s not a dance or whipped coffee recipe. It’s #microfeminsim, where women share the times they’ve engaged in small acts of feminism to level the playing field at work. 

The hashtag has over 18 million posts with worldwide creators sharing examples. To name a few: 

• ➜ “If I’m emailing a team, I will always address the woman first in the email. So it’ll say, ‘Hey Kathy and Joe.” 

• ➜ “If I’m interrupted by men, I will in turn interrupt them back—but I will never interrupt another woman when she is speaking.” 

• ➜ “When a group of male coworkers completes a job or assignment, I say ‘great job gentlemen’ or ‘great job boys’ in the same way professional men say, ‘great job ladies/girls.’” 

But do these small things actually make a difference? Absolutely—ingrained gender biases at work have consequences. “Those assumptions affect our decision-making, they affect who we think to put on teams and who we think to promote,” said Christy Pruitt-Haynes, who works at the NeuroLeadership Institute.

Passing the mic to you: 🎤 What’s your go-to act of microfeminism in the workplace?

“We’re not only teachers. We’re psychologists. We’re counselors. We’re moms. We’re parents.” 

Teachers are so much more than “just” teachers—they play a fundamental role in our society. But when you factor in their low compensation, irregular work-life balance, and disrespectful student behavior, it’s no wonder that K-12 teachers are the number one burnt-out profession in the US. 

So, how are they coping? 

This week on The Break Room, we interviewed four teachers to learn more about burnout, how to best support them, and their compensation (of course 💰).

• Curious how much your software engineer friends are raking in? We’ve got some answers.

• The three reasons why finding a job feels so damn hard right now. 

• What’s “earned wage access”, and why is it a win-win for both employers and employees?

• Do you think you’re being underpaid? Find out in 2 minutes flat.

Thanks for being here! Before we part ways, a PSA that LinkedIn launched three new puzzles as a way to “bond” with your professional network. 

Does this mean recruiters will stop sending awkward direct messages and instead challenge you to a puzzle? Only time will tell. 🤷

See you next week!