As we head into 2012, there are a lot of questions about where the Occupy energy will go from here. I’m confident it will move in powerful directions—fighting unjust foreclosures and evictions, exploring alternative banking, taking on outrageous student debt, countering the corrosive role of corporate money in politics, andallying in new ways with the growing ranks of poor Americans.
 
But there are also tangible—maybe not sexy or systemic—reforms that make a real difference in people’s lives and speak to OWS principles, and would benefit from its energy and activism. In 2011, two victories on paid sick leave offer something to build on as we work towards an economy that is more just and fair.Connecticut became the first state to guarantee this common sense protection for working people; andSeattle joined San Francisco and Washington, DC as the only cities with paid sick leave on the books.